Polish man runs marathon BAREFOOT in record-time on frozen Norwegian sea ice

Polish runner Pawel Durakiewicz has completed four Guinness World Records titles for his barefoot adventures – this time, for the fastest marathon barefoot on ice/snow.

The shoeless adventurer has been completing barefoot records since 2024, since he trekked 3,409.75 km (2,118.72 mi) across the Iberian Peninsula for the longest barefoot journey.

Now, Pawel’s frozen feet took him 26.2 miles (42.2 km) across a frozen lake in Golsfjellet, Norway, where he quickly traversed across jagged ice and crunchy snow to get to the finish line.

He completed the course in just 4 hr 57 min 54 sec, taking the title for this impressive feat in bare feet.

“The conditions were extreme. Running on ice was like walking on glass. I was prepared for a much better result, but the slippery, uneven ice made every step a struggle,” Pawel told TVP News. “After the first 500 meters, my mind started screaming, ‘You can't run in these conditions.’”

Pawel said that his feet started to bleed at the 10 km mark, and he was seriously contemplating quitting at 12 km in. But around the 15 km-mark, he said his mind went silent – “I turned the pain off, and already knew I was going to do it.”

He ended up taking the record in less than five hours, meaning his feet were surprisingly frostbite-free after the attempt – though he did need medical attention for his bloody toes. 

“The journey wasn’t easy,” he said. “But I made a deal with myself — no matter what, I will do this.”

This was the second frozen marathon for Pawel – his first was a half marathon across the frozen Gulf of Bothnia in Lulea, Sweden. Pawel finished that quickly, in only 1 hr 50 min 29 sec, and took home his third Guinness World Records title for fastest half marathon on ice/snow.

His first barefoot mission was partially indoors, as he took on the title for the fastest Olympic triathlon barefoot (male), a record he smashed in just 2 hr 57 min 40 sec in Gdynia, Poland, in August 2024.

During all of his races, Pawel has run to support the Diamond Soul Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping those struggling with addiction – a cause Pawel knows well.

“I regained confidence in myself after so many years of addiction,” he said in a post on social media. “Today, I know that success is born from hard work, determination, and the understanding that this talking mind... It's not me. 

“The mind is just a tool – and you can learn to control it,” he said. “Above all – willpower.”