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Running in a world of minus 20 degrees! The "Ice Marathon," which has been held in the Antarctic and Arctic, is being held in Japan for the first time
The "Ice Marathon," a "marathon that does not run on land" that is held in the Antarctic and Arctic, will be held in Japan for the first time this winter. It will be held in Betsukai Town, east of Hokkaido, facing the Sea of Okhotsk. It will be called the "Betsukai Ice Marathon" and will take place in February 2023.
Participants can choose from 2km, 16km, or 42km courses. They will run on a 4.2km track on the frozen sea. The venues are Odaituma Fureai Campground and Notsuke Peninsula Nature Center, which are bustling with campers in the summer. Taking advantage of the environment where temperatures drop to minus 20 to 30 degrees Celsius in the middle of winter, the entire Notsuke Bay, with its pristine scenery, becomes the marathon course.
The event was supervised by "extreme cold sports" professionals such as Arctic adventurer Yasunaga Ogita, former adventure racer Taro Shirato, and Antarctic Marathon finishers. As the event will be held in a harsh environment, aid stations and warm rest tents will be set up throughout the event with the safety of the participants in mind.
We spoke to Yoshida Takahiro of Magnet Place, the organizer of the event, for a comment on why they decided to hold such an event.
We established the general incorporated association Magnet Place with the aim of revitalizing the depopulated town of Betsukai. We started off with the idea of holding a triathlon to attract people from around the world, and when Shirato-san visited the town, he thought that the fact that it is the only town in Japan where the sea freezes over was catchy, and that a marathon that doesn't involve running on land would make a big impact, so the idea of the ice marathon was born.
It's the first time for the organizers, the first time for the participants, and the first time for the welcoming town. Since it's the first time for everything, I think there will be many inconveniences and problems. But that's exactly why I think the first time is so valuable.
Due to the spread of COVID-19, it has become difficult to travel these days, but I hope that people will feel like they are going abroad when they visit Betsukai Town, and that the name of Betsukai Town will spread overseas as well.
Thank you, Yoshida-san! There have been many surprised voices on the internet, such as "I found something crazy..." and "What is this?", but it seems that there were nearly 20 applications from the first day that registration began. If you want to apply, now is the time...!
The condition for participation is "healthy people who are 18 years of age or older on the day of the event." In addition, a talk between Yasunaga Ogita and Taro Shirato will be held the day before the event. Why not enjoy the majestic nature of the Notsuke Peninsula while immersing yourself in the harsh natural environment?
Betsukai Ice Marathon
■Event period: Saturday, February 11th to Monday, February 13th, 2023 ■Time: 13:30-15:30 ■Location: Betsukai Town / Odaituma Fureai Campground / Notsuke Peninsula Nature Center ■Participation fee ・IceSeaMan (42km, 26miles) 40,000 yen ・Northan Tri (16km, 10miles) 25,000 yen ・Ice Tri (2km, 1.2miles) 10,000 yen *Tax included, entry fee and party fee included ■Contact information: Magnet Place General Incorporated Association 090-6470-7720 See details of "Bekkai Ice Marathon" on Domingo
<Images provided by> Magnet Place General Incorporated Association
