A post-North Pole Skype interview with Bobby from Longyearbyen

So Bobby Bostic completed the North Pole Marathon over the weekend (AND a challenging 26.2-mile bike race) and is now hanging out in Longyearbyen, Norway. He'll be posting up a storm in the coming days with stories and photos about his weekend. Meantime, I got on Skype with him this morning (well, my morning, his evening) just before the awards ceremony. Here's our conversation:

Steve says: Glad you made it back! How was it?

Bobby says: It was fantastic!... I've been trying to load all of my pictures this afternoon, but the connection is dreadfully slow. I started typing up my notes, but got sidetracked with a dogsledding trip I took this morning.

Steve says: You have a rough life. 8^) ... OK, let's start with the marathon: I know your time: 5:01. How did you place? Who won, and what was their time?

Bobby says: 11th. The guy who won was/is the Irish 100k champion... his PR at 100k is an amazing 7:05... that's just under 7 minute miles for 62 miles.

Steve says: Wow... pretty tough competition, then, eh?

Bobby says: You know, there were a lot of really serious folks here.

Steve says: What were snow conditions like? What was the ground like?

Bobby says: The course was a 4.2k loop... we did it 10 times. The first quarter was on the open ice... somewhat mixed in texture... mostly powder... snowshoes were a must... The second quarter was on the runway that the cargo plane lands on... packed ice - easy to run on... The third quarter was in deep snow... if you didn't use snowshoes here, you were up to your knee caps... Lots of small hills in the third section... The fourth and final quarter was a weaving path between ridges... lots of little up and downs (like a steeplechase)... So for the course, you had one quarter being flat and hard (runable) and the rest being totally offroad and requiring showshoes.

Steve says: How about the cold... What was temp during race?

Bobby says: The temp when we started (at 3:30am) was -20.. it got down as low as -25 during the race...

Steve says: Did you stay warm? Any cold-related problems?

Bobby says: To be honest though, the temperature was never really a problem... I felt good througout the marathon. The only "technical" glitch was that my goggles fogged up around the third lap. And the only way to clear them up once that happens is to put them inside and let all the ice melt. So when I came around lap 4, I popped in to the warming tent and dropped them off... continuing on the next three laps without them.

Steve says: Did your hands and feet stay warm?

Bobby says: My feet stayed really warm... Injinji socks as base layer and some merino wool ski socks (SmartWool) on over that.. Hands were generally OK... Like I said, it never really felt cold... That said, when I finished and took off my clothes, the entire inside of both sleeves was coated with ice. Also, the balklava I wore on my head was frozen solid.

Steve says: Can you describe the experience, the scenery? What was it like to be running there?

Bobby says: The scenery was surreal... I can only compare it to what it must be like to run on the moon... Total silence and absolutely nothing on the horizon (outside of the camp itself).

Steve says: Did the race go as you thought it would?

Bobby says: The only thing I would have done differently was to remove my snowshoes about two laps before I ultimately did... I had my iPod on, so I had some music to keep me going.

Steve says: Any polar bear sightings?

Bobby says: No. You were more or less within sight of the camp for about 70% of the course. The Russians all had rifles... Actually, everyone here in Longyearbyen carries rifles with them because of the polar bears.

Steve says: You did a bike race right after the marathon. Tell us a bit about that.

Bobby says: By far the hardest bike race I've ever doneof the fourteen riders, four or five dropped out.

Steve says: But you finished...

Bobby says: Oh yes... I finished... I actually went in to our sleeping tent and layed down after the marathon. Unfortuately I slept right up until the bike start. Richard Donovan (the RD) poked his head in my tent and said, "Bobby, the bike race is starting now -- get dressed quickly!" So in a total stupor (since we were pretty much oblivious to time while we were there) I put on random things and ran out the door to the starting line. ... I started the bike race in a pair of ski pants, the wetish coat I had done the marathon in, my trail shoes (which were wet from the marathon) and full fingered gloves. Not the ideal setup. ... But after 2 laps, I rode back to the tent, completely overheated and sweating.

Steve says: Was this the same course as the marathon?

Bobby says: No. The bike race was 26 one-mile loops. The run was 10 4.2 mile loops. It would have been impossible to ride all but the runway on the bike course.

Steve says: How'd you place in the bike race?

Bobby says: The winner was an Italian guy, but results haven't been posted yet. I was top third... I had two falls... one because the guy in front of me fell and I ran over him. And the other because the front tire got caught in a hole in the ice and I flew over the handlebars.

Steve says: Congratulations! (but not about the endo.) Did the bike race winner also run the marathon?

Bobby says: All but two I think did the bike race and the marathon. Five of 12 who the bike race who did the marathon dropped out -- one with severe hypothermia.

Steve says: What did the bike ride like in those conditions?

Bobby says: Well, the suspension completely froze. And shifting was next to impossible. Full finger gloves were swapped out for mittens by lap 7 or 8. (Everyone who finished did so in mittens.) So it was a matter of finding a "gear for every surface" and just sticking with it. ... It was definitely a challenge! ... I would have liked to see a little bigger course (bigger loop done fewer times), but given the terrain, I know why they did what they did.

Steve says: Is it just insane to have a bike race at the North Pole?

Bobby says: Yes - it is a little insane.

Steve says: Would you recommend this marathon (and bike race) to other people thinking about doing this?

Bobby says: The marathon is a DEFINITE yes. It was probably... no, without a doubt, the best running experience I've ever had. I would consider doing it again... I'd do two things different. One would be to only run with snowshoes for the first and second lap and then switch to running shoes. And two, I'd have had more to drink. I finished a tad dehydrated.

Steve says: Did you get to drink vodka with the Russians after the bike race?

Bobby says: We did, but not with the Russians... They weren't the friendliest lot... And the vodka (and everything else) was dreadfully expensive. 70 euro for a bottle of $8 vodka.

Steve says: Any lessons learned?

Bobby says: I am guessing I'd have done about an hour or more faster if I had lost the snowshoes earlier. By lap five, the extra weight on the feet was getting to me. I thought it was just fatigue, and by the time I got to the runway on lap five I was considering stopping for a short break. It was then that the leader came roaring by me in regular trail shoes and the light went on in my head... I removed the showshoes when I passed by camp and ran the last 5 laps (the second half) like a man posessed.. Didn't stop once.

Bobby says: The one thing I have to say about the Kahtoolas is that their system was probably better than any of the snowshoes I saw there. While they were a little heavy for marathon running, the thing I never had to do (and everyone I saw did) was stop to tighten the bindings. The system has a neoprene boot (which keeps shoes dry) that slips over your running shoe. The boot then clips in to the shoe so there are no bindings. As others would run, their laces would loosen and start to come off. Mine were locked in once and I didn't have to think about it after that.

Steve says: Were your wife and kids excited to hear about all this?

Bobby says: Yes... they've Skyped me several times. I think they like that more than anything... I also called them from the North Pole yesterday. We were flown to the actual pole on Russian helicopters... right after drinking the first Pixie Mate at the North Pole.

Steve says: Thanks, Bobby. We're all looking forward to seeing pictures and reading more about your adventure!