After a night under the stars and in the warmth of traditional huts on Laxholmen Island, the runners set out before sunrise for the longest and most demanding stage of the race. Covering vast frozen lakes, deep pine forests, and passing through Sámi villages, endurance was pushed to its limits over 65km.

A crucial cut-off at Checkpoint 5 ensured all runners maintained progress, with those falling behind receiving assistance to the final camp. As darkness fell, the final stretch was illuminated by head torches and glow sticks, guiding competitors through arched pine woodlands and deep snowdrifts. The finish line lay just a stone’s throw from the Arctic Circle—marking the near completion of this epic race.

First across the line was Men’s stage winner Alexander Welch, finishing in a remarkable 9:26:00, maintaining his overall lead with a cumulative time of 28:28:00. The Women’s stage winner, Ioana Barbu, crossed in 9:55:00, moving into second place overall with 31:58:00.

Dave Benison followed closely behind Ioana, securing second place in the Men’s standings with 9:50:00, bringing his total time to 32:16:00. Marc Rhodes rounded out the Men’s podium with a stage time of 10:24:00, taking his overall time to 32:50:00. In the Women’s field, Katie Hislop continued her strong performance, finishing in 11:22:00 and bringing her total to 39:01:00, while Frith Hudson Graham secured third with a time of 12:06:00 and an overall time of 40:39:00.

Further down the field, Christoph Castelberg and Stefan Landolt ran together, both finishing in 12:19:00, bringing their overall times to 38:21:00. Jacob Dalgas Michaelsen put in a determined effort, completing the stage in 14:10:00 for an accumulated time of 40:02:00. Meanwhile, Evelijn Tjarks battled through the tough terrain to finish in 14:28:00, reaching a total time of 44:48:00.

As the runners settle into camp, resting weary legs and preparing for the final push to the finish, the Arctic night once again casts its icy grip over the landscape. With the hardest days behind them, the finish line is now within reach.