Ulaanbaatar
British runner participates in Chingis Khaan ice marathon
SportsUlaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ A British runner Shona Thomson Milngavie is recovering from frostbite on her EARLOBES after finishing an epic marathon in Mongolia, the "milngavieherald.co.uk" website published Tuesday.
The 38-year-old accountancy consultant, who currently lives in London, took part in the gruelling Chingis Khaan Ice Marathon at the end of last month for charity--with daytime temperatures falling as low as -340C.
Shona is the first Scottish woman to run a marathon on all seven continents--and one of only 20 women in the world to have completed the set.
The inaugural race saw 10 experienced runners take part in brutal conditions in a country with the lowest human density on earth, where wolves are more prevalent than people.
The challenge included running across a frozen river system.
First place went to endurance athlete doctor Andrew Murray whilst Shona, who was running to raise cash for charities Riding for the Disabled and the Scottish Association for Mental Health, finished the race despite taking a wrong turn about a kilometer from the finish.
She said: “I was out running for about five hours and took a wrong turn and got frostbite. My ears subsequently blistered then went black with a burning sensation. I also found it hard to breath in -340c so wore a balaclava. This really helped.”
Shona has so far managed to raise £6,000 for the two charities and aims to reach £10,000 by the end of March.
Expedition leader David Scott said: “Mongolia in winter is one of the most beautiful places you can imagine, but also one of the most hostile. Perhaps it is unsurprising that few have attempted any serious endurance challenges there in winter, given the consequences of anything going wrong out there."
“The times the athletes ran were impressive, and only two sustained frostbite.”
