SINGAPORE: With each step he took, Shariff Abdullah’s left prosthetic leg sank into the thick icy snow.
The 49-year-old, who is more commonly known as Singapore’s Blade Runner, has conquered more than 25 marathons. But running on the surface of the frozen waters of the Arctic Ocean, he finally met his match.
“It felt like I was walking in an astronaut suit, each step was so heavy,” he told Channel NewsAsia.
Shariff had set out to complete the full 42.195km distance of the North Pole marathon last Sunday (Apr 15) but a few hours in, race organisers informed him that he had to settle for finishing only half the distance.
“I had to change my prosthetic blade and this was a hassle as I had to remove 3 sets of pants,” he said.
“I felt that I could have finished it. It would have taken me more than 12 hours, but I’d still complete the distance,” said Shariff, who had trained at Sentosa’s Palawan beach to get used to the sinking sensation on his left leg.
“But I needed to be understanding, the other competitors and race organisers would be waiting for me in freezing conditions,” Shariff added. “It’s not fair to them.”
Dubbed the “world’s coolest marathon”, the North Pole Marathon is held annually at Camp Barneo in the Arctic.
It requires competitors to run a 4.22-kilometre loop about 10 times, over hard snow or ice. Those competing in the half marathon would need to run five loops.
Although he did not achieve what he had set out to do, Shariff maintained that he was elated to have completed the five loops.
Shariff Abdullah with the Singapore flag at the finishing line. (Photo: North Pole Marathon)
“In the end, I was in a daze. But it felt amazing to be holding that Singapore flag at the finishing line,” he said.
Shariff, who is a full-time athlete and motivational speaker, stressed that showing “courage” was more important than winning the race.
“My fellow competitors saw that I was struggling and many asked if I needed help. I told them I was ok … I needed to finish the race on my own,” he said.
BATTLING COLD; IN CONSTANT FEAR OF POLAR BEARS
To prepare for the gruelling race, Shariff trained at Singapore’s indoor entertainment outlet Snow City to help him acclimatise to the weather. However, nothing could prepare him for the -32 degrees Celsius temperature he faced.
“When I had to go to the toilet mid-race, I wanted to wash up after but the water from the taps were all frozen,” he said.
Shariff also struggled to move while wearing three layers of clothing and a mask. He told Channel NewsAsia that his ears, hands and feet were constantly numb and he found it difficult to see through the fog in his goggles.
“Also, there’s this constant fear that a polar bear would appear during the race and attack me. The organisers warned us that this could happen, and to be wary,” he said.
Shariff is the second para-athlete from Singapore to compete in the race after wheelchair competitor Dr William Tan completed the full marathon distance in 2007 on a customized route around an aircraft runway.
Shariff Abdullah posing with a certificate saying he had reached the north pole. (Photo: Shariff Abdullah)
Shariff said his achievement in this event has motivated him to attempt more endurance races in harsh conditions.
“I’m looking at possibly the Antartica full marathon race next,” he said. “To compete a race in all seven continents would be awesome.”
After the race, Shariff and his fellow competitors took a flight from Campo Barneo to Svalbard, Norway.
He will be leaving Svalbard on Wednesday morning and is set to arrive home on Thursday (Apr 19).
