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Marathons have been run under diverse conditions, at varying times, and in locations all around the world. But on 25 October 2025, race organisers went to a new level — quite literally — when they staged a marathon over a kilometre beneath the earth’s surface. Sixty athletes representing seventeen nations descended over a kilometre below the earth’s surface to tackle an extraordinary test of endurance — the World’s Deepest Marathon.
Marathons are gruelling even under the best conditions but picture running a marathon in 30 °C heat, oppressive humidity, and complete darkness — over a kilometre beneath the earth’s surface. According to Canadian Running, this event took place in Garpenberg, Sweden inside the Boliden Garpenberg mine–one of the most modern and most productive zinc mines in the world. The marathon set two Guinness World Records for the deepest marathon and deepest underground marathon distance (team) run.
To reach the start line, the runners first went down a kilometre underground in a lift, then ventured deeper through the tunnels in a 4×4. The athletes ran 11 laps of a 3.84 km tunnel to achieve the 42.2 km marathon distance equipped with headlamps and helmets. The runners all wore matching reflective shirts, complete with names and bib numbers, ensuring they could be seen in the darkness.
Safety concerns included the mine’s oxygen levels but the organisers reassured participants that the barometric pressure makes the underground air even richer in oxygen than at the surface. Clean, filtered air pumped from above further ensured a safe environment for the race.
The idea behind the World’s Deepest Marathon was far from a mere gimmick. The reason for it was two fold: to highlight the transformation of the modern mining industry and also to raise funds for charity. More than one million dollars was raised for the BecomingX Foundation which provides educational opportunities and resources to disadvantaged young people in Africa and the Wild at Heart Foundation which works to reduce the global population of stray dogs.
Several celebrities took part in the event such as Rory Coleman, U.K. ultra marathon coach who commented in an Instagram video that: “It has a strange isloation to it. It’s dark, it’s deep, there are no features. It’s going to be maybe one of the toughest challenges I ever do.”
Callum Knight, the British Minecraft streamer known as Seapeekay (CPK) joined for a 5 km section of the race and made history as the first Twitch streamer to livestream Minecraft from inside an actual mine.
Of course at a hard core event like this, you would have to find a South African. There was not only one but five South Africans out of the 60 competitors who took part with Glencore’s Michael Pappas delivering an outstanding performance and taking home the bronze medal.
According to Caxton Network News, the former Benoni Northerns Athletic Club (BNAC) member said he battled humidity and heat.
“It was not the sweltering heat that I expected because there was good ventilation and moving air. However, it was still hot and humid. I was drenched in sweat from the second kilometre to the end.
“This challenge, more than a race, was well organised. The organisers, BecomingX, ICMM and Boliden’s Garpenberg Mine, put on a world-class event. I will never forget this one-of-a-kind experience. This was a run like none other.”
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Yes you did read that correctly … we don’t even have to be there to time events because we can time events remotely.
This month the FinishTime team timed the World Triathlon Development Regional Cup in Kenya and we did it all the way from South Africa. This was done by using our Toolkit app, which can run off smartphones and mobile devices and allows race organisers to manage number collection and record everybody’s time on race day. It is designed to work seamlessly with FinishTime Passport, the free competitor-orientated app created to make registration safe, secure and efficient. Together, the two apps provide a beginning-to-end system that covers race registration and late entries, timekeeping and results. Of course one of our timing experts assists remotely.
Our Toolkit app creates a cost-effective solution for small events that want quick and accurate results – just another way FinishTime provides a timing solution to fit every event.
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For two decades, the Attakwas Extreme has been South Africa’s toughest one-day mountain bike race, pushing riders to their limits. Since its inception in 2007, it has earned legendary status as a must-do event on the mountain biking calendar. On 17 January 2026, the 20th Edition of the #HellOfTheSouth promises to be more unforgettable than ever!
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