Boliden mine to host world’s deepest marathon at 1,120m

[Ben Graham]

The world’s deepest marathon will take part this October in an unprecedented challenging environment: 1,120 metres below sea level in one of Europe’s deepest mines.

The event, set inside Boliden’s Garpenberg zinc mine in Sweden, will see 60 amateur runners from around the world gather underground with the aim of breaking two world records and raise over £1 million ($1.34m) for charity. 

The mine, which goes as deep as 1,302 metres beneath the surface —more than four times the height of the Eiffel Tower — will test the mental and physical limits of every participant.

Organized by high-tech metals company Boliden, personal development group BecomingX, and the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), the marathon intends to showcase more than athletic endurance. It’s a celebration of human resilience and a statement on the transformation of the mining industry.

Few marathons require helmets or 3D route mapping. (Source: The World’s Deepest Marathon.)

“This will be a true test,” Bear Grylls, co-founder of BecomingX, said in a statement. “Running a marathon is tough, but doing it 1,120 metres below sea level, in total silence and darkness, will push participants to their limits.”

Rohitesh Dhawan, CEO of ICMM, said the event underscores how far mining has evolved. He noted runners won’t be in the dangerous, dark tunnels of the past as mines like Garpenberg, with strong safety and sustainability leadership, can now host an event of this scale.

Boliden CEO Mikael Staffas echoed that sentiment, calling the event “historic” and praising Garpenberg as one of the world’s most technologically advanced and secure mines. 

The World’s Deepest Marathon aims to prove that human endurance and modern mining can go further, literally and figuratively, than ever before.

Garpenberg mine aerial. (Image courtesy of Boliden.)