Coldest Marathon Runs by Siberian Man In The World In Minus 38C
The jeweller from Russian diamond capital Yakutsk completed his epic ice run from Oymyakon, the coldest settlement on the planet. As the rest of his native Sakha Republic were ringing in the New Year, he began running on the road towards Tomtor minutes after midnight on 1 January. Before he set off, he received support from Chyskhaan - Lord of the Cold, preserver of the frost and ice here in Russia's own kingdom of cold. His idea was to run this marathon on New Year's night, as the world was celebrating. It worked fine - seconds after the clock struck midnight and the fireworks went off, he began running from the Pole of Cold, otherwise known as village of Oymyakon, towards the village of Tomtor.
It's fair to say his friends and family did not overwhelm him with enthusiasm for his adventure. Many people took his idea somewhat skeptically but he decided to get into training and go ahead with it, even if he had to run on his own. So he was in training for two and a half months at -35C and -40C. But this winter they had unusually mild weather, about ten degrees warmer than it should be. He did his last pre-marathon run -40C and felt great and ready to go. There were issues with getting the right kind of clothes. When you run in extreme heat there is a way to find shade and stop but when you are running at minus 40C, sweating, there is a certain danger in stopping. 'In Yakutia they have special mountain climbing equipment, but it is said to endure a maximum of minus 30C, and also it was not so comfortable for running. So he had to spend a lot of time selecting and experimenting with varieties of trousers and coats to find the right one, as well as some good thermals to have underneath. He took both a face mask and a balaclava to see what would be the best to protect the face. The balaclava proved easily the best. He also fixed a head torch on it to make sure he saw the road in the darkness since the area was rather wild one - this is not where you find street lights. He really hoped for a steady minus 40C, or minus 45C, and in about 20 minutes it started snowing, which was a real hassle in terms of visibility and the running. The road from Oymyakon to Tomtor is not the busiest in the world, especially in the middle of the night on 1 January - so it was really dark. 'Luckily in about two hours, the snow stopped and the sky got clear, which was fantastic as he was running with my own light, the stars, and the flashes of car lights behind him at a distance. He knew there was a certain risk of encountering animals. Since he was running on his own, and was not sure that he will get the car to follow him so he had done the route so that he ran 21+km one way, and then ran back. He got a picture of me at 21.97 km (his furthest point) on the way out, and another as he reached the finish back in Oymyakon. |
| Source : siberiantimes.com |
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| Source : http://siberiantimes.com |
It is very fascinating and indeed absorbing to see the human will to thrive and test its limits to achieve greatness.
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