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The North Pole is not exactly a popular tourist destination, and even fewer people have the chance to run a full marathon there. A runner from Wayzata will be attempting the one-of-a-kind marathon at the North Pole Sunday. 

Shawn O’Grady is preparing to run the 26.2 miles in sub-25-degree weather. 

Training is one of the most important parts of a marathon, but Santa doesn’t have an off-season training routine O’Grady could reference. He had to strategize before setting foot on the ice.

One challenge runners face is traction. O’Grady describes it as “soul sucking snow.” 

“You have to have a couple of good pairs of trail shoes,” O’Grady said.  

How do you replicate snow’s traction in the summer? You run in sand. 

O’Grady split his time between Minnesota and Florida. While getting ready for the race, he did some of his daily runs on the beach. O’Grady said running in snow and running in sand have the same texture and feel.  

It’s time for packing, and runners need to plan their luggage far in advance. One suitcase, one carry-on and one backpack. Goggles, shoes, running and regular clothes. Everything must fit in those three.  

“I have everything laid out, and I have probably about twice as much as I can take. So today is going to be the tricky day of really figuring out … how many different outfits I’ll need to be able to run the marathon,” O’Grady said. “You have to have some options in your clothing.”  

How do you travel through an icy ocean and arrive at the North Pole? A state-of-the-art cruise ship. 

Oliver Wang is the founder of Runbuk, the host of the North Pole marathon and other races around the world. The company was founded in 2016 to help runners travel and race across the globe. Wang said it’s a “combination of adventure and running.” 

For the North Pole marathon, passengers will board Le Commandant Charcot, a hybrid-electric, zero-waste cruise. The captain of the ship will be assisted by satellite technology to swirl through the Arctic Ocean. Wang said zigzagging through ice cracks, instead of traveling through open water, saves electricity. 

But there’s also a glimpse of uncertainty when stepping on ice floes. For the race, it is mandatory for every runner, and everyone that steps outside the boat, to wear a life jacket. 

“I cannot think of any other marathon in the world that (makes people) run with a life vest,” Wang said. 

There might be polar bear sightings, according to Wang, but it’s rare. In past expeditions, organizers have set up polar bear guards around the course to protect everyone. 

The race itself is not set up in a straight line or 26-mile loop. The course is anything between 2/3 of a mile to a mile. Depending on the length of the trail, participants will have to run around it 26 to 42 times.  

“I’ve never done that. I’ve never had to do a course where you do it multiple times,” O’Grady said.  

Runners have 8 hours to finish the race: an 8 a.m. start and a 4 p.m. deadline. The day after finishing the race, participants have the chance to polar plunge. 

“Fingers crossed, I think I’ll probably try that too,” O’Grady said.  

O’Grady is running for a cause, too. As part of the board of directors for Feeding America, O’Grady is trying to raise awareness for people dealing with food insecurity.

“What I did promise to my friends and CEO at Feeding America is once I get to pole they gave me a flag so that I can get a good picture,” O’Grady said.

The 61-year-old never thought his running journey would take him as far as the Arctic Ocean. 

O’Grady started running because his time grew tighter. O’Grady used to play soccer, basketball and tennis but starting a family also meant letting go of those sports. He still wanted to stay active but had to do it efficiently.  

O’Grady said he didn’t enjoy running, but a 3-mile walk turned into a jog. 

“I kind of got bored of the walking part, so I started doing a little bit of jogging … pretty soon I was running a 3-mile run in the morning,” O’Grady said.  

Soon after, O’Grady ran his first 5k. He said the competitiveness of a race is what got him going and made running enjoyable. But running a marathon wasn’t on his mind, yet. 

O’Grady ran a half-marathon and “kind of liked it.” He then ran two of the biggest marathons in Minnesota, the Twin Cities and Grandma’s. 

“I sort of got hooked on trying to qualify for Boston (Marathon). It actually took me five marathons of not getting into Boston to finally get into Boston,” O’Grady said laughing. “Before I knew it, I’ve run 20 marathons. Ready to do 21, but this will be the last one.”  

As a Minnesota native, and after numerous marathons, O’Grady is ready for the cold.  

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Training is one of the most important parts of a marathon, but Santa doesn’t have an off-season training routine Shawn O’Grady could reference. Here’s how the Wayzata runner prepared for the marathon at the top of the world. 

Meet the Wayzata runner preparing for his 21st marathon. This time, it’s at the North Pole

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