POLAR NIGHT HALF MARATHON
Be inspired by reports on recent events by our intrepid runners: we go the distance!
PICTURE: ZOLTAN TOT
Tromsø in northern Norway is renowned in running circles for its Midnight Sun Marathon, which takes place in mid-summer when there’s continuous daylight. But it also hosts an equally quirky event, the Polar Night Half Marathon, which takes place during the polar night, a two-month period when the sun never rises.
Arriving from temperate London, we were somewhat apprehensive as we slipped and slid our way to the airport bus-stop. But fortunately 10cm of snow fell the night before the race, so what could have been an ice rink turned into a smooth but not-too-slippery surface. However, we were nonetheless hugely grateful for our ice crampons – strips of rubber studded with steel spikes you slip over your trainers – which give excellent grip on ice underfoot.
All three races – the 5K, 10K and half marathon – start on Tromsø’s main square, just a three-minute walk from the City Hall, which acts as Race HQ. There were only four toilets visible (though rumour had it, there were others somewhere elsewhere in the building) so the loo queue was enormous and gave runners time to chat to the host of competitors who’d come from as far afield as Japan and South Africa to do this unique race.