08-07-2025
- Climate
- South China Morning Post
After Everest and Great Wall, marathon-loving Hongkonger tackles North Pole
When you picture the North Pole, you may think of Christmas or camping under the Northern Lights.
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Hong Kong resident David Dudek, however, imagines running 26 miles (42km) in sub-zero temperatures.
The 57-year-old hopes to finally take on the North Pole Marathon on Monday after six previous attempts were thwarted.
'In 2019, I went in a Ukrainian plane, which the Russian airspace would not allow to land on its runway,' Dudek said. 'The next three years were cancelled because of Covid, the runway broke up in 2023 and last year Russia cancelled it again.'
But Dudek, who was born in Detroit and moved to Hong Kong 10 years ago, is hoping for lucky No 7 as he embarks on an epic journey.
American-born David Dudek at the Antarctica 100km race. Photo: Handout
'This year I'm taking a boat,' he said. 'I flew to Paris on July 4, then myself and the other runners had a chartered flight to Longyearbyen in Svalbard – an island at the very top of Norway.
