On the 26th of October I will run my first ever marathon - in the arctic desert of Greenland, above the Polar Circle!

Motivation & Fund Raising 💝

After completing my first half-marathon in typical Scottish weather (it was so much windy that it was raining horizontally!!) on the Isle of Skye a couple years ago, the objective of running a full marathon has been on my mind since. I wanted to make it even more of a challenge - and sub-freezing arctic winds seemed bad enough to compete with Scottish rain – so I have decided to run my first marathon at the Polar Circle, in Greenland!

A lot of my motivation also comes from fund raising for Doctors Without Borders (MSF). As we all know, many armed conflicts are going on in the world as we speak. MSF is one of the world’s leading medical humanitarian aid organisations, and by donating we can help to provide assistance to those affected by war, epidemics and natural disasters, without any discrimination or political affiliation. I would be so grateful for any donations, however small - thanks for your support!!

The Race ❄️

The race is the https://polar-circle-marathon.com. It will be run through the arctic desert around Kangerlussuaq, a small settlement of a few hundreds inhabitants in western Greenland, about 50 km above the Polar Circle.

The run will start at 8:30 am, when the temperature is expected to be around minus 10/15 degrees Celsius. If the weather is good, as the sun rises it should go up to minus 5/10 degrees Celsius. However, perceived temperature might be much lower due to the wind chill from the arctic winds: I will need to cover all my body to prevent frost bites! And I will also need to wear crampons to cover the section of the race that will cross the ice sheet.

Personal Objective & Preparation 🏅

Having completed the Skye Half Marathon in 1 hour 45 minutes, and given the harsh environmental conditions of the race, my first objective is to finish sub 4 hours and 30 minutes. If I can’t make that, I will be happy with finishing it before the cutoff, which is 7 hours.

I am super excited about the preparation, which on top of the training will involve a good deal of research on the technical gear needed to run in arctic conditions, especially to withstand potential snow, ice and the extreme winds. It’s a physical as well as mental challenge which I’m super looking forward to!

Again thanks for any donations, much much love 🌸

UPDATE 21st October 24:

Unfortunately, despite my consistent efforts in training and a lot of (very painful!!!) physio sessions, i haven’t managed to get rid of a stubborn runners knee on my right knee. This means I will have to walk the entire 42km, which in a sense poses even more of a challenge than running.

I’ll be out in the sub-freezing temps and arctic winds for longer (down to -30C with windchill!) and my body will generate much less heat, making it more difficult to keep warm. My aim now is to get to the end line before the 7 hours cutoff!