We spoke with a Charlotte man who is literally on top of the world. Running a marathon in the middle of summer sounds like a heat stroke. 10;49;17;12 On July 31, Charlotte man Billy Hafferty ran 26.2 miles under the blazing sun in long sleeves and pants. How did he do it? On an iceberg in the Arctic. 10;49;34;15 Hafferty completed the North Pole Marathon in 3 hours, 14 minutes and 50 seconds, setting a new Guinness World Record as the fastest male finisher in history, beating the previous record set in 2007 by 21 minutes. 11;02;59;22 Just taking part in this marathon is enough to make you think it should be an Olympic sport. Hafferty flew from Boston to Svalbard, an archipelago off the coast of Norway, and boarded an icebreaker with about 40 other runners. They travel by boat to the 120-lap race course. 10;52;09;06 Hafferty says keeping a cool head got him through it all. 10;57;17;17 Hafferty has completed dozens of marathons, and completing the Antarctic Marathon has him motivated to break the Arctic record. 11;08;11;05 What's next… Hafferty says he plans to keep increasing his distances around the country before choosing his next race.
Vermonter breaks Guinness World Record for fastest North Pole marathon
The Charlotte man beat the last record, set in 2007, by 21 minutes.
Last updated: August 9, 2024, 9:59 AM EST
Billy Hafferty, from Charlotte, broke the Guinness World Record for the fastest man to run a North Pole marathon on July 31. Hafferty ran 120 laps of 26.2 miles (42.2 kilometers) around the iceberg in 3 hours, 14 minutes and 50 seconds, beating the previous record set in 2007 by 21 minutes. “I'm not comparing myself to Olympians, but I just know it's so hard to answer the question, 'How do you feel?' I'm like, 'I don't know!'” “I'm like, how am I supposed to feel when I've never even been here,” Hafferty said. Just being able to participate in this marathon should be an Olympic sport. Hafferty flew from Boston to Svalbard, an archipelago off the coast of Norway, and boarded an icebreaker with about 40 other runners. Hafferty says staying calm helped him get through it all. “I just had to breathe, relax, and get myself back.” He's completed dozens of marathons, including the 2024 Boston Marathon, and completing the Antarctic Ice Marathon in 2019 inspired him to break the Arctic record. Looking ahead, Hafferty says he'll continue to increase his mileage before choosing his next race. In the meantime, Hafferty says he's happy to be back working at his business, Green Mountain Massage & Bodywork.
CHARLOTTE, Vermont —
Charlotte resident Billy Hafferty broke the Guinness World Records on July 31 as the fastest man to run a North Pole marathon.
Hafferty covered 120 laps around the iceberg, covering 26.2 miles, in 3 hours, 14 minutes and 50 seconds, beating the previous record set in 2007 by 21 minutes.
“I'm not comparing myself to any Olympians, but I do know that it's very difficult to answer a question like, 'How are you feeling right now?' It's like, 'I don't know! I've never felt this way, how am I supposed to feel?'” Hafferty said.
Just taking part in the marathon – which should be an Olympic event in itself – took Hafferty on a flight from Boston to Svalbard, an archipelago off the coast of Norway, and boarded an icebreaker with about 40 other runners.
Hafferty says keeping a cool head is what got her through it all: “I just had to breathe, relax and come back to myself.”
He has completed dozens of marathons, including the 2024 Boston Marathon, and after completing the Antarctic Ice Marathon in 2019, he is determined to break the Arctic record.
As for his future plans, Hafferty says he plans to continue increasing his mileage before choosing his next race. In the meantime, he's happy to be back at work at his shop, Green Mountain Massage & Bodywork.
