ICELANDIC CHALLENGE

T–hey like to call it more than an event this is an adventure. They’re not kidding. They are race organizers Aaron Palaian and Tony Saap, who used to organize the Alaskaman Xtri event and have now turned their sights to a new race in Iceland.

Some 50 athletes from various parts of the world showed up to conquer the elements Iceland had to offer during the inaugural Ísland Extreme Triathlon in Iceland in 2019. The ambitious day of racing kicked off at 4:00 a.m. and featured a 3-km swim, a 180-km bike, and a 42-km run on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula in western Iceland, a region renowned for its dramatic landscapes. All of which makes it a perfect venue for an extreme triathlon.

The festivities kicked off with a chilly freshwater 3-km swim in a lagoon not far from the famous Kirkjufell Mountain, near the town of Grundarfjörður. The morning was chilly, with some wind and on and off sprinkles.

Once they finished the swim, the athletes then traversed most of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula for the 180-km bike course before finishing in the town of Olafsvik. There are no aid stations on the course as each athlete has to have their own support personnel. Thanks to the early start, athletes did not have to worry about car traffic on the roads for most of the bike course.

After the bike, they then conquered the run course,

a journey up and down the backside of Snaefellsjökull glacier, which includes 1,350 metres of ascent. (All told, between the bike and run, there’s 3,185 m of climbing.) Athletes are encouraged to have a running partner with them.

The spectacular run route offers spectacular vistas of waterfalls, desert-like terrain, lava fields, snowcapped glaciers and much more. There’s so much elevation change on the run course that, in 2019, athletes ran up into the clouds, coming out above it before hitting the turn-around on the out and back course.

In 2019, of the 52 athletes who started the race, 50 finished – 46 men and four women.

The 2020 race had to be cancelled, but next year’s race is scheduled for July 10. As if the distances weren’t challenging enough for the first race, the tentative new course includes a 3.8-km swim in water expected to be between 12 and 13 C, a 205-km bike with 7,500 feet (2,285 m) of climbing, followed by a 44-km run with 5,020 feet (1,530 m) of total ascent.

For those not quite ready for such giddy distances, the 2021 race also offers a half-distance race and relays. Regardless of which event you enter, though, you can rest assured that the experience will certainly be an adventure.

“Regardless of which event you enter, you can rest assured that the experience will certainly be an adventure.”