Race Information
Welcome to the Arctic Polar Race™, the Authentic North Pole Race.
The Arctic Polar Race™ has its origins in 2002 when Richard Donovan ran the first marathon in history at the North Pole. Polar Running Adventures subsequently organized every annual marathon event at the North Pole ice camp, enabling many hundreds of people to safely run a polar marathon and stand at 90 Degrees North - the top of the world. Our last North Pole marathon running event was in 2018, and there has been no marathon at a North Pole drifting ice camp since that year.
THE AUTHENTIC NORTH POLE RACE - WORLD’S COOLEST ULTRA
We now look forward to giving athletes the opportunity to return to our original and authentic polar race concept once again.
By authentic, we mean an event encompassing April’s extreme sub-zero temperatures; an expansive course on the Arctic ice floes; and an accurately measured and monitored circuit.
The main event is the marathon, but participants can elect to complete a half-marathon or 50km ultrmarathon.
Our previous marathon distance events have typically involved a circuit of 4.22km that is repeated 10 times. Participants have always loved to share their GPS data, uniquely showing the entire circuit moving over time due to the race being operated ‘on’ water, the frozen ice floes of the Ocean.
Everyone is welcome to take part in the Arctic Polar Race™, whether you are a top athlete seeking to win a North Pole title, or hoping to cover your chosen distance and knock the North Pole off your bucket list.
Places are limited in accordance with aircraft capacity constraints.
Provisional Race Itinerary 2026
11th April: Arrive in Krasnoyarsk
12th April: Event Briefing
13th April: Flight to North Pole Ice Camp
14th April: Arctic Polar Race™, Chopper to 90N
15th April: Stand at 90 Degrees North
16th April: Return to Krasnoyarsk
17th April: Free to return to Homeland
Travel to the sea of ice
Provisional Schedule
Participants should arrive in Krasnoyarsk by 12th April 2026.
On 14th April, your charter flight time to the North Pole ice camp via AN-74 aircraft is 10 hours, including fueling stops at Khatanga and Severnaya Zemlya . You will be accommodated in heated tents on the ice.
On 15th April, the Arctic Polar Race will take place at the camp, which drifts between 89N and 90N.
After the race, and a trip by Mi-8 chopper to stand at exactly 90N, you will return to Krasnoyarsk by 17th April.
Environment & Safety
Polar Running Adventures offsets all carbon emissions and was the first entity to operate a carbon neutral event at the North Pole almost two decades ago.
With our extensive knowledge and experience, we prioritize safety precautions when venturing onto the Arctic ice floes to run.
Join us on a journey to explore one of the world's last untouched wildernesses.
About the North Pole
The Arctic is the northernmost region of Earth, normally defined as the area within the Arctic Circle, a line of latitude approximately 66.5° north of the Equator.
Within the Arctic Circle, there is at least one day per year where the sun is above the horizon for 24 continuous hours (summer solstice); and at least one day where it is below the horizon for 24 continuous hours (winter solstice). The Circle marks the boundary of where these polar days and nights occur in the Northern Hemisphere.
The Geographic North Pole is a fixed point at the center of the Arctic Circle, at 90° North, the top of the world! There is no land at the North Pole - it’s situated in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. A floating ice camp can be established in April when the sea ice is robust enough for a plane to land following the continuous polar winter nights. We expect our race temperature to be -25C to -30C, though participants should be prepared for it being much colder.
Polar Running Adventures has already organized 16 endurance running events at the top of the world, bringing 600+ people from 55 countries to the Pole.