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North Pole Marathon 2009

The world’s coolest marathon, the North Pole Marathon, lived up to its billing when competitors endured temperatures of -37C at the North Pole.
Thirty-eight participants from 14 countries and 6 continents started the 26.2-mile race on Wednesday April 7th 2009 at 15:30 GMT.

Rob Plijnaar, eerste Nederlandse deelnemer aan de Noordpool marathon Departure from Longyearbyen,  Spitsbergen North Pole Marathon Competitors Russian Antonov AH-74TK-100 Ready for takeoff
Goodbye Spitsbergen ! Hello North Pole Our Russian steward Inside the cockpit Arriving at Camp Barneo 89° N
Ice Camp Barneo First steps on the North Pole Antonov AH-74TK-100 It’s only minus 30° ! 20004 KM to the South Pole
Ice Camp Barneo Russian distance table Opening speech by Victor Boyarsky The Russian staff of camp Barneo The canteen of camp Barneo (Photo Mike King)
Richard Donovan and waitress (Photo Mike King) Competitors Jacques Fox (LU) and Rob Plijnaar (NL) Dancing in a circle around 90°N North Pole scenery Dutch flag at 90°N
Coming back by helicopter to Ice Camp Barneo Accommodation at Ice Camp Barneo Ice cold P room for men Racing director Richard Donovan and Rob Plijnaar Two Russian pilots of the helicopter
Ice, Ice, Ice..... Freezing North Pole competitor Rob Plijnaar Huge pressure Only the sound of wind and crunching ice Only 4193 km to Amsterdam
North Pole scenery Before the start of the North Pole Marathon Norm Zinker (USA) Famous Russian expedition member Victor Boyarsky (L) North Pole Marathon track
Exactly 90°N If you need to go really badly...... Dogs waiting for another expedition (Photo Mike King) Preparation of a North Pole expedition (Camp Barneo) No snowshoes inside the tent
French competitors (Photo Mike King) Going to the start (Photo Mike King) MacDonald (GB) and Roberts (NZ) (Photo Mike King) Preparing the course (Photo Mike King) Briefing before the start of the North Pole Marathon
Two minutes to go (Photo Mike King) Start of the North Pole Marathon 2009 (Photo Mike King) First round (5 km) (Photo Mike King) North Pole Marathon Competitors (The Netherlands 32) 36 competitors from 16 countries (Photo Mike King)
Temperature at the start minus 37 °C The track marked with small red flags Renauld Michel from France (Photo Mike King) Herve Michel (Fr) and Yvan Michel (Photo Mike King) Still going strong after the 6th round (30 km)
Ted Jackson (GB) Plijnaar (NL) and Jacques Fox (LU) North Pole Marathon (Photo Mike King) Frozen competitor The North Pole at 11 p.m.
Even the camera was frozen Ice blockade Finish of Michel (2)  and Roberts (3) (Photo Mike King) Finish of Plijnaar (11) Survived again (Photo Mike King)
North Pole face Russian helicopter Opera singer Ted Jackson (GB) (Photo Mike King) Winner of the North Pole Marathon Evgeniy Gorgov (Russia, left) Back to Spitsbergen
Price ceremony at the Radisson hotel On the left the youngest competitor Stefanie Pettersson (16, BR) Souvenir,: one red flag Richard Donovan and winner Evgeniy Gorgov 36 competitors
Bartl (DE), Gorgov (RU), Takano (JP), Fox (LU), Ribeiro (LU) and Plijnaar (NL) Medal of the North Pole Marathon 2009 North Pole.jpg