Bear Fodder

In April 2010 I'm competing in the Polar Challenge, which is a 320 nautical mile race to the 1996 magnetic North Pole.

As you can imagine, the conditions are extreme - blinding white snows, ridged ice, biting headwinds and temperatures dropping as low as -50 C. Each competitor hauls 55kg of supplies in a pulk whilst trying to race to the finish line.

And if frostbite, hypothermia and exhaustion are not enough to occupy us, note also that we are not the top of the arctic food chain: the majestic polar bear, though one of the attractions of this adventure, poses a threat. And by threat I mean that they may mistake a racer for a seal and eat them in a fit of hunger. Rather inconsiderate really.

So in short it's one of the toughest race on Earth.


Why the hell am I doing it?

A few years ago I was a smoking, drinking and slightly podgy couch-potato. It was fun getting into that state, but I didn't like being there. In my mind I imagined being fit, slender, sporty - and an achiever. (And I suspect my boyfriend was imagining the same thing too! :-)

Bit of a leap, to a life-threatening trek through the polar regions, you might think. Well, have you ever dreamt of doing something extraordinary? How many of us put off our wants until another day, or talk ourselves out of the desired because it's difficult? I got tired of putting living on hold.

In a future post I'll talk about what I did to change things, but in the meantime the short version is I stopped wishing and started doing. I look back at the last couple of years, noting the dozen countries I have visited, the regular running and gym habit that I've developed, and of course ... being registered for the Polar Challenge.

This challenge is for me my longed-for-extreme-adventure and a chance to test my physical toughness and mental endurance. Add to that the exploration of an arrestingly beautiful environment and the thrill of treading where few people have trod before. (And at the current pace of global warming, where few people may tread in future too.) Worth a little terror in my book!


ic(E)lation is a good thing ...

This blog is documenting my race, which of course starts now. Some of it will cover my experiences, thoughts, achievements (and failures!) that lie ahead of me. Some of it will be transcriptions of a paper journal I've been casually keeping until now.

You're welcome to travel to the North Pole with me. You can do so by registering for the race or, if you have time constraints, by subscribing to ic(E)lation.


... but Isolation is not.

I'm going boldly but not solely. The Polar Challenge is a team event - we're racing in groups of three to the Magnetic North Pole. In future posts you'll meet James Davers, my one team-mate, and follow as we try to find number three (the post is open if you think you're up for it).

ic(E)lation is my personal blog, and to keep an eye on the activities of our team please bookmark icelated.com.