While the focus right now is on the build-up to the Barkley Marathons, another brutally difficult event has just finished, with Germany’s Florian Reiterberger emerging triumphant in the Montane Lapland Arctic Ultra.
It’s one of the world’s toughest races and takes place in some of the most extreme and hostile conditions on the planet.
But this year the challenging conditions were a result of unusually warm weather, with the high temperatures causing the surface to turn wet and soft – far from ideal for travelling the long distances.
How far is the Lapland Arctic Ultra?
The event had two routes on offer – a shorter 185km route and the full 500km route, both starting from the small town of Överkalix, in the Swedish province of Norbotten, heading to the north and then back again to Överkalix, crossing the Arctic Circle twice.
The 500km route then undertook a second 315km loop, travelling across rivers, lakes and through forests. Entrants had the choice to compete either by foot, ski or fat bike.
And despite the conditions, it was an event to remember for Reiterberger on a fat bike who claimed his second victory in the event after winning the 2022 race.
He stopped the clock in Överkalix in a time of 122 hours, 7 minutes, which was faster than his winning time in 2022 and over 20 hours ahead of joint runners-up Mathieu Bonnier and Thierry Corbarieu, who crossed the finish line hand-in-hand. Mathieu completed the event on ski, while Thierry completed the event on foot, meaning that the podium consisted of the three different disciplines.
How the race panned out
Reiterberger started off slowly, with the soft trails forcing him to push his bike over long distances. However, lowering temperatures caused the surface to harden, allowing him to pick up his pace. This, combined with his ability to go for days with only short breaks, saw him soon take the lead and he never looked back.
Elsewhere, the shorter, 185km route was won by Guy Belchier, who completed the race on foot. He crossed the finish line at Överkalix in a time of 46 hours, 5 minutes.
Montane Lapland Arctic Ultra 2024 final results
500km
- 1. Florian Reiterberger (GER), Fatbike – 122 hours, 7 minutes
- 2= Mathieu Bonnier (FRA), Ski – 142 hours, 37 minutes
- 2= Thierry Corbarieu (FRA), Foot – 142 hours, 37 minutes
185km
- 1. Guy Belchier (UK), Foot – 46 hours, 5 minutes
- 2. Steve Bentley (UK), Foot – 52 hours, 18 minutes
- 3. Marc Frantzen (GER), Foot – 58 hours, 52 minutes
