Press Release - 2007 North Pole Marathon - 3/29/07

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
                                         Contact: Richard Donovan
                                                  Polar Running Adventures
                                                  

          Forty-four athletes from 21 nations will contest
              the 2007 North Pole Marathon on April 7th.

(3/29/07) - The race, dubbed the world's coolest marathon, will take place 
on the Arctic Ocean's drifting ice floes at the Geographic North Pole. 
Among those leading the charge for the men's title will be Thomas Maguire 
(Ireland) who finished 12th in the 2006 World 100km Championships in Korea. 
Other leading contenders for the top position include seasoned adventure 
athlete Francesco Galanzino (Italy), Bobby Bostic (USA), Kym McConnell (New 
Zealand), Jukka Viljanen (Finland), Juan Antonio Alegre (Spain) and Andrew 
Murray and Dave Horsley (Great Britain). The winner's prize will be a 
coveted Kobold expedition watch. 

The women's race, which also offers a Kobold timepiece to the winner, will 
be contested by Liubov Bleykh (Russia), Marianne DeMarco (USA), Karen 
Michelsen (Canada) and Katy Disley, Alison Gill and Susan Holliday (Great 
Britain). Gill is a triple-Olympian at rowing.

Three teams will take part in the team competition.

The race, recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's most 
northerly marathon, will also include an attempt by paralympic athlete 
William Tan (Singapore) to finish the 26.2 miles (42km) distance. Tan will 
use the runway section of the course to meet this remarkable challenge, 
part of a global effort that also sees him attempt a marathon on all seven 
continents.

North Pole Marathon competitors will be flown by private jet from 
Spitsbergen (Norway) to a North Pole camp on the day prior to the race. 
They can expect temperatures of –20C to –30C and must wear three layers of 
clothing to contend with the frigid conditions. They have the opportunity 
to both run the marathon and stand at the precise Geographic North Pole 
during the course of the trip. A leading sports photographer and camera 
crew will be present at the race.

The 2008 North Pole Marathon is provisionally scheduled for 6th April 2008 
with a strict limit of 24 competitors. Places will be alocated on a first 
come first served basis.

For more information: www.npmarathon.com.
 

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