Stage 3 | The Kings Road
The race team took mercy on the runners after yesterday’s horrible weather and gave the runners an extra 2 hours to rest and properly dry their running gear last night. Our team say there was a positive feeling on the start line this morning and everyone seemed energised after their lay-in.
It may have been the shortest stage but it’s been another tough day out there in the Arctic circle. It’s been colder today and the surface water has made the 15km of running across the lakes at the end of the stage particularly tough. Our amazing athletes have pushed on though.
Trio Mark, Ben and Chris have stuck together and chipped away at this race from Stage 1. Today was no different as these 3 solid runners got each other over another finish line.
Jenny struggled with the extreme cold today and spent a little time at CP2 but recovered well and got stuck in again with running buddy Hazel. Robbie told us yesterday that these two were tough and he wasn’t wrong.
Speaking of Robbie, he has rather predictably continued his relentless progress through the ice and slush. Short of a moose attack or being kidnapped by bears we’re not sure what will actually slow him down. He came over the line first again and well ahead of the rest of the runners. Austin and Shaun took 2nd and 3rdagain and Mimi and Caroline ran a very strong race again as did John Power. There are some incredibly resilient runners out there are they are all continuing to impress us by ploughing on over slushy lakes and through deep snow.
Philip Kirkby rejoined the race having recovered after pulling up in stage one. He had a crack at the stage 3 just for fun and held a steady pace out there. He needed a little assistance to get over the line but he’s safe and warm now back at camp.
The race team had a tough day too as comms with the UK suffered due to the remoteness of the location. Also the surface water on the lakes caused chaos with the snowmobiles leading to a scramble to get all the required kit from site to site without impacting on the runners. It was a big day for the guys out there but they got the job done so all the athletes can be reunited with their kit.
We’d like to thank the team at Extrac who provided our GPS tracking system which, even when other comms between Sweden and the UK are struggling, have provided us with constant updates on the runners’ positions and a means for them to make contact if any issues arise.
Tommorow is a big, big day for the athletes. Sami – The longest stage at 63km, named after the area’s tough indigenous people, the Sami. They’ll start and finish in the dark on a stage covering vast frozen lakes, mountains, ice forests and snow fields.
If weather permits, there is also a real chance of seeing the majestic Northern Lights during the night section of this stage, along with abundant wildlife. On reaching basecamp runners will gather under a huge tepee which provides shelter for your final night above the arctic line.
[arve url=”https://youtu.be/Lp7i2JBtbIw” title=”Ice Ultra Documentary Preview” /]
