Last weekend at one of the world’s most extreme races, the Sea Ice Marathon in Luleå, Sweden, Polish endurance runner Pawel Durakiewicz defied the icy elements. The 46-year-old daredevil raced barefoot on ice and snow to set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest half marathon ever run under such conditions.
Durakiewicz crossed the line in one hour, 50 minutes and 29 seconds, breaking the previous record (set just last year) by 11 seconds. Even though there have been several athletes who have bettered Durakiewicz’s mark (including Quebec’s Karim El Hayani), their records have gone unratified, since Guinness World Record rules stipulate it must be achieved and measured in a sanctioned race.
Luleå’s Sea Ice Marathon is one of two half-marathons with the entire course unfolding on frozen sea ice–in this case the Gulf of Bothnia, which separates Sweden and Finland. Participants may be surrounded by breathtaking Arctic scenery, but they must battle frozen terrain and frigid temperatures. On race day this year, racers were challenged by temperatures colder than the seasonal average in Luleå (-5 C), with the thermometer reading -10 C at the start.
To put Durakiewicz’s feat into perspective, the event’s website stresses the importance of proper footwear during registration for safely tackling the snow and ice—yet he chose to run barefoot. For Durakiewicz, the record attempt was just another challenge in his growing collection of Guinness World Records. He also holds the record for the longest barefoot run–3,409 kilometres (2,118 miles), and the fastest barefoot Olympic-distance triathlon (two hours, 57 minutes and 40 seconds).
Durakiewicz wasn’t just chasing another barefoot record; he was doing it for a cause. His Sea Ice Marathon challenge helped raise funds for his charity, the Diamond Soul Foundation, which combats substance abuse and promotes health-focused alternatives like running, fitness and nutrition.
