TRAIL
We featured Mauritz Jansen van Rensburg ’ s story about his December 2019 Antarctic Ice Marathon run in our February 2020 edition . Click here to read about his international marathon adventure at the other ( proverbial ) end of the world .
on a short loop , we had an aid station where we could leave gear , or you could put on new gear , so there was quite a bit of flexibility on how to dress , and how to tackle this thing .
That said , just comparing the temperatures , the North Pole is not as cold as the South Pole was at that stage of the year , because the winds are less , so things were a bit simpler . In Antarctica , you get that real-feel temperature because of the winds , which are really , really strong and icy , whereas up north we actually enjoyed quite mild weather . It was cold , minus-four at one point , but it ’ s just like a very , very cold winter ’ s morning in Johannesburg , or some of our up-country towns where the water pipes freeze up .
So , I had layered underwear and vest , long tights and a long-sleeve top , and then my South African vest on top of that , and that was enough . I started with a windchill jacket , but once I warmed up , I felt like I was going to get sweaty , and you don ’ t want to get wet in those conditions . Some of the athletes walked the whole way , or mixed jogging and walking , and they needed more clothing , because you don ’ t sweat as much when you ’ re going a bit slower or not pushing that hard , but some of us were racing each other and trying to beat the record time of the event , and we pushed each other quite nicely .
SF : What was the course record ? I see the first two runners crossed the line in 3:14 and 3:18 , and you ran 3:34 to finish third , while the fourth runner finished in 3:51 . What were you guys chasing , and how did the race unfold ?
MJVR : I think the record was 3:36 , so the first three of us were faster . I thought I would do a 3:30 , because on these types of events , you normally add about half an hour , and currently , I ’ m running close to three hours , or sometimes just dipping under three . Also , I knew the guys in our group that came with us included two very strong American runners , so beforehand I decided it ’ s maybe not a good idea to go out and try and stick with them , because they ’ re younger , and they have a different race strategy . They go out hard and then ease off a bit , where my running style has always been to try run a negative split , so I start more conservatively and build it up , and normally do better in the second half .
In the beginning , the race was a bit competitive , especially between those two who went out fast and furious , and I was lying in fourth position . There was another guy who went out with the leaders , but I caught him later and finished third , while he ended fourth . He blew himself right out of it , and at one stage was on his hands and knees , looking like he was in serious trouble . I just stuck to my game plan . Of course , besides the challenge of running on the ice , the other thing that ’ s really hard on a race like this is the lap being so short , so the leaders start lapping you at some point .
SF : In terms of oxygen , I assume that oxygen is no problem because you ’ re running at sea level , but I ’ m not sure what the air is like at the North Pole . Were there any challenges or issues on that front ?
MJVR : No issues with the oxygen levels , because it ’ s very similar to what we experience here where I live in George , near to sea level , and the humidity was actually quite pleasant as well , but what I can say about the air is that it ’ s very fresh . It ’ s so cold , and there ’ s obviously no pollution up there , because there ’ s nothing around , so you can almost see the clarity in the air . I did use a Buff for a while over my mouth , because it was just cold air coming in , but later on you become used to it .
SF : In marathon circles , there is the Seven Continents challenge , to run a marathon on all seven continents – Africa , Europe , Asia , North America , South America , Australia and Antarctica – or at least , in all the major areas , like Austalasia , and some then add the Arctic as an unofficial eighth continent . I know you
Mauritz says it felt like running in circles through slush puppy ice later in the race
Mauritz finishes another lap in the company of Duane Wesemann
The runners did 120 laps of the 352m loop !
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