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I received this E-mail which may (though probably won't be) of interest to club members
Invitation to North Pole Arctic Marathon
The North Pole Arctic Marathon 2004 will take place on April 10th 2004 and members of your club are invited to participate. Runner’s World describes the race as the adventure trip of a lifetime and editor, Steven Seaton, will be a participant in the forthcoming event. Also confirmed in the field is a blind competitor from Northern Ireland.
This 26.2-mile marathon foot race will be run from the drifting Russian base camp at the North Pole. Running on moving ice that overlays 12,000 feet of Arctic Ocean, athletes will eventually finish at the ceremonial pole amidst a range of colourful international flags. An award ceremony and photographs at exactly 90N latitude will follow once all have successfully completed the race.
Athletes of any reasonable ability are invited to compete and there is no cut-off time. The race will take place on a circuit of one to two miles, depending on the presence of leads (open water). The challenges will include varying terrain from small hillocks of ice to loose snow, as well as sub-zero temperatures and icy winds.
In addition to the male and female individual titles, teams of three are invited to compete for an exciting team challenge: A unique opportunity for your club or district to win a prestigious team title!
The race is being organised by Richard Donovan of Polar Running Adventures (Ireland). Richard won the first ever South Pole Marathon in January 2002 and then ran a solo marathon at the North Pole ten weeks later.
The entry fee for the North Pole Arctic Marathon is set at US$8,500, payable in instalments and in the Sterling equivalent at the time of payment. Given the current weakness of the US dollar, polar travel will never be cheaper.
Your club members should note the following contact details for more information:
Website: http://www.npmarathon.com
Email: rd@npmarathon.com
North Pole Run Open Invitation (19/12/03)
Tel: +353-91-566077 (Ireland)
Fax: +353-91-566082 (Ireland)