There are a lot of great running records in the world but one of the kinds of records that always just makes me smile has to do with age records. This just makes me happy to see an older runner that still gets out there all the time to train and race – and that they enjoy doing it as well.
Oldest Person to Finish a Marathon on Antarctica
I sincerely hope I am able to still run late into the older years of my life but even if that does happen, I do not know if I would be able to run a marathon in the cold! Yet, that is just what Canadian runner Roy Svenningsen did last week when he completed the 2019 Antarctic Ice Marathon at the age of 84 years old.
An inspiration to all generations! 84-year-old Roy Svenningsen (CAN) completed the 2019 Antarctic Ice Marathon, becoming the oldest person in history to complete a marathon on the continent of Antarctica. #AntarcticIceMarathon #RoySvenningsen #legend @AntarcticIceMar pic.twitter.com/mVigWjXCco
— Richard Donovan (@RichardDonovan7) December 15, 2019
With that finish, he became the oldest runner to ever run a marathon on the continent of Antarctica. The temperatures were in single digits (Fahrenheit) and the footing definitely not as easy as many places where he may have run before! Yet, he not only took the time to properly train for this event but he also finished it as well.
Roy has actually run over 50 marathons with his fastest ones being in the 2:38-2:40 range so he definitely has some speed in him!
Great job to Roy for an incredible effort – and also congrats to the other finishers of the event as well! Organizer Richard Donovan has helped hundreds of people realize their dream of running a marathon on the continent of Antarctica and put on another successful event this year. Well done to all!
Featured image courtesy of Richard Donovan/Ice Marathon
What a load of crap. Humans are probably polluting the cleanest planet.
What a load of crap. Humans are probably polluting the cleanest continent