Skating nearly 125 miles on uneven natural ice through the Dutch province of Friesland, the Elfstedentocht is a test of physical and mental endurance like no other. Despite its rarity, it remains a national obsession in the Netherlands.
He has had next to no sleep, the temperature is a bone-chilling -18C, and the icy wind cuts through his clothes. He is taking part in one of the toughest sporting tests there is - skating nearly 125 miles on uneven natural ice through the bleak, winter landscape of the Dutch province of Friesland. This is the famous Elfstedentocht - the 'Eleven Cities Tour' - a test of physical and mental endurance like no other.
The 1963 edition proved so brutal that just a handful of people made it to the finish out of the thousands who started. Sixty years later, there have been only three subsequent editions of this astonishing event - the most recent way back in 1997. Yet despite its rarity, it remains a national obsession in the Netherlands
Elfstedentocht Skating Endurance Netherlands