Final yr, Aslan informed us he discovered working in chilly climate was an antidote to the stress of life. “I felt rejuvenated,” he stated. “I felt alive. I felt clear.” To coach, he swims amongst icebergs, with no wetsuit.
This yr, within the marathon, Aslan suffered frostbite on two of his fingers.
This [race] had such a bitter wind, with low air temperature, and the entire 42 km had been up and down–hilly, with no flat floor in any respect. Plus I used to be uncovered to chilly for over 4 hours; it was the longest I’ve been. It was slowing me down.”
The hills generally concerned scrambling, utilizing their palms, and in some locations, there have been ropes on the course to assist runners.
So was it value it? “It’s completely value it, if behind this lies an enormous purpose–to be the primary,” Aslan says.
“I obtained frostbite, as a result of I skilled in New York Metropolis, the place it was very heat, and I didn’t acclimatize correctly. However I nonetheless carried out method higher than anticipated. My purpose was to achieve the highest 20, so I used to be being attentive to what number of had been left and what number of I handed.”
New York man runs shirtless half-marathon in northern Greenland
The race web site has detailed and strongly-worded recommendation for runners about the kind of clothes they need to put on, and warns it could pull runners who will not be dressed appropriately. Nevertheless, once we reached out to ask about Aslan particularly, the response from Krista Alexandersdóttir, advertising content material supervisor for the race organizer, Albatros Journey Marathons, was, “We can not management what runners determine to put on, solely information them and advise them. We have now a number of docs and race officers on the route that keep watch over the runners, so it’s very uncommon that something critical occurs.”
And what’s subsequent for this cold-embracing daredevil? He has left his day job, and is now planning what he says can be a “historic” journey, in addition to attempting to fund a movie manufacturing firm. “This marathon was part of an acclimatization course of–attending to know the way my physique and thoughts handles it,” he says. We have now a sense it’ll contain excessive chilly, however past that, he’s preserving his playing cards near his chest.