On 25 October, 60 runners from 18 countries are set to break two Guinness world records, participating in the World’s deepest marathon in Boliden’s Garpenberg Zinc Mine in Sweden.
The runners – CEOs, mining industry executives, charity workers, and amateur runners – will be running 1,120m below sea level in the mine which is 1,302m beneath the surface. For reference, this is four times deeper than the Eiffel Tower.
Organisers, BecomingX, International Council on Mining and Metals, and Boliden, have collaborated with gamer Callum Knight (Seapeekay), who will join the action, livestreaming Minecraft underground as the participants run. Seapeekay will also step onto the gravel course for a single lap.
As previously reported, participants will endure temperatures of up to 30 degrees celsius, in total silence and will be running in complete darkness.
BecomingX CEO Paul Gurney says this marathon attempts to break two world records in such a unique environment.
“At the same time, it highlights the innovation, safety and transformation of the modern mining industry, which is making this record-breaking challenge possible,” Gurney says.
This news comes ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games, with 29 sports disciplines including athletics, basketball, and archery competing across 22 venues.
Mining has always played a role in the Olympic Games, as about a decade ago, nearly every mineral and element on the periodic table was used to deliver the events at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, as reported by Mining.com.au.
Weighing nearly 1.8kg, the torch was carried by 14,000 torchbearers through 2,900 towns and villages across all 83 regions and due to the harsh Russian climate, organisers incorporated aluminium, steel, copper, and polymer fittings into the construction of these iconic symbols.
The Garpenberg Mine is an underground zinc mine located in Sweden’s oldest mining area still in operation. In 2024, around 3.455 million tonnes of ore was processed to form metal concentrates, containing zinc, lead, silver, copper, and gold.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: World’s Deepest Marathon
