Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
It's a sobering thought that I won't have another day off for
another 10 or so months. During the delay beforehand, I was terrified
that our expedition would be cancelled, like many other people's have
been recently. But, at last, after what seemed an eternity, we were on
our way to the North Pole.
Pat's PreParation
People ask me how long I've been training to run from pole
topole,andItellthem,'Allmylife.'It'strue:youcan'tjusttrain
hard for six months and hope to do this run; instead, it will be the
culmination of everything I have ever done. Every run I have taken
on in my life has prepared me for this ultimate test. I'm a better
runner now at nearly 50 years old than when I was a young man.
Of course, ultrarunning requires peak fitness and stamina, but,
even more, it needs mental strength. It is this that keeps you going,
putting one foot in front of the other,
never
giving up, even when
every muscle in your body is screaming for you to stop. I will call
on all my past experiences, the triumphs and the disappointments,
every race, every training regime, the tricks I have learned, to
succeed.
aPril 6
Eric, Clark, Jose and I were collected from Barneo in a Russian Mil-8
twin turbine transport helicopter which took us to the North Pole,
where the temperature was -30 degrees Celsius and a blizzard was
raging with winds of up to 130 kilometres per hour: the dismount from
the chopper was frantic.
The North Pole is located on sea ice around 3 metres thick. Under
the ice there is nothing but ocean until you hit the seabed, about
4200 metres below. In the summer months, when we are here, it's
daylight all day. In winter, it's perpetually dark. It is surreal being in
this almost mythical place—the top of the world, a location that few
people get to visit. I wish I had time to bask in the emotion, but there's
work to do. Maybe when my journey is over I will allow myself the
luxury of reflection.
