Baikal Ice Marathon

Baikal Ice Marathon

Listvyanka, Russian Federation
Mar 7, 2018
Marathon

Sub-events Details

Marathon

Marathon
Mar 07, 2018 (Wed)
6:00 AM
Trail Race
in person
Adults

Event details

Baikal Ice Marathon - "Clean Water Preservation Run" is Russia's most exotic, one of the world's 24 most impressive foo races, the world's fastest marathon foot race on ice, the world's flattest one, and one of the world's 50 toughest endurance challenges. Baikal Ice Marathon offers a competitor the unique opportunity to race across entirely frozen water surface of the worlds largest, oldest and deepest lake. This extraordinary event is based in the small town of Listvyanka, 65 km south of Irkutsk, in Russia. It takes quite a time and effort to get ready with the marathon ice course. Surface of the frozen lake Baikal is covered in fields of hummocks, small hills of ice rubble, ice pressure ridges and brash ice. Beneath the ice surface, geothermic springs and seismic activity because localized melting that sometimes may weaken the ice to form holes (though the average ice on Lake Baikal in this part is over 1 meter and a half which allows trucks and vehicles up to 10 ton in weight to drive on the ice). The race Ice Captain and Baikal Ice Marathon support team have the task of plotting a safe course. To get well prepared for the laying of the ice course about a month and half before they study satellite photos of the ice surface of Baikal to see how the lake freezes the current winter in order to locate possible stable ice cracks that sometimes can be up to 8 km long. A week before the Marathon they go on and lay preliminary Marathon course. The final course (42 km 195 m or 26 miles) is laid immediately preceding the race, otherwise movements in the ice can render the support teams effort redundant. The course for the race of Baikal Marathon is also checked by the Emergency and Rescue Committee staff before being approved. On the Baikal Ice Marathon race day itself, competitors are ferried by vans from Listvyanka to Tankhoy train station, located on the opposite shore of Lake Baikal. Prior to the start of the race, competitors some years are required to partake in the precautionary ritual of vodka sprinkling, in order to pacify the spirits of the Great Baikal (introducing the novel element of starting a marathon with a shot of vodka). The course is predominantly flat, but the surface is hard at times and uneven. Although its mostly covered in a soft layer of snow, therere areas of highly polished ice that create conditions similar to an ice-rink. Wind can add to the already bitingly cold temperature and provide serious resistance to progress across Lake Baikal. Though, often the weather is sunny,with no chill factor one can even get some sun tan. Apart from the attraction of the Lake itself, runners come from all over the world for the unique opportunity to run on the ice between the two banks. After all, it is the traditional route of our ice marathon  from one bank to another, easily distinguishable on any school globe, that enables people to experience the wonder of Lake Baikal and feel energized by her beauty. The far reaches of Siberia may not be the first choice destinations for many endurance athletes, who may prefer instead the warmer, and more glamorous, climes. But for those that brave the splendid Russian winter, the reward is a fantastic race, in an area of outstanding natural beauty, on a one-off running surface of the Great Baikal". - Kym McConel & Dave Horsley, Extreme Running