But the sparse mostly Inuit populations dotted along the coastline find that ice floes are often so thin that hunters can no longer use dog sledges, reports say.
During the four-week expedition the racers will drag sledges - known as pulks - weighing more than 150lb (68kg) and face extreme temperatures as low as -45C, along with savage 50mph winds.
Their list of supplies is also exhaustive, with support sledges carrying 7, 300 tea bags, 4, 400 packets of soup, 230 kilograms of chocolate and 165 rolls of toilet paper (12 sheets per man, per day).