Cypriot businessman Nasos Ktorides completed the world’s most northerly marathon, parking the flags of Cyprus and Greece at the Geographic North Pole, a Cypriot newspaper reports.
44-year-old Ktorides battled temperatures of -26 degrees Celsius and a sprained ankle to come 16th in the grueling race, recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the northernmost marathon on earth. He completed 42.195km in 6 hours and 34 minutes, running entirely on the frozen water of the Arctic Ocean.
The 10th UVU North Pole Marathon 2012 took place on April 6, starting at 10pm, with 35 men and five women participating. The 40 runners represented 18 countries and five continents, according to Cyprus-mail.com.
Winner Andrew Murray from Scotland finished first with 4 hours and 19 minutes. Six of the contestants, including Ktorides, had a celebratory swim after the race in freezing cold waters. The Cypriot had his photo taken after the race at the Geographic North Pole, where he added a road sign informing passersby that the island’s capital Nicosia is only 6,098km ‘that way.’
Ktorides became the first Cypriot to be appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) last February and now makes Greek-Cypriots proud once again.
The 44-year-old is the founder and chairman of Quantum Corporation Group and the Athanasios Ktorides Foundation. In 2009, President Demetris Christofias ratified his appointment as Consul of the Commonwealth of Dominica in Cyprus.
Ktorides also heads DEI-Quantum Energy, which has announced plans to set up a submarine power cable linking Israel, Cyprus and Greece, at an estimated cost of around 1.5 billion euros.
According to a press release, the Cypriot’s next big challenge is the South Pole Marathon in the Antarctic in November 2012, after which he will help organize another Nicosia Marathon in December.
For more information, go to www.npmarathon.com
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