Pictures from the North Pole Marathon

It's hard to take pictures of the marathon when you are actually running the race. Here are some pics (some of me, some not) of the North Pole Marathon itself. I am wearing bib #7 on my leg and back.

Richard Donovan (the race director) Giving last minute instruction before the race. Have you ever seen a field of runners dressed in such fashion?

The start of the marathon. 38 brave and foolish souls. (36 would finish) Small races are fun to run. Not very often you can know everyone in the race on a first name basis. Before this the smallest I ran was in South Africa with 49 marathoners.

And they are off... look at those cheering crowds! look at the colorful balloons lining the route! Look at that ice....

Not me, but one of my favorite pictures. The runner almost looks fake in comparison to the landscape. When you are alone on a run at the North Pole... YOU ARE REALLY ALONE!!!

Oh yeah! Look at Bob run! Run Bob, Run!
This was lap #2 of a 9 lap race. Lap #1 I had the goggles on, lap #2 they were on the head, after lap three they were off along with the outer jacket to be replaced with a heavier one. The inside of the black jacket was solid with ice and I could not get warm. I ended up changing socks twice and upper body clothes twice. 26.2 miles = 11 pair of socks, 9 shirts, 3 hats, 2 jackets, 2 glove liners, 2 mittens, 2 face mask. Oddly enough the legs were fine. Everywhere there was moisture, it froze, even 2 layers in. If you look where the gloves meet the jacket you can see ice. (along with the whole head)

If you look quick enough, you can see me (#&) in the lead. What you don't see is that there are 20 people in front of me. We were bunched into 3 packs in the beginning, by the end there was long, long gaps between everyone. It was very rare to be running with someone.

Done, done, done. Taken about 30 seconds after I crossed the finish line. Do I look happy? Do I look cold? If you zoom in on the picture, take a close look at my eye lashes, every so often you needed to squeeze the eyelashed to break/melt the ice so they would not stick together. Fun stuff.... but I'd go back in a minute. Not even a second thought needed.

Picture time at the Pole!

If you are going to make the journey to the North Pole, you start to think, "what can I bring up there for a photo op?" You don't want to be home and then think of something you should have brought. Here a few pics from the pole with various flags, items and yes - The Travelocity Roaming Gnome.....