The hardest part of an ice ultra marathon was being “waist-deep in snow” and climbing a mountain using arms only, the youngest ever winner has said.
Alex Welch, from Cheshire, said the “entire right side of my body went numb” during the Beyond the Ultimate Ice Ultra Marathon, a 230km (143 miles) foot race through Swedish Lapland in the Arctic Circle where temperatures dip as low as -35 C.
The five-day event in February saw the 29-year-old race across snowfields, Arctic tundra and frozen lakes.
He said he hoped his achievement would inspire others to take on similar challenges because he believed “anyone can do it”.
“On day two I had to summit a mountain, I was waist-deep in snow and all I could do was use my arms to motor my way through,” he said.
“The entire right side of my body went numb and all I could imagine was a helicopter roaring over head to come and collect me,” he said.
“That was definitely the hardest part of the race.”
Mr Welch, who regularly takes part in his local Parkrun in Wilmslow, said he broke the race down into “smaller consumable amounts”.
“I didn’t see it as a 230km race, I saw it as just 23 10km races,” he said.
“It wasn’t a case of ‘can I get to the end?’, it was a case of ‘can I take one more step?’
“If you have that attitude with every race it makes it a lot easier to finish.
“I genuinely believe anyone can do this sort of challenge if they think of it that way.”
Mr Welch said he was also spurred on by the memory of his beloved dog, a whippet named Oscar who died, aged 16, in August.
“He’s been a constant support throughout my running journey and I promised him that I would become the youngest ever winner,” he said.
“When I was younger I spent a lot of time out in the Cheshire fields with him, he’s been a big part of my life.”
In April last year, Mr Welch completed the Marathon des Sables, a seven-day, 257km (1260 miles) ultramarathon across the Sahara Desert.
He also plans to take part in another 250km (155 miles) marathon in Namibia.
Until then, he will be back at his local Parkrun helping his fellow runners reach their goals.
“I love watching other people’s running journeys and seeing them develop from couch to 5K and beyond,” he said.
“Anyone can do these distances. It’s just about having a bit of self belief, a bit of confidence and a bit of consistency.”
