The extreme crew faced their limits in the toughest Arctic marathon.
On the 25th, the MBC program 'Extreme 84' aired footage of the crew's final challenge in the "final boss" Arctic marathon. Kian84, Kwon Hwa Woon and Kangnam each entered the Race with their own goals, but unexpected hurdles and recurring crises heightened the tension.
The episode recorded a 2.6% rating among viewers aged 20 to 54 and a 5.2% household rating, reflecting changes in media consumption and setting a new personal best. In particular, the scene in which Kwon Hwa Woon, who refused to give up and endured pain to finish, shed tears surged to 7.5%, leaving a strong impression. (Nielsen Korea, metropolitan area)
Last week, Kwon Hwa Woon, who had taken the lead at the start, was overtaken repeatedly on the icy course, and this episode showed him struggling on glacier hills and maze-like ice paths, quickly falling to sixth place. Gritting his teeth, Kwon Hwa Woon chased, but the gap with the leader did not close easily.
But after passing the ice and rocky mountain and entering a road section, Kwon Hwa Woon said, "On land I'm the strong one," and began chasing the leading runners. After continuing a beastlike sprint, Kwon Hwa Woon ultimately retook first place, creating a startling reversal. He then reduced his talking and focused only on running to widen the gap, but the Greenland runner who fell behind in second surged past Kwon Hwa Woon with tremendous speed.
To make matters worse, the next course was an extreme section with repeated uphills and downhills. Maintaining his pace even on the difficult course to catch first place again, Kwon Hwa Woon eventually stopped at the 23 km mark after feeling something wrong with his body. The studio was shocked by a side of Kwon Hwa Woon they had never seen, and Kwon Hwa Woon himself showed confusion at the unprecedented hurdle, adding to the poignancy.
Kian84 began the Race in his best condition among the three marathons he attempted on 'Extreme 84.' But upon entering the icy course he was surprised by a track condition worse than the day before, and he struggled after falling into puddles and slipping. In response, Kian84 angrily joked, "Kangnam's hair has no effect at all. If I ruin this competition too, I'll pull it all out," drawing laughter.
After calmly getting through the rocky course, Kian84 entered the road section and said, "It feels like the material I studied is coming out," focusing on pacing according to his plan. But endless uphills and downhills quickly drained his stamina, and in burning thirst he bit into the track's ice, stunning viewers. Pleased with the freshness of Arctic ice, Kian84 added in his review, "The dirt feels like a crunch," prompting more laughter.
Kangnam, who had started the Race in last place, showed an unexpected performance on the icy course. Swiftly overtaking competitors and lightly jumping over puddles, his comment "ice suits me" revealed a reversal for the 'chick runner.' But Kangnam also struggled on the hellish uphill. In such a harsh course that one said, "this is not a marathon but mountain climbing," he complained of sudden leg pain, his speed plummeted, and whether he would finish remained uncertain.
Pushing forward with an overloaded leg, Kwon Hwa Woon stopped again and quickly fell to fifth place. Meanwhile, the Greenland runner crossed the finish line in first, and Kwon Hwa Woon, experiencing muscle cramps and a body that would not obey him for the first time in his life, realized his limits in running for the first time.
Despite gritting his teeth and running, Kwon Hwa Woon collapsed before the finish line, endured the pain, stood up again and completed the race in 3 hours, 45 minutes and 40 seconds, finishing fifth overall. She shed tears over the unprecedented hurdle and her upset feelings, but left a deep impression by not giving up until the end.
Meanwhile, Kian84 complained of nausea and agony at the 31 km mark. As the queasiness that has tormented Kian84 at every competition recurred, he said, "If it weren't for the nausea, I feel like I could run fast," describing his trauma. Trying to calm his queasy stomach while watching runners who, amid pain, run to become happy and keep smiling, he ultimately sat down, adding to the tension.
With Kwon Hwa Woon overcoming a pain he had never experienced and successfully finishing in fifth, attention is focused on whether the exhausted Kian84 and Kangnam can overcome the extreme course and complete the race.
[Photo] MBC 'Extreme 84' broadcast capture
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