2023
Spring
Summer
Edition
Bagdat Akhmetov
Bagdat is originally from Almaty, Kazakhstan. He began his running career in 2018 and has successfully completed 9 marathons and several half-marathons to date. Bagdat has also achieved the impressive feat of completing all 6 of the World Marathon Majors, namely Chicago, New York, London, Berlin, Boston, and Tokyo. In December 2019, he joined the Seven Continents Club after finishing the Antarctic Ice Marathon. Bagdat's ultimate goal is to complete the World Marathon Challenge 777. Apart from running, Bagdat is also a skilled martial artist, holding black belts in Kudo, Kyokushinkai karate, and Judo.
Judith Boyd
Judy is a passionate traveler, lover of the great outdoors, and combat veteran who is always on the lookout for new adventures around the world. Although she typically runs half-marathons, Judy has achieved impressive milestones such as placing 3rd in the 2010 Antarctica Half Marathon, completing the 1995 Marine Corps Marathon, running the 2015 Boston Marathon Shadow run at Bagram, Afghanistan, and the 2016 Boston Marathon. For her latest challenge, Judy is running at the North Pole to bring attention to Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports, an organization that promotes inclusive sports and recreational programming for people of all abilities. Those interested in learning more about Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports can visit their website at https://www.vermontadaptive.org/about-us/.
Patrick Charlebois
Patrick is an experienced runner from Canada. He has completed all six of the World Marathon Majors with an impressive average time of 2 hours and 52 minutes. In 2017, he also participated in the World Marathon Challenge, completing 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days, achieving fourth place with an average time of 3 hours and 14 minutes per marathon. Known as "The marathoner of the people," Patrick recently won the 2022 Volcano Marathon in Chile, which is the highest desert marathon on Earth. He also raised funds for various charitable causes while completing the race.
Ludivina Ferrer
Ludy discovered her passion for long-distance running at the age of 50 while running at the Great Wall of China. During her run, she met another runner who sparked her interest in the North Pole Marathon. Although Ludy was accustomed to running in hot weather conditions in Philippines and Singapore, the idea of running in cold weather and unique environments intrigued her. She was drawn to the challenge of pushing her limits and embarking on a new adventure. This newfound inspiration inspired Ludy to set a goal of running a half marathon on all seven continents in 5 years, culminating in a full marathon in Antarctica in 2019. It was a grueling but rewarding experience that only fueled her desire to tackle the North Pole Marathon. The North Pole Marathon presents a whole new challenge, requiring a different level of preparation and resilience. Despite the daunting nature of the race, Ludy is determined to conquer it and push herself to new heights. With the Antarctic Ice Marathon already under her belt, Ludy is ready to confront her biggest challenge yet and leave her mark on the North Pole.
Melissa Kullander
Melissa’s passion for running and a love of travel and adventure has been the fuel for her desire to stretch the boundaries of her personal and professional abilities. She simply states she loves to “Work Hard & Play Hard” to live to the fullest. Although she didn’t start running until her late 30’s, this native Arizona girl quickly went from local 5K fun runs to completing 49 marathons all over the world. She completed a Marathon on all 7 continents including, Comrades, the 56-mile Ultra Marathon in South Africa and, of course, Antarctica. She trained for 2 weeks at a running camp in Iten, Kenya, which is the home of many marathon world record holders. Melissa is recognized as an Iridium member of the Marathon Maniacs for completing 4 marathons in 23 days. She was also an Open Team rower with the Bair Island Aquatic Center in the San Francisco Bay area. Now at age 53, after 4 years of delays, Melissa has set her sights on completing her 50th marathon at the North Pole. By completing the North Pole Marathon in 2023, Melissa’s accomplishments will include achieving the “Grand Slam” of marathons (seven continents & the North Pole), a feat only about 150 people and 33 women have achieved. On the professional side, Melissa’s career spans more than three decades in Finance. She has worked for a number of companies, helping them efficiently and effectively manage their finance and operations, and guiding them as they scaled their businesses. She is currently the Vice President of Finance at Workday overseeing the financial planning & analysis team that is responsible for the decision support for the company’s Product & Technology organization. She has B.S. degree in Finance from Arizona State University and an MBA from “Thunderbird”, the #1 International School of Business in the U.S. Throughout her career in finance, she has enjoyed working and engaging with people from and located all over the world including managing global teams working in places like India, Poland, Malaysia, and the UK. Melissa’s ability to set goals, lead teams, commit herself and others to training regimens, and her ability to solve problems has created a resolve and perseverance in her where she can achieve whatever she sets out to do – whether that is helping a business succeed or achieving the Grand Slam of Marathons.
Xiaobin Qiu
Xiaobin is a finisher of the World Marathon Challenge 2017, and looks forward to finishing the North Pole Marathon and joining the Grand Slam Club. In 2018, he ran across Europe in 61 days from Istanbul to Amsterdam; and summited Mt. Everest with his team for the 120th Anniversary of Peking University. Xiaobian has also run the 6 World Marathon Majors as well as other city marathons and various ultra races.
Dalip Shekhawat
Dalip is a passionate educator, mountaineer, and ultra runner with over 19 years of experience. He summited Mt. Everest in May of 2019. He completed Marathon Des Sables in the scorching Sahara desert and the Jungle Ultra in the grueling Amazon rainforest. In the past year, Dalip embarked on the "Ski the Last Degree" expedition and successfully reached the Geographical South Pole. For 2023 Dalip is aiming to finish the North Pole Marathon, and Mountain ultra in Kyrgyzstan in July.
Nikolay Sukhov
Nolan Wang
At 14 years of age, Nolan aspires to run at the North Pole and raise funds for charity before embarking on his high school journey after the summer.
Haifang Yun
Haifang is an enthusiastic nature and adventure lover. She lives in California, where she takes advantage of the excellent weather and outdoor accessibility by going on long, rambling runs in the mountains. She started distance running in 2018, building up to her first full marathon in December 2022, at which she qualified for the Boston Marathon. Running has become a large part of her life, through which she has met many incredible people and explored new places. Besides running, she enjoys hiking, skiing, diving and yoga (she's a certified yoga instructor). She is always looking for her next adventure, and the Arctic and Antarctic are at the top of her list.
Weijie Yun
Weijie is a serial entrepreneur and he'll participate the North Pole Marathon by running his first-ever half marathon.