The 185km route saw Sergio Minoggio claim first place with a time of two days, nine hours, five minutes. Despite incurring a 13-hour time penalty during the race, Minoggio finished over nine hours ahead of runner-up Alexander Davydow, who recorded a time of two days, 18 hours, 20 minutes, and over 18 hours ahead of third-place Alla Bova, who recorded a time of three days, three hours, 27 minutes. All three athletes completed the event on foot.
The longer 500km route saw Alvaro Molinos Domene emerge victorious with a time of five days, 11 hours, 13 minutes, after completing the course via bike. Second and third places were claimed by Stefan Zahlten, two days and seven hours behind Molinos Domene with a time of seven days, 18 hours, 13 minutes, and Paul Watkins, a further 10 hours behind in third place with a time of eight days, four hours, 25 minutes. Both Zahlten and Watkins completed the event on foot.
The race, a sister event of the Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra (MYAU), was back for its second year after a successful inaugural event in 2022. Beginning on 5th March 2023, the MLAU is an ultra-race for runners, bikers, and skiers set in the Heart of Lapland, taking place on snowmobile trails and attracting ultra-athletes from all over the world. The race started and finished in Överkalix, which is situated in the Swedish province of Norbotten.
Speaking on the conclusion of the event, race director, Robert Pollhammer, commented: “It’s been an amazing experience, we had temperatures down to -35, we had lots of days of sunshine, we had a snow storm, we had it all. Lapland really gave everything to the racers.”
The event consisted of two separate trails, the first being a 185km route requiring racers to undertake a loop from Överkalix, which saw them head north and then back again while crossing the Arctic Circle twice. The second being a 500km route which saw racers go on to another loop of 315km, again heading north and then coming back to Överkalix. Athletes could choose to enter either the 185km route or the 500km route, with both to be completed by foot, bike, or XC-ski, and both seeing athletes travel across rivers and lakes, as well as through forests.
Montane’s Global Marketing Manager, Matthew Hickman, commented: “After the roaring success of the inaugural Montane Lapland Arctic Ultra last year, we couldn’t wait to see what the event had in store this year, and it certainly didn’t let us down. Over the course of 11 gruelling days, we have seen pioneering athletes perfectly encapsulate everything Montane stands for as a brand – pitting themselves against some of the most extreme conditions on offer, digging deep to push themselves to new levels, and journeying into the unknown.”
Montane has been providing innovative, lightweight, and breathable clothing and equipment for 30 years, specifically designed for endurance sports and activities in some of the world’s harshest and most extreme environments. Alongside the MLAU, Montane also sponsors races such as the Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra (MYAU), the Montane Spine Race, and the Montane Dragon’s Back Race, amongst others.
More information on the Montane Lapland Arctic Ultra can be found here: https://montane.com/pages/lapland-arctic-ultra
Images by permission Swedish Tourism Board