Hampshire entrepreneur Alice Burch came second in the UVU North Pole Marathon after she was forced to stop because her visor froze

A frozen ski mask put paid to Alice Burch's endeavour's to take home the crown of the fastest woman in the UVU North Pole Marathon.

Braving -41C and the threat of polar bears, the 31-year-old led the extreme event from the starting hooter only to be passed in the final stages.

Alice, of Woodlands, New Forest, said: ''I'm gutted, absolutely gutted. I had to stop because of my visor - I couldn't see, it was pure frozen white.

''It was like running on a cross between sand, surf and a step machine.''

Race medics treated three athletes for mild hypothermia and several for frostbite on their cheeks and noses while 18-year-old Tanj Donovan was forced to withdraw as her condition deteriorated after setting a record for being the youngest person to make the half marathon distance in the Arctic.

After just the first circuit many athletes were crossing the start line with frozen eyebrows and eyelashes.

Australian Simon Cariss' sky mask was so tightly frozen to his face that he had to sit in front of a heater to defrost or risk ripping his skin off.

Runners in the marathon, only 40km from the geographic pole, set off at 12.15pm GMT on Saturday afternoon with a deceptive glaring sun circling the sky.

Miss Burch, who got her first taste for endurance at the age of 14 by carrying bricks in her schoolbag, lost her position about six hours later as conditions got the better of her in the last two miles.

Undaunted by defeat she is now setting her sights on running 60 marathons in 60 days later this year.

Other Brits in the race included Alan Davison, from Newcastle, school principal Steve Hill, from Oldham, Mike Shepherd from Medmenham, Buckinghamshire, who has a pacemaker fitted, Chris Petrie from Northampton and Annie Rawlinson from the Lake District.

The course was a 3.5km marked loop around Camp Barneo, the Russian operated science and expedition base, with competitors enduring 12 laps to hit marathon standard.

The camp itself sits on an ice floe moving up to 14km a day and ranging from three to 12 feet thick.

Petr Vabrousek from the Czech Republic, a veteran of 152 ironman distance triathlons, won the men's race in a time of 4.22.24 hours.

Richard Donovan, race organiser who ran the first marathon at the pole 13 years ago, said the runners dealt well with the conditions.

''Despite the blue skies it is what it is - it's the North Pole and the runners have got what they were looking for,'' he said.

There were 44 athletes from 21 countries.

Among the international athletes was Marcus Fillinger, a photographer with the Australian air force, who ran with two huskies, Baldvin and Bernensen.

The soldier, who was running to campaign against the culling of kangaroos, gave them some of his meals as no food had been rationed by camp bosses for the animals.

''Always look after the dogs and then yourself, that's rule number one,'' he said.

Meanwhile, Tuedon Morgan, originally from Nigeria but living in Doha, became not only the first woman from her country to run the polar marathon but also to stand at the geographic North Pole.

She was obese as recently as 2008.

''After this, at the North Pole, when you have the medal hanging around your neck, you are giving hope to other people that they can do it,'' she said.

Unfortunately for the oldest competitor, 72-year-old Harry Botha, from Bullito in South Africa, was hit with a virus on the morning he was due to fly to Camp Barneo and was advised by doctors not to travel.