The Alternative Elfstedentocht: Racing Climate Change

Twan Schimmel exults as he crosses the finish line around 6pm, nearly 11 hours after starting the 200km Alternative Elfstedentocht on January 25, 2019 in Weissensee, Austria. Many groups of skaters use the event to raise money for charitable causes; Schimmel, whose 13 year-old nephew suffers from a heart condition, was raising money for research on the disease. The Elfstedentocht is a legendary Dutch speed skating race and a victim of global warming: it hasn't been held in 22 years; the longest such period since its inception. Beginning in 1989, organizers have held an "Alternative Elfstedentocht" race in Weissensee, Austria, where the ice is reliably thick enough to skate the grueling, 200km tour.

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Contained in galleries: The Alternative Elfstedentocht

Twan Schimmel exults as he crosses the finish line around 6pm, nearly 11 hours after starting the 200km Alternative Elfstedentocht on January 25, 2019 in Weissensee, Austria. Many groups of skaters use the event to raise money for charitable causes; Schimmel, whose 13 year-old nephew suffers from a heart condition, was raising money for research on the disease. The Elfstedentocht is a legendary Dutch speed skating race and a victim of global warming: it hasn't been held in 22 years; the longest such period since its inception. Beginning in 1989, organizers have held an "Alternative Elfstedentocht" race in Weissensee, Austria, where the ice is reliably thick enough to skate the grueling, 200km tour.