What an incredible spectacle the 2024 Ice Ultra has been! From white-outs to Reindeer spotting, freezing summits, foggy forests and of course, tired legs our runners have experienced it all. Read on for the full race report and final results!

39 runners stepped onto the trail at the Stora Sjöfallet Mountain Lodge, and each one of them in the 230km since has overcome near insurmountable mental and physical challenges. It’s not hyperbole to suggest that inside the Arctic Circle is one of the most unforgiving environments that a human being could find themselves in, and for our brave runners to not only rise to the challenge but also overcome it is an immense accomplishment.

Starting along the Kungsleden Trail the runners danced along the edge of the mountains, crossing a frozen lake and experiencing the bitter winds icy embrace as they took on their first exposed climb. For 50km they traveled towards their evening rest at the remote Atske Cabins, with the sinister Mt Kabla looming in the distance, foreshadowing what was to come.

The runners then departed for possibly the most physically challenging of stage of all, Kabla, where they climbed 700m over 6.5km in variable snow conditions, experiencing temperatures as low as -26 before dropping back into the forests around Arrenjarka, the night’s camp.

What followed next was a climb up, through icicle-draped trees and deep powder out onto The Lakes. Here the group experienced a true realm of silence, with poor visibility and groaning ice even the toughest experienced an intense feeling of unease. Winding their way between compression ridges and dotted islands the runners eventually found sanctuary on the enchanting Laxholmen Island, experiencing a night on solid ground at the heart of a frozen lake.

The penultimate stage, Sámi, was the longest. Coming in at a brutal 65km this stage was designed to test the mettle of the group, proving once again that the best ultra runners are not only physically tough, but mentally robust too. Runners here faced a cut-off at CP5 but for those that made it the raw arctic night closed in, with those at the back of the pack spending around 20 hours in total running in baltic conditions.

Five days later the runners embarked on The Sprint, a 15km dash to the finish line that sounds easy, but after 200 km is anything but. The exhausted runners stumbled along the red carpet and across the line where they could finally celebrate their achievement. The BTU crew, medics, and Sámi guides welcomed them with smiles and cheers. The front three, James Izzard, Alex O’Shea and George Bath took a wrong turn on the course, but with an adjusted time still finishing just ahead of Daryl Green and Jonathan Harman.

The final podiums are as follows:

Tarryn Gordon-Bennett raced to victory, coming across the line as lead female in 39hrs 9min, a whopping 12 hours ahead of second-placed Emma Roper. Emma has been in the podium spots the whole race, finishing with a total time of 51hrs 22min. The hotly contested final step on the podium was filled by Sia Kindberg, who fended off Olivia Keating and Rosie Burnham, coming across the line in 56hrs 52mins.

As for the Men’s/Overall podium it’s been Alex O’Shea’s race to lose since James Izzard’s time penalty at the end of Stage One. Alex hasn’t put a foot wrong this race and, despite fierce competition from second-placed George Bath, took victory in the majority of stages. Alex finished with an overall time of 32hrs 31 mins. George Bath, who ran with Alex on most of the latter stages of the race, came in with an impressive 34hrs 38min, an hour ahead of third place finisher Juan Fernandez Catalina. The fight for third place was close run, with Jonathan Harman, Bert Gossey, Tarryn Gordon-Bennett and Andre Erasmus all at one point or another looking like they might be in contention, but with a determined push in the penultimate stage Juan Fernandez Catlina edged the competition, rounding out the 2024 podium.

Special mentions go out to Olivia Keating, who short-coursed in her previous attempt at the Ice Ultra, and has now come back to face her demons and complete the full race with a 58 hr effort. Tian Watson, who dodged the checkpoint cut-off time by just 23 seconds on Stage One, completed the ultimate underdog story. The Trinbagonian battled through subzero conditions, long Arctic nights, and immeasurable mental stress, eventually completing the course with an overall time of 66hrs 17mins. Alongside him was another runner who fought back from the brink, Dan-Emilian Croitoru. Dan-Emilian ran until 2:46 Am on Stage Four, battling pitch darkness and creeping fatigue, and was our final runner across the line on Stage Five, closing out the competition with a first-class example of grit and determination.

Every single runner has given it there all to get to the finish line, showcasing incredible resilience in such remote wilderness and is a credit to themselves.

We’d like to extend a huge thank you to our medical team, volunteers and the local Sámi guides for their contributions to the race, without your valued time, experience, and hard work none of this would be possible.

If you’ve been following the race at home and fancy giving one a go yourself please explore the BTU website, and don’t hesitate to book in a call with one of our race directors if you’d like a further conversation.

Please see the full table of results and finishing positions down below.