Some people chase comfort. Others chase the edge.
Begoña “Bego” Alday lives there — on that thin, freezing line between human and impossible.
Born in Vitoria in 1996, Bego is a nautical engineer, merchant ship captain, and endurance athlete who has redefined what it means to push limits. From the Caribbean to Antarctica, from military training to polar expeditions, every chapter in her story reads like a testament to resilience, purpose, and unshakable belief.
In 2025, Bego became the first Spanish person to complete the Classic 6633 Arctic Ultra, one of the world’s coldest and toughest races — 195 kilometers through the frozen wilderness of the Yukon, Canada. Temperatures dropped to –35°C, and at times, she thought she might not make it out. “There were moments I truly believed I was going to die there,” she confessed later. But she didn’t stop. She never does.
“You have to visualize that you’re capable,” she says. “It’s now or never.”
Now, under her project IronHuman, Bego is training for what could be one of the most extreme endurance challenges ever attempted: completing an Ironman in Antarctica — a feat achieved only once before, by a man, in 2020. Her goal: finish it faster, in under 60 hours.
It’s not just about being “the first.”
Bego rejects labels meant to define her limits. “I don’t want to be known as ‘the first woman to do it.’ I want to remove that idea altogether,” she explains. Her mission goes beyond gender — it’s about proving what humans are capable of when they stop believing in boundaries.
From sailing expeditions in Antarctica to ice swimming in Finland and polar training in Iceland, every stage of her preparation blends science, endurance, and raw courage. Whether sleeping under auroras in the Arctic or diving beneath frozen lakes, Bego’s path is a masterclass in commitment.
But IronHuman isn’t only a physical endeavor — it’s also a documentary project designed to inspire others to face fear and challenge convention. Her journey is self-funded and driven by pure determination, the kind that can’t be taught.
“People think I just wake up and do this,” she laughs. “But you don’t just get up one day and make it happen. You build it — step by step, breath by breath.”
Bego’s story reminds us that adventure isn’t always about finding beauty — sometimes, it’s about confronting the brutal and coming out stronger.
We’re proud to welcome Bego Alday to the Powder Bags Team — a trailblazer proving that limits are just lines drawn in snow.
Wild by nature. Iron by heart.
