Charlotte resident Billy Hafferty has set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest completion of the North Pole Marathon. On July 31, Hafferty finished the marathon, covering 26.2 miles across an iceberg, in a remarkable time of 3 hours, 14 minutes, and 50 seconds. His achievement surpasses the previous record set in 2007 by 21 minutes.
Hafferty, who is modest about his accomplishment, remarked, “I’m not comparing myself to any Olympians, but I understand the feeling of being asked how it feels—I don’t know! How am I supposed to feel, I’ve never been here.”
The journey to the marathon was itself a formidable challenge. Hafferty traveled from Boston to Svalbard, an island off Norway, where he boarded an icebreaker with around 40 other runners to reach the marathon’s starting point.
Maintaining his composure was crucial to Hafferty’s success. “I was like, just breathe—relax the shoulders, come back to yourself,” he said.
A seasoned marathon runner, Hafferty has previously competed in numerous marathons, including the 2024 Boston Marathon. His inspiration for tackling the North Pole Marathon came after running the Antarctic Ice Marathon in 2019.
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