World's Coldest Marathon

In February 2017, Waterford native Shane Mooney completed the world’s coldest marathon, called the Yukon Arctic Ultra, which place every year in Canada.

The gruelling race is a 700km ‘ultra-marathon’ that sees competitors from around the world travel there to run, walk and in conditions where the temperature drops to minus fifty degrees.

Mooney, who lives in the UK, for months ahead of flying to Canada, walking roughly 15 kilometres a day and spending weekends up mountains to train in conditions.

‘When race-day finally arrived, I felt a massive sense of to be starting,’ he said.

‘The preparation and build-up were finally over, and I could do the part I enjoy, which is testing in an ultra-endurance event.’

They say no matter where you go in the world, you will meet an Irish person – and that was certainly the case in Canada. Mooney bumped into a man originally from who was in one of the towns on the route.

He took a total of 10 days, 19 hours and 31 minutes to complete the marathon – and raised over €1,600 for his chosen , Yorkshire Air Ambulance, in the process.

And it seems Mr Mooney is not finished just yet: ‘I can see myself back in two years’ time, perhaps taking a few more and seeing how quickly I could complete the course,’ he exclaimed.