| North
Pole Marathon Completed
Reuters
News Services
Posted April 24, 2003
Martin
Tighe of the United Kingdom was the winner of the North Pole
Marathon which took place on April 17th as scheduled.
Soft and loose snow made running extremely difficult for the
competitors who also had to endure wind chill temperatures
of -29C. However Tighe, who is based in Providence, Rhode
Island (USA), overcame the unpredictable hazards of polar
running to cross the finish line in first place in a time
of 5.02.10. Second place went to Richard Donovan of Ireland
in a time of 5.20.35, while Dave Kanners of the USA clinched
third spot. At different stages during this extreme adventure
race, all top three competitors were temporarily withdrawn
for treatment for frost damage to their noses: however, none
received very serious effects and were allowed to continue.
As athletes struggled to complete the 26.2 mile distance,
a support helicopter constantly heated its engines while waiting
for them to finish. However, the difficult terrain and biting
wind naturally made times much slower than anticipated and
a fuel shortage problem quickly became apparent. Consequently,
after the first two athletes completed the marked course,
the distance covered by the remaining competitors was recorded
and positions awarded accordingly. The chopper then departed
with the competitors to base camp, only a short distance away,
where all of the entrants amazingly managed to finish the
42k (26.2 mile) distance.
It was a magnificent achievement for all concerned to finish
a marathon at the North Pole under such circumstances. Included
among the field was Mary Ritz of the USA, who became the first
woman ever to successfully complete a North Pole Marathon.
And there were many other firsts across the board. Among them,
Hans Van Heerden became the first person from the continent
of Africa to run a marathon at the North Pole. Helmut Linzbichler
and Wolfgang Schwarzaeugl jointly became the first Austrians
to do so, with Andrey Chirkov becoming the first Russian to
succeed. Paul Ruesch of the USA, a late arrival at the Pole,
joined the runners at base camp to also complete a North Pole
marathon. Beginning late in the evening on his 33rd birthday,
he finished in the early hours of his 34th birthday on April
18th.
Brent Weigner and Mary Ritz also completed an ultra distance
of 45k, hence running an ultra distance (longer than a marathon)
on each of the seven continents and at the North Pole in the
Arctic Ocean.
Results
of North Pole Marathon
1. Martin Tighe (United Kingdom)
2.
Richard Donovan (Ireland)
3.
Dave Kanners (USA)
4.
Brent Weigner (USA)
5.
Helmut Linzbichler (Austria), Wolfgang Schwarzaeugl (Austria),
Hans van Heerden (South Africa)
8.
Mary Ritz (USA) *First Female
9.
Andrey Chirkov (Russia)
10.
Don Kern (USA)
*Paul
Ruesch (USA) also finished a marathon at the North Pole, although
starting at a different time than the rest of the entrants.
Reuters
News Services
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