In the midst of the polar vortex, 52 people completed this 135-mile ultramarathon in northern Minnesota - biking, skiing, and running through the coldest corner of America

Feb 2, 2019, 05:07 IST

The race started at 7 a.m. Monday and followed a groomed snowmobile trail through the woods. Loucks said it was so cold the weekend before the race (temperatures reached -46 Fahrenheit) that the snow was like "packed concrete."

The race started at 7 a.m. Monday and followed a groomed snowmobile trail through the woods. Loucks said it was so cold the weekend before the race (temperatures reached -46 Fahrenheit) that the snow was like "packed concrete."

"It was really fast," Loucks said. So fast that biker Jordan Wakeley set a new speed record: He crossed the finish line 11 hours and 43 minutes after he started. "Jordan's just an animal," Loucks added. "It's not the first time he's won the race."

"It was really fast," Loucks said. So fast that biker Jordan Wakeley set a new speed record: He crossed the finish line 11 hours and 43 minutes after he started. "Jordan's just an animal," Loucks added. "It's not the first time he's won the race."

The race organizers make sure that everyone brings some survival equipment: a sleeping bag, stove, fuel, and food. "Fortunately most of the course is in woods," Loucks said. "But there are some open stretches, and that just really saps people's energy. That's why we require a good a windbreaker."

The race organizers make sure that everyone brings some survival equipment: a sleeping bag, stove, fuel, and food. "Fortunately most of the course is in woods," Loucks said. "But there are some open stretches, and that just really saps people's energy. That's why we require a good a windbreaker."

Temperatures were sub-zero, but the wind was the kicker. Wind chills plunged to -55 Fahrenheit. People protected themselves from the vortex-level temperatures with lots of layers, mittens, and oversized boots with room for multiple socks.

Temperatures were sub-zero, but the wind was the kicker. Wind chills plunged to -55 Fahrenheit. People protected themselves from the vortex-level temperatures with lots of layers, mittens, and oversized boots with room for multiple socks.

A growing body of research suggests some exposure to cold temperatures may be good for us, since that might increase beneficial brown fat stores that help keep us warm and burn calories. (This race is a little extreme, though.)

A growing body of research suggests some exposure to cold temperatures may be good for us, since that might increase beneficial brown fat stores that help keep us warm and burn calories. (This race is a little extreme, though.)

Of the 146 people who started the race, 52 finished.

“I did get on the edge of hypothermia at the end, but it always amazes me how much heat your body produces," racer Don Gabrielson told Runners World. He finished the race in 21 hours and 23 minutes, riding a fat tire bike. "Unless you stop. You can’t stop, or at least not stop for long."

“I did get on the edge of hypothermia at the end, but it always amazes me how much heat your body produces," racer Don Gabrielson told Runners World. He finished the race in 21 hours and 23 minutes, riding a fat tire bike. "Unless you stop. You can’t stop, or at least not stop for long."

None of the skiers made it all the way this year. The extreme cold is probably to blame for that.

"When the snow gets very cold, the skis do not glide at all. The skiers say it's like Velcro," Loucks said. "You're really struggling with the equipment, and it's just not gliding at all."

The last person to cross the finish line arrived more than two days after he started, around 4 p.m. on Wednesday. He completed the course in 56 hours and 58 minutes.

Loucks said no one has ever died doing the Arrowhead 135. You have to qualify for it, and race organizers make sure everyone has appropriate survival gear. Unfortunately, elsewhere across the Midwest, at least 21 people died because of the weather this week, a sobering reminder that extreme cold should not be taken lightly.

Loucks said no one has ever died doing the Arrowhead 135. You have to qualify for it, and race organizers make sure everyone has appropriate survival gear. Unfortunately, elsewhere across the Midwest, at least 21 people died because of the weather this week, a sobering reminder that extreme cold should not be taken lightly.

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In the midst of the polar vortex, 52 people completed this 135-mile ultramarathon in northern Minnesota - biking, skiing, and running through the coldest corner of America

The race started at 7 a.m. Monday and followed a groomed snowmobile trail through the woods. Loucks said it was so cold the weekend before the race (temperatures reached -46 Fahrenheit) that the snow was like "packed concrete."

"It was really fast," Loucks said. So fast that biker Jordan Wakeley set a new speed record: He crossed the finish line 11 hours and 43 minutes after he started. "Jordan's just an animal," Loucks added. "It's not the first time he's won the race."

The race organizers make sure that everyone brings some survival equipment: a sleeping bag, stove, fuel, and food. "Fortunately most of the course is in woods," Loucks said. "But there are some open stretches, and that just really saps people's energy. That's why we require a good a windbreaker."

Temperatures were sub-zero, but the wind was the kicker. Wind chills plunged to -55 Fahrenheit. People protected themselves from the vortex-level temperatures with lots of layers, mittens, and oversized boots with room for multiple socks.

A growing body of research suggests some exposure to cold temperatures may be good for us, since that might increase beneficial brown fat stores that help keep us warm and burn calories. (This race is a little extreme, though.)

Of the 146 people who started the race, 52 finished.

“I did get on the edge of hypothermia at the end, but it always amazes me how much heat your body produces," racer Don Gabrielson told Runners World. He finished the race in 21 hours and 23 minutes, riding a fat tire bike. "Unless you stop. You can’t stop, or at least not stop for long."

None of the skiers made it all the way this year. The extreme cold is probably to blame for that.

"When the snow gets very cold, the skis do not glide at all. The skiers say it's like Velcro," Loucks said. "You're really struggling with the equipment, and it's just not gliding at all."

The last person to cross the finish line arrived more than two days after he started, around 4 p.m. on Wednesday. He completed the course in 56 hours and 58 minutes.