[Successfully finished the 2025 Polar Circle Marathon, fulfilling my dream of running a marathon on ice; the half marathon at the same venue the next day turned into a snow run]
On Saturday, October 25, 2025, at 8:00 AM, four shuttle buses gathered in front of the hotel to transport the full marathon runners to the start line at Point 660, roughly 36 kilometers away in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. The race started at 10:00 AM under overcast skies, with temperatures ranging from 0°C to 3°C. After the start, the course headed uphill before entering the Ice Cap for a 6 km clockwise loop. Because the temperature was above freezing, the ice along the course was melting, leaving far less snow than during our course inspection the day before. With small streams of water flowing in places, the course became slippery and tough to run on. Fortunately, I was wearing crampons as we wove through rolling hills, which even featured steep slopes rigged with ropes for ascending and descending. Gazing at the blue ice glowing before my eyes, I thought to myself that I had finally fulfilled my dream of running on ice and snow.
After the 7K mark, the course headed downhill, and before reaching 21K, several glaciers came into view on my left. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking, and I was busy snapping photos and shooting videos as I ran. It took me 3 hours and 25 minutes to complete the first half. Since the full marathon had a 7-hour cutoff time, I started running seriously in the second half. The course rolled up and down, and my legs cramped up from time to time, but I pushed myself forward anyway. Although I had promised my wife I would finish in five and a half hours, I ultimately finished in front of the hotel in 6 hours and 11 minutes, thrilled to have completed a marathon in Greenland.
The next day (October 26, 2025), the organizers held the half marathon along the same route. The race started at 9:25 a.m. on a snowy day with temperatures between -6°C and 0°C. When we woke up in the morning, the area around the hotel had already turned into a snowy landscape with several centimeters of accumulation. Everyone was thrilled to see the snow. After driving just a few kilometers, all five shuttle buses had to put on snow chains. By the time we reached the start, everything was a vast, blinding expanse of white. Once we ran onto the ice cap, it had turned completely into a snow run; the ice surface from the previous day was virtually invisible, and the course was blanketed in white snow about 20 to 30 cm deep. Yesterday was an ice run, but today was a snow run—the weather changes so fast! After 7 km, we returned to the regular course. The glacier from the day before was now covered in falling snow, and looking out, the silvery-white scenery was breathtaking. We could only push forward by following the footprints of fellow runners and vehicle tire tracks. In the end, I accompanied my wife across the half marathon finish line. In addition to my half marathon medal, I earned an extra Polar Bear medal for completing both the full and half marathons over the two days—a truly rewarding and worthwhile journey.
#This group of about 150 people came from 29 countries, and we were the only two from Taiwan
#Ran the same 6K course on the ice cap three times over three days: a test loop @ 0°C + the ice marathon @ 2°C + the snow marathon @ -6°C; completely different faces of the course, truly a rare experience
