The Alternative Elfstedentocht, for The New York Times. 

RT @thedutchguy: I've just made a donation to Maarten Voogt, raising money for research to fight Cystic Fibrosis. Are you joining me? #cf #alternatieveelfstedentocht #skate4air https://t.co/nrBWhBkUdJ

I've just made a donation to Maarten Voogt, raising money for research to fight Cystic Fibrosis. Are you joining me? #cf #alternatieveelfstedentocht #skate4air https://t.co/nrBWhBkUdJ

— Dirk Dulfer (@thedutchguy) January 14, 2019

from Twitter https://twitter.com/sstranger January 14, 2019 at 05:17PM via IFTTT

The Alternative Elfstedentocht, for The New York Times. Klasina Seinstra (left) was the first woman across the line in 1997, the last time the race was run in the Netherlands. Erben Wennemars (right), despite winning two Olympic medals, has never had an opportunity to compete in the original race, and dreams of doing so one day.

The Alternative Elfstedentocht, for The New York Times. Anecdotal evidence suggests that skating for hours in the searing cold, with your hands tucked aerodynamically behind your back, may ultimately prove hazardous to your face. “So one is out?” he asked a spectator. We traded glances, the spectator and I - the guy was clearly missing more than one. We searched the ice anyway, but failed to locate any loose teeth.

The Elfstedentocht is a legendary Dutch speed skating race and a victim of global warming: it hasn't been held in 22 years. I went to the "alternative" race in Austria, where the ice is still thick enough to skate the grueling 200km tour, for The New York Times.