Going Below -40

Jan 9 Written By Ahmed AlKatheeri

The target is to join the Last Desert in Antarctica in which competitors traverse up to 250 km / 155 miles across the largest desert in the world which is often referred to as the "White Desert". In preparation for the race I went to boot camp in Siberia- Russia which was my first attempt to run under harsh conditions. The experience taught me alot, and introduced me to many new people who continued to be friends.

This year, I was thrilled to be invited by their Federation President to the III Winter Extreme Marathon “Polus Kholoda (Cold Pole) - Oymyakon” which will be held at the Yakut Autonomous Soviet Specialist Republic. The invitation made me go back to my notes during the boot camp, in an attempt to recall some of the challenges I faced as I run for the first time in such weather conditions, and I thought I should share them with you…

Some of the challenges I faced and will face in this up coming event: 1. To maintain a supply of warm or even unfrozen food and drinking water during the race while keeping in mind that the water stations are available every 4km and waiting to get there means that I might get dehydrated. 2. Last time, the mask got frozen which blocked my breath. 3. Any thing that gets wet freezes within seconds which seems logical. However, I remember I panicked the first time I felt that my tears were freezing and I could not move my eye lid. Any drop of sweat turns within seconds to frost, this means that I have to change my clothes once they become wet. 3. The Sun rises and sets within few hours in comparison to other parts of the world (5.5hrs to be precise). This means that if I did not finish the 142km within these 5 hrs I will have to complete the race at night and rely on a torch which may not continue to work for so long in these conditions.

Having said that, I am excited and focused on my target. And I am sure completing for the first time in such conditions will give me many more incites that would be beneficiary for my race in the white desert.

Keep an eye on this space after the race…