Far North adventurer Thierry Corbarieu, on the IDITAROD 1000 in Alaska!
Ultra-trail runner and adventurer Thierry Corbarieu has taken on the IDITAROD Trail 1,000! This long-distance race in polar conditions, considered the longest and most difficult in the world, takes place in Alaska. Participants have 30 days to travel from Anchorage to Nome on foot, by bike or on skis, covering 1,000 miles — 1,600 km — with no assistance whatsoever…
In 2022, Thierry Corbarieu finished 1st on the Iditarod 350 (miles) — 500 km on foot — which earned him his entry ticket to this format three times longer: the IDITAROD 1,000. Today, he is covering the 1,600 km on foot that separates the city of Anchorage from Nome in Alaska. An extraordinary adventure that leaves no room for error or imprecision. That is why this race is open only to a handful of men with exceptional metabolism and mental strength. Indeed, each year only around thirty individuals take part.
Iditarod 1000, extreme conditions
Regarded as the longest and most difficult polar ultra-marathon in the world, the ITI 1000's 2023 edition features 27 participants on skis, by bike or on foot. Facing extreme and ever-changing conditions — wind, rain, mud, snowstorms and blinding sun — each competitor can rely only on themselves. Thierry Corbarieu, adventurer and Cimalp ambassador, takes on this unrelenting challenge head-on.
Explore this incredible challenge through his eyes:
To follow the progress of the IDITAROD 1000 participants, check this link: https://itialaska.com/tracking
Thierry Corbarieu, an ultra-man with an exceptional metabolism
Does the name Thierry Corbarieu ring a bell? It should. In 2019, this adventurer became the first French person to win the Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra. He covered the 692 km of the Canadian Arctic ultra-trail in 217 hours non-stop, pulling a 25 kg pulka!
Other extraordinary achievements to his name in some of the world's toughest races:
- ? 2022 - 1st on the Iditarod 350 in Alaska: 500 km non-stop in 5 days in polar conditions
- ? 2019 - 1st on the 1000 in Mauritania: 1,000 km non-stop in 12 days across the desert
- ? 2018 - Established the reference time on the GR10, the Grande Traversée des Pyrénées: 880 km, 65,000m+ elevation gain in 12 days
- ? 2010 - 1st on the 555 in Egypt: 597 km non-stop in 5 days and 23 hours
- ? 2009 - Record on the 333 in Morocco: 333 km non-stop in 56h
As you will have gathered, this seasoned ultra-trail runner has a metabolism that adapts to different natural environments and weather conditions. Thierry is sometimes seen as an extraterrestrial, but above all he is a man of incredible depth of soul and kindness.
Cimalp is proud to count him among its team of athletes. To find out more about this passionate and extraordinary adventurer, click here.
Photos: Michel Boe
Video: Victoria Karel - Footage from Montane, Spine Race, Yukon Arctic Ultra, Transpyrenea
