It is minus 15 degrees. The snow on the ice cap is 75cm thick and the hills are agony. This is Greenland. This is torturous.

Conor McLaughlin had begun training for the Polar Circle Half Marathon back in May.

The 30-year-old had been running for about six years and had decided to up the ante somewhat.

"I did my first marathon in Dublin in 2003," says Donegal man McLaughlin. "It wasn't a huge success. It was tough and my time was not fantastic. My most recent marathon was in Cork and I suppose I decided on the race in Greenland because I wanted to do something that would capture people's attention in order to raise as much sponsorship money for the Irish Cancer Society. The half marathon also seemed to be well run and, importantly, affordable."

McLaughlin's lungs burn as he wades through the thick snow and up the steep inclines of the ice cap over the first 5km loop of the course.

He closes his eyes and draws on the hours of race-specific training that he has put in.

"I ran a lot in the Phoenix Park doing some hill work," he says. "But when I would go back to Donegal I would run on the beach because the soft sand helped replicate the underfoot conditions of what it would be like to run on snow.

"I also did a lot of long-distance swimming as well to prepare for the exposure to the cold. But some people go as far as running on a treadmill in giant refrigerators in preparation."

McLaughlin is not a natural born runner. He had won an under-16 county title with his local Gaelic football team in Donegal and tried to continue playing when he moved to Cork. "The first night of training they came out and said, 'Cork and Kerry minors to one side and the rest of you over there.' I knew that was the way it was going to be, so I took up soccer for three years."

But teaching English as he travelled the world meant McLaughlin turned to cross country skiing and running to keep in shape.

He now was testing how his fitness would hold up to one of the biggest endurance challenges on the sporting calendar.

The cold as he made his way around the snow-smothered course was biting. His strategy of trying to blast out a fast first 5km and attempt to tame the hills had paid dividends. He knew he was well placed in the race and was now running on road, or what was considered road. But even with the hills behind him, the Arctic air was making him suffer.

"The cold air hitting the back of your throat is the worst thing," he says. "It makes breathing difficult. I had asthma when I was a kid and at times I thought it was coming back. There were a few occasions along the way when I thought I would have to stop because it was tough to cope with, but things began to work out well as I pushed on."

The two pairs of gloves, hat and three tops helped the rest of his body cope with the sub-zero conditions. "Some people were wearing socks outside their runners and spikes," he says. "But, to be honest, I didn't think anything like that made much of a difference. The important thing is that it was too cold for the ice to melt so it meant I did not have to deal with the wet."

McLaughlin is no Olympian. His previous marathon times are solid but modest (he finished the Cork Marathon around 3:40) but this race in Greenland is far more than just about speed.

Once off the ice cap, the race began to feel like any other run. Looking behind, he could see no-one in his wake. The feeling was eerie given the bleak conditions. He kept his tempo going and began to enjoy the run. The course inspection the day before had highlighted the pitfalls to avoid. This stuck in his memory as a wrong turn could mean cascading down a crevice. When he crossed the finish line, an even more rewarding surprise lay in wait.

"It was just really great," he says modestly. "I didn't actually realise I had won when I crossed the line. It was amazing to think I was the first Irish person to win the race. My time was 1:49, but you have to consider the conditions, which slow you up a lot. It is a tough race."

So what's the next challenge?

"Well, maybe the Great Wall of China Marathon," he says. "But at the moment I am taking it easy. I'll have a look at my finances and see what I will do next, because some of them are way too expensive."

And any advice for runners looking to challenge themselves in an endurance race while aiming for gold.

"I think it possibly is about choosing the right races," says McLaughlin, who is now back in his day job in a bank.

"And if it's in the Arctic, how you deal with the cold will make a big difference."

> For more information visit www.polar-circle-marathon.com

- John Costello