The most amazing experience!

Jon has successfully completed the North Pole Marathon … After all the delays due to cracks on the runway the competitors were eventually flown out to the race site at Barneo ice station on two separate flights on Friday 8th April. The race began 22:00 on April 8th and was run throughout the ‘night’ finishing on Saturday 9th April. As there is 24 hour daylight at the Pole this made it easier on the time clocks of the competitors.

The temperature was -32C and conditions underfoot were very powdery and uneven which became more difficult as the race progressed.

Jon finished the marathon in 8 hours and 34 mins  – a personal best having never run this distance before (or probably again!!!)

A full update together with pix and video will follow on Jon’s return from the Pole to the UK!!!

Many  thanks for all your support…

 

How to donate:

Cheques payable to: The Lee Smith Foundation Ltd

Reference: Polarrunner

Send to: The Secretary
The Lee Smith Foundation Ltd
First Artist House
85A Wembley Hill Road
Wembley, Middlesex HA9 8BU

or by debit/credit card at: www.virginmoneygiving.com/polarrunner

North Pole Training Camp … Barnet !

Trying desperately to be a good lad and follow the physio’s advice and not run for a week or so … but today’s weather is just too tempting – put a pole in the paddock and jogged very slowly around it a few times … just like 90 degrees North!!

 

Pole Paddock Training Camp

 

 

Also found a really good way of training without over-stressing the knees – sprinting against a jet in an exercise pool. Greg organised me a programme which is seriously testing without any knee stress at all.

Deep water pool running

 

 

 

Today I did a 10 min warm up followed by 5 x 1 minute hard sprints against the jet with 30 seconds recovery – a couple of minutes easy – 10 x 30 second sprints with 30 second recovery followed by 15 second sprints with 15 seconds recovery and so on (This training was aided and abetted by my son Scott gathering large snowballs and throwing them at me in the pool to simulate an Arctic storm!!) … Training then steps up every other day and at least with the current climate I am getting to test out all of the kit in front of time – it really is good; went for a walk in half the kit last night when it was minus 6 outside which is just as well as minus 6 would be considered Summer at the Pole! as demonstrated by me in the deckchair yesterday!

Relaxing and Acclimatization Dec 2010