B-r-r-ring it On!

Winter is when races careen from the cosy, coddling courses of autumn into a forbidding tundra that both terrifies and exhilarates. It’s in this frozen landscape that the most extreme races are forged—competitions that take things to unsettlingly unconventional extremes, like sporting the scariest name or boasting the largest field of hungover revellers. From a race season positively steeped in superlatives, here’s a sampling of extreme cold-weather races that boast the most—for reasons silly and chillingly serious—and strategies for making the most of them. THE WILDEST Polar Bear Marathon Nov. 23, 2024 Churchill, Man. Distances: 21.1 km, 42.2 km, 50 km albertmartens.com An event where vehicles tail runners in case a polar bear wanders onto the course truly deserves the title of winter’s wildest race. Beginning from Churchill, Man., the course takes participants along the coast of Hudson…