Image source: Spine Arctic Races
An incredible endurance athlete from Killarney is setting a hot pace on the home stretch of the physically exhausting Montane Arctic Spine Race and he sent a message forward to the finish line to have pizza and beer ready for the celebrations.
Kevin Leahy, who operates the Black Sheep Hostel on New Street, is the last person standing in the event which sees the ultra-athletes racing non-stop on the Kungsleden Trail in Arctic Sweden, travelling through forest, over lakes, frozen rivers and mountain vistas.
Picture: Valerie O’Sullivan
And if that wasn’t enough, the competitors have to carry or pull everything they need to survive in minus-30 extreme Arctic environments over a total of 471km.
Visibility wasn’t great and temperatures have remained extremely cold but weather conditions haven’t worsened beyond that.
The organising team are with Kevin out on the trail and monitoring his progress which they have described as steady and relentless.
He has taken a couple of short sleeps since leaving Kvikkjok but no more than that and the Killarney businessman is currently making the most of the remaining daylight hours to push on along the course.
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