FWD Insurance blazes a trail in the Arctic with the ‘coolest marathon’
As if finishing a full marathon isn’t difficult enough, there is one in the world that challenges marathon enthusiasts to run 42 kilometers on floating ice, in extreme sub-zero weather conditions, and literally on top of the world — the North Pole!
The FWD North Pole Marathon, dubbed the “World’s Coolest Marathon,” is done on a circuit loop that runners must go through 10 times to complete the 42-kilometer run. There will be flags to guide athletes around the course to make sure that participants won’t get lost.
The race course is made up of both loose and solid ice, which makes the underfoot conditions uneven, with occasional deep spots caused by loose snow.
Wind chill temperature tends to average between -25 °C and -30 °C. The lowest recorded temperature was at -60 °C in 2002. In 2017, temperature was recorded at -41 °C.
Breaks in the ice and safety criteria will determine the maximum length of the loop. The end of the race will be at the ceremonial Pole where all the lines of longitude symbolically meet — the true Geographic North.
How’s that for a cool adventure?
To join the marathon, you need to fly to a town called Longyearbyen (situated on Spitsbergen island, part of the Svalbard archipelago), off the coast of Norway.
From there, you will be flown to the Ice Camp, situated between 89°N and 90°N, drifting in the high Arctic Ocean via a chartered Antonov AN-74TK-100 jet, a converted cargo plane built to withstand hostile weather conditions and land on shorter landing strips.
#GetReadyToLive spirit
In 2017, FWD Insurance title-sponsored the highly anticipated marathon, which later became known as the FWD North Pole Marathon.
The race, with its challenging and physically demanding race course and extreme weather conditions, is the perfect embodiment of the #GetReadyToLive spirit — of living your passions, saying yes to every adventure, and seizing the moment.
FWD Insurance urges people to live life to the fullest and live with no worries. After all, FWD has their backs.
This year, FWD Insurance is rallying its other markets to take on the North Pole Marathon challenge on April 9.
The pan-Asian insurance company, represented by its offices in Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines will be sending runners — from all walks of life and circumstance.
FWD PH, one of the most exciting insurance brands in the market today and the most highly capitalized in the Philippines, is ecstatic to fulfill, for one runner, one of today’s ultimate marathoner’s bucket list moments and blaze a trail in the Arctic.
Who will it be? Find out in the coming days!
For more information on the FWD North Pole Marathon, visit http://bit.ly/FWDNPPhilstar1.
