Marathon on a frozen lake

CBC, a club in Moscow (Russia) traveled more than 4,000 km to Seberia to attend the Baikal Ice Marathon on February 8. They join athletes from many countries to not only compete for awards, but also have to fight the cold winds and unpredictable harsh climates here.

A safe run is set up by a team of tournament experts and closely monitored via satellite imagery as well as assessed for possible cracks. In addition, a variety of food and beverage stations located at each stop and service staff and ice trains are always on hand to assist the runner.

This year, there were only 70 participants. On the day the race begins, athletes will participate in a safe prayer ceremony, sprinkling vodka. Each person drinks a glass of vodka in the Russian tradition. They believe that doing so is to reassure the souls in the lake bed.

The frozen surface of Baikal is always dangerous. Although the surface of the ice is quite flat and solid, the geological factors below can weaken the runway, even forming dangerous ice craters. Towards the end, the track becomes more difficult, the knee-thick road makes some people give up.

Alexei Smertin, 45, a former Russian soccer player, is the champion this year. He finished with a record 3 hours and 25 minutes, an hour slower than regular marathons.

Winter in Russia is too harsh to organize marathon on asphalt. Therefore, a local businessman named Alexei Nikiforov came up with the idea of ​​organizing a run on the frozen lake Baikal. The Baikal Ice Marathon started in 2004 and has gone through 17 consecutive seasons. Even when Russia was influenced by Covid-19, Nikiforov said it was determined not to cancel the event.

Baikal – where the tournament is held is the deepest lake in the world about 1,600 m, with the age of 20 to 25 million years. Lake accounts for 90% of Russia’s freshwater. Most of the ice on the surface of the lake is more than 1.5 m thick, forming emerald green ice sheets that can withstand the weight of vehicles up to 10 tons. This micro-world includes rich freshwater dynamic ecosystems and is surrounded by beautiful landscapes that have been attracting tourists for decades.

Running on the ice is quite common in countries with long winters. Karim El Hayani, a Quebec resident, Canada has completed a 21 km run on the frozen lake Beauport. More specifically, Hayani does this on bare feet and sets the world record for the fastest barefoot half marathon runner on ice with 1 hour 36 minutes. This record was then broken by another athlete in 1 hour 12 minutes 38 seconds.

Thanh Duong (according to the Runningmagazine)