The Arrowhead 135, an ultra marathon described as the “coldest gosh-darn race anyplace, even the Arctic,” proved even more challenging this year with the wind chill as cold as minus-68, thanks to the Polar Vortex.

Not surprisingly, the 135-mile endurance race along Minnesota’s Arrowhead State Trail from International Falls to Tower ended Wednesday with only 52 of the 146 participants (36 percent) actually reaching the finish line.

Typically, less than 50 percent of the participants finish this frigid race, which includes running, cycling, skiing and kick-sledding. The Arrowhead 135 is designed to be staged during the coldest time of the year, so the timing was perfect with the arrival of the Polar Vortex.

“I was out there for 21 hours,” Don Gabrielson, who finished 15th in bike, told Runner’s World. “I did get on the edge of hypothermia at the end, but it always amazes me how much heat your body produces. Unless you stop. You can’t stop, or at least not stop for long.”

The high temperatures on Tuesday and Wednesday (the race began Monday) “struggled to hit minus-20 degrees and the lows Tuesday night hit minus-35 or colder across much of the area,” The Timberjay reported. “The wind made it seem far worse, with wind chills as cold as minus-68 in the area on Wednesday morning.”

Gabrielson reported that his water bottle top froze up, and another competitor’s jacket zipper froze solid, preventing him from accessing his wearable water container, according to The Timberjay.

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Runner Bill Bradley of California reached the first checkpoint at 37 miles and was already suffering.

“People were discouraging me from going back out,” Bradley told The Timberjay. “I was pretty hypothermic by the time I got there. I was definitely shivering.”

For the record, Jordan Wakely of Grayling, Mich., set a course record in bike, finishing in 11 hours, 43 minutes. Leah Gruhn of Minnesota was the first woman cyclist to finish, at 22 hours, 15 minutes.

Runners Jovica Spajic of Serbia and Scott Hoberg of Minnesota crossed the finish line together to share in the victory with a time of 36 hours, 9 minutes. The first woman runner was Faye Norby of Minnesota at 48 hours, 34 minutes.

There were no finishers in kick-sledding or skiing.

“I think people like to challenge themselves,” Gabrielson told Runner’s World. “It helps redefine what they’re capable of, and this remarkable group of people is dedicated to doing that, and to understanding the difficulty of competing under extreme conditions. No matter if you finish or not, they leave with an incredible experience.”

Photos courtesy of Scott Rokis and the Arrowhead 135.

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