Marathons are one of the most difficult tests of human endurance ever devised. Training your body to run 26.2 miles requires constant practice and determination. Running a marathon at midnight would seem to make a hard task even harder, but that's exactly what happens every June in the Norwegian town of Tromsø, one of the world's northernmost cities. Thankfully, its position some 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle gives the marathoners a distinct advantage — because even in the middle of the night when the race takes place, the sun is still shining in Tromsø.
From May 21 to July 21, Tromsø experiences constant daylight, meaning that one "day" technically lasts around 1,600 hours. This particular race, fittingly named the Midnight Sun Marathon, draws some 6,000 participants and takes place around the summer solstice, when the sun's vertical rays strike their northernmost position over the Tropic of Cancer. Tromsø — and other cities and towns north of the Arctic Circle — experience these long stretches of day in the summer (and long stretches of night in winter) because of the Earth's axial tilt. The Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun during the northern summer, and these northern cities catch the sun's rays even when the star is shining on the other side of the Earth. But while the Midnight Sun Marathon is certainly a special event, Tromsø has no plans for some sort of "High Noon Moon" marathon during the winter solstice. That's probably a good idea, since daytime highs in December never reach north of freezing temperatures.
|
No comments