North Pole Marathon: World's Coolest Marathon
View Reuters Coverage of the 2009 race. Welcome to the running experience of a lifetime. On 7th April 2010 athletes like you will have the opportunity to make history as a continuing new breed of Arctic adventurer. By competing in the world’s coolest marathon, the North Pole Marathon, you will become one of a truly select few to race at the top of the world - at the Geographic North Pole. And you will feel on top of the world when you manage to overcome the extreme sub-zero temperatures to finish 26.2 miles in one of the remotest parts of the planet.
The North Pole Marathon will also feature an exciting team challenge, with the title decided by the cumulative time of a team’s first three finishers. Whether comprised from an army division, company, athletics club or charity, your team can enter this contest.
After registration you will have access to the entrants’ section of this website, which contains marathon training tips; sponsorship advice; links to specific, recommended racing gear; a powerpoint slide show; advice on flights; and a competitors' forum.
"The whole experience of arriving at the top of the world and competing in the marathon was absolutely amazing. Fantastic fellow competitors and tough conditions gave the PizzaExpress team a truly unique adventure at the Pole and the genuine challenge we were looking for." "The North Pole Marathon is the most amazing extreme marathon I have ever run. It brought runners to the limits of their endurance and lived up to its billing in every respect, affording athletes a chance to run and feel on top of the world." Unique Attributes of the Race
PROVISIONAL SCHEDULE FOR 2010
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But first you must ask yourself if you have got the nerve and drive to travel to the North Pole and run on Arctic ice floes, with 6 to 12 feet separating you from 12,000 feet of Arctic Ocean? Can you handle the extreme cold? Are you fit enough? Do you want to push yourself to the edge? If the answer is yes, then you are ready for the North Pole Marathon. Join race director Richard Donovan, the first marathoner at both the North and South Poles, in a trip of a lifetime. Remember, this marathon is not run on land - it is run 'on' water, frozen water, in the high Arctic Ocean. You will never have a greater adventure marathon story.
This amazing race will additionally offer athletes who have completed a marathon on all seven continents the opportunity of joining the exclusive North Pole Marathon Grand Slam Club by also completing this marathon on the Arctic Ocean. Check out the Grand Slam section of this site for recommended associated races on each of the seven continents, and for current members of the club.
Don’t let this experience of a lifetime pass you by. For the entry fee of €11,900, Polar Running Adventures will provide athletes with accommodation in Spitsbergen on April 5th; return flights from Spitsbergen to the North Pole camp; accommodation while at the Pole from April 6th to 8th; entry to the official North Pole Marathon; helicopter flights in the polar region; t-shirts, medals and souvenirs; professional photos of each competitor in action; a DVD of the race; and hotel accommodation on April 8th on return from the Pole. 
"I've been at the Pole before but this was pleasantly different in that I didn't have to haul a sled there! The race is a unique combination of two things I enjoy: polar challenges and marathon running. It's a great test of fitness and stamina. Well done."
Certified 26.2 mile marathon distance (Association of International Marathons and Distance Races)
© 2003 - 2009 Richard Donovan, Polar Running Adventures. All Rights Reserved. rd@npmarathon.com