Ice Skating Marathon

Long-distance ice skating on frozen lakes, rivers, and groomed outdoor tracks is a growing winter endurance sport. Organized events range from 10K fun skates to full marathon distances (42 km) on natural ice. Canada's Rideau Canal Skateway in Ottawa (the world's largest skating rink at 7.8 km) hosts thousands of recreational skaters every winter. Minnesota's lake skating community runs organized distance events, Finland's Kuopio Ice Marathon draws international competitors, and the Netherlands' legendary Elfstedentocht remains the sport's holy grail. All you need is fitness, decent balance, and a pair of touring or speed skates.