| Thomas tames Arctic in world’s coolest
race…  By
Trevor O’sullivan
Fancy a go?
The North Pole marathon is the only certified marathon that is run entirely
‘on’ water the frozen water of the Arctic Ocean.
n It is recognised by the 2006 Guinness Book Of World Records as the northernmost
marathon on Earth.
n Participants are eligible to join the exclusive North Pole Marathon
Grand Slam Club by finishing a marathon on each of the seven continents
as well as the race on the Arctic Ocean.
RUNNING a marathon can be tough especially when it’s being run
at the North Pole.
Keen for a challenge Irishman Thomas Maguire from Belcoo, Co. Fermanagh
decided to take part.
And he not only finished the race, he became the first Irishman ever to
win it.
Thomas took first place in the annual race beating off stiff competition
from 40 other competitors from 22 countries.
And to continue the Irish theme, this unique event is actually organised
by Galway man Richard Donovan, a pioneer of polar athletics and winner
of the first ever South Pole Marathon.
Dubbed the planet’s most extreme run, the North Pole Marathon is
a 26.2 mile slog on top of four metres of ice.
Participants flew from Spitsbergen in Norway to a drifting Russian ice
base high in the Arctic Ocean to take part in the race.
Thomas described how he coped with the harsh conditions and unforgiving
terrain.
He said: “The temperature was minus 25 and I had to wear several
layers of clothes on everywhere no part of my skin was exposed.
“I had three layers on my feet, three layers on my leg, four or
five layers on my upper body and I also wore a balaclava, a ski mask,
a hat and ski goggles. I had snow shoes as well.
“The terrain was extremely hard to run in it’s not flat
ice, it’s like running on a beach.
“It’s a fantastic event, a real once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“The aspect of trying to cope with the insanely cold temperatures
was such a massive challenge.
“It felt very special to win the event this time last year I would
never have imagined doing this kind of thing.”
The Fermanagh man finished the race in a new record time of 3hrs 36mins
10secs.
Finbarr Murphy, a Limerick-based university lecturer, finished in seventh
spot while Peter Bell and Paul Gray from the North of Ireland finished
fifth and 21st respectively.
The winner’s prize was a coveted Kobold expedition watch.
Thomas’ next challenge is preparing to captain the Irish athletic
team who will participate in the British Isles 100k for the Anglo Celt
Plate in Edinburgh on Sunday May 20.
…as speed-climber Ian suffers heartbreaking setback
A WICKLOW climber who is attempting to break the world record for the
fastest ascent of the seven highest peaks on all seven continents has
been forced to abandon his attempt on Mount Elbrus just 200 metres from
the summit.
Ian McKeever was going for the summit of the 5,642-metre Russian peak
but had to turn round with his goal in sight when one of the expedition
members began struggling in the sub-zero temperatures.
Will Sharp, an 18-year-old Briton attempting to become the youngest climber
to complete the Seven Summits, was suffering from exhaustion and hypothermia
in temperatures of minus 40 when the decision to abort the summit attempt
was made.
“We could have summitted, but Will was in trouble,” Mr McKeever
said.
“It was safety before glory but it was the right call. There’s
no ego on the mountain, it has to be safety first. I’m just proud
that we did the right thing.”
Mr McKeever, who is suffering from frostbite on his left cheek, is still
determined that he will succeed in his Ulster Bank Seven Summits Challenge
attempt to set a new world record of 180 days to climb the seven highest
mountains on the seven continents.
He added: “The record is still within my grasp.
“We’ll just have to go back to Elbrus at the end of June after
we’ve done Denali.”
Mr McKeever, who is climbing with British guiding company Adventure Peaks,
is scheduled to leave for Tibet later this month.
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