Kal Bittianda became the first person of Indian origin to run a marathon at the North Pole in April. The New York City-based business consultant spoke to us about the addiction of extreme sports, the dangers of breaking into a sweat and that top-of-the-world feeling
How did the North Pole marathon happen? Have you been into endurance sports for a long time?
I have always been a runner, using running for cardiovascular exercise. I got into endurance sports (biking and running) in 2000, when 14-16-hour workdays at a start-up made participation in team sports difficult. Over the past 10 years, I have run 20 marathons and competed in three 100-mile bike races. The marathoning started first with road marathons, but a trip to Antarctica in 2005 for my first off-road marathon got me hooked. I decided to make it an annual event to pick an interesting overseas destination with a challenging marathon course. Thus started the series of extreme marathons.
Top form: The North Pole marathon, at 42.19km, is just as long as a conventional marathon. Photograph: Mike King
In 2005, I started my very own Global Meltdown Tour, picking a new “extreme cold” location each year. I’d already run in Antarctica, Mongolia and Greenland when, in 2008, a friend mentioned the North Pole marathon. I jumped at the chance.
Tell me a bit about the organization of the polar run.
The organization Polar Running Adventures (www.npmarathon.com), which runs this event, is managed by Richard Donovan, a three-time polar marathoner and an accomplished and decorated ultra-marathoner. One just needs to be in good health and up for an extreme challenge to participate. It is a given that a little bit of foolhardiness is required to even consider such an undertaking.
What were your principal concerns ahead of the run?
The primary concerns were the temperatures (expected to be -30 degrees Celsius) and the soft terrain (snow does not pack and get hard at these temperatures). Given that the temperatures would be so dramatically different from what I’d experience in New York City (where lows hit -5°C this winter), the key question was how much clothing to wear while doing strenuous exercise and how much it would restrict movement. I embraced every cold day for runs outdoors, but training at 30 degrees Fahrenheit (-1°C) is not sufficient preparation for -35°F (-37°C), as I found out.
Marathon man: Kal Bittianda has run 20 marathons in the past ten years. Photograph: Mike King
The second question was whether to use snowshoes or run in regular trail-running shoes. The uneven and soft terrain, while flat, would make getting into a good pace a challenge and the regular running stride impossible.
So far as the rest of the gear goes, we were told to use three layers of clothing— thermals/sweat-proof wear, insulation/thin fleece and a windproof upper layer—gloves, balaclava, face mask, et al.
Where was the base camp? Is that where you met the other runners?