Polar Circle Marathon: the Greenland ice was billed at minus 15°C, and in 2025 it rained

Kangerlussuaq, Greenland

1Race entry with a 5-day package from Copenhagen, starting at €2,895 in 2026

There is effectively no independent route to the Polar Circle Marathon. Kangerlussuaq has neither road nor rail links to other settlements, and Albatros, the Danish tour operator behind the race, sells a 5-day package covering round-trip flights from Copenhagen, 4 nights’ accommodation, local transportation and meals. The 2026 price ranges from €2,895 to €3,395 depending on accommodation, with a separate €350 entry fee for each race distance.

That air link has disappeared before. When an international runway opened in the capital, Nuuk, on November 28, 2024, the Copenhagen–Kangerlussuaq route closed. It did not reopen until 2025.

Air Greenland’s published 2026 schedule runs every Tuesday from February 10 through October 20. In the announcement, the airline’s acting chief commercial officer said the timetable had been designed around both tourism and travel for residents. The marathon package flight comes after that schedule ends, leaving Copenhagen on the morning of Thursday, October 22, and returning on the afternoon of October 26.

The flight takes about 4 hours 30 minutes. Participants arriving from outside Greenland collect a goodie bag containing their bib at Albatros headquarters in Copenhagen on the evening before departure. October 23 is reserved for the course inspection and race briefing, followed by the marathon on October 24 and the half marathon on October 25.

Before reaching the ice sheet, every runner first needs a seat on that flight.

Polar Circle Marathon 2026Sat, October 24, 2026 · D-26 · Kangerlussuaq, GreenlandSee race details

Kangerlussuaq, Greenland

2A 3km glacier section and an ice wall climbed with a rope

At 7:30 a.m. on race morning, the bus carrying the runner from the Lithuanian YouTube channel Paulius Samoška left the hotel.

The ice sheet was about 40km away. Frozen roads forced the bus to stop once en route, while the rain that had fallen overnight continued throughout the drive. The scheduled 9:30 a.

m. start was pushed back to around 9:50 a.m.

The start line sits on a gravel road just short of the ice sheet. The course climbs over a ridge on a mix of sand and gravel, crosses a small bridge, then reaches the ice. The ice-sheet loop is about 3km.

Its exact length is set shortly before the race, and runners cannot take a single step beyond the route marked by poles and flags. Hidden crevasses lie outside it. During the pre-race inspection, a guide delivered a brief warning in English: “Do not go off the path.

There are areas on both sides. If you fall down, you die.” Shoe spikes are therefore mandatory, while poles are not allowed.

The first 1km was uphill. By 4km, his heart rate had climbed to 176, and he said that was where he felt his limit. The ice wall appeared soon afterward.

Runners hauled themselves up by a rope, then held it again for the descent. A queue formed at the wall. On the same section, the two Dutch runners took 50 minutes to reach 5.5km—a pace slower than 9 minutes per km.

On the ice sheet, the watch gets no attention. All eyes stay on the ankles.

Kangerlussuaq, Greenland

32025 weather: rain despite warnings of minus 15°C

The official race website lists expected race-day temperatures of -20°C to -15°C, with daytime highs between -15°C and -5°C. It also warns that a shift in the wind can dramatically change how cold it feels. 2025 was different.

One of the Jens & Joep runners said on arrival, "It’s usually -15°C here, but on the exact weekend we came, it’s around 0°C." Melting ice means water. After crossing meltwater streams in shoes that were not waterproof, the Lithuanian runner continued with wet feet.

Both Dutch runners had soaked shoes by around 4km. Standing on the ice, one told the camera, "It’s really impossible to run here. You’ll break an ankle."

The other said it felt like being in a dream. By Sunday morning, when the half marathon took place a day later, overnight snow had blanketed the entire village in white. A runner at the start line said it felt much colder than the day before.

Rain or snow, organizers made one rule clear at the briefing: "You will not be allowed to run if you are not dressed properly." Stashing a dry pair of socks in a personal drop bag at 21km or 30km can spare runners from covering the remaining distance with wet feet.

Kangerlussuaq, Greenland

4After the glacier, 32km of gravel and a long descent around 25km

The ice ended around 10km. The Lithuanian runner removed his spikes and an outer layer, then lost about 3 minutes over two stops to clear stones from his shoes. The Dutch runners dropped off their spikes at 11km.

From there, roughly 32km remained to Kangerlussuaq, all on gravel roads through the tundra. Total elevation gain is 526m, with virtually no flat ground. A long climb begins as soon as the course leaves the ice sheet.

The two Dutch runners walked it, settling into a rhythm of eating, walking and running again. "That’s the best thing about an ultra. Eating and walking all day."

Aid stations appear about every 5km, serving water and a warm electrolyte drink. Personal supplies can be left at 10km, 21km and 30km. There are no toilets on the course.

Paulius Samoška’s watch recorded the progression: 15km in 1 hour 53 minutes, 20km in 2 hours 26 minutes, halfway in 2 hours 34 minutes, and 25km in about 3 hours. Then his knees went. He could no longer run the descents, and the sand dunes came next.

He described that section as being like a desert. The Dutch runners also said the roughly 1.5km descent around 25km pounded their legs and knees. The quads spared on the ice sheet eventually pay the price on that downhill after 25km.

Kangerlussuaq, Greenland

5The finish line is outside Polar Lodge; cut-off: 7 hours

At 33km, Paulius Samoška’s watch ticked past 4 hours. With 5km remaining, the village and airport buildings came into view. Passing the airport at 40.5km, the Dutch runners said, "The finish is behind this."

The marathon finish line stands outside Polar Lodge, north of the village. Samoška said several climbs remained just before it, steep enough to walk. He finished in 5 hours 17 minutes, and the medal around his neck bore a dog.

The cut-off is 7 hours. Runners who miss it are driven to the finish area by race staff or a medical vehicle. No intermediate cut-off times are published.

At the briefing, the presenter said doctors patrol the course, while buses or cars follow behind as the aid stations close. There was another warning: runners have returned with frostbite after spending too long running with frozen hands. The men’s course record is 2 hours 53 minutes 45 seconds, set in 2018; the women’s record is 3 hours 34 minutes 34 seconds, set in 2019.

Even a generous 7-hour clock does not make this course easy. In the title of a video posted three days after the race, Paulius Samoška wrote: My first marathon, and my last marathon.

Kangerlussuaq, Greenland

6The half marathon follows the next day; Polar Bear Challenge entry is €500

Runners who follow the marathon with the half marathon the next day earn an additional Polar Bear Challenge medal. The 2026 half marathon starts at 8:30 on Sunday, October 25, has a 4-hour cut-off and finishes at Long Lake. Entry for both races costs €500, which is €200 less than entering them separately.

In 2025, the two Jens & Joep runners took on the challenge. Snow had fallen throughout the night, piling up thickly even on the ice sheet, and clumps packed beneath their spikes. "It felt like running in high heels."

Both fell on the ice. One finished 3rd in the half marathon. They said the winner had also won the marathon the day before.

The other said his hip was wrecked after the finish. Their later video carried the title: "We thought we were fit until we tried this marathon." If you take on the challenge, run the marathon like a sightseeing trip and save what is left for the ice on day two.