On April 29th 2013 at 9.29pm Paul Gurney made it to the North Pole as part of his attempt to complete two of the toughest races in the world - a 600km race to the North Pole, followed by the infamous Marathon des Sables,
LATEST FIRE AND ICE CHALLENGE NEWS
Mission accomplished - April 24th 2014
Mission successful! I completed the Marathon Des Sables after 6 days of running, walking and hobbling the 250km through the Sahara in temperatures that went up to 54c (130f). The race... more »
Being light on my feet - March 20th 2014
I may be injured, but I am lighter than I have ever been. In just 6 months, I have lost over 10% of my bodyweight and am going to be hauling a lot less mass around the desert. At least one thing... more »
AAAGGGHHH, what is wrong with my leg?! - March 18th 2014
My last run... my very last long run, just 5km to go out of the 28km and BANG! Massive pain down the outside of my leg. Hmmm... I can't run. I can barely walk. This really isn't good at... more »
Injury and optimism - March 11th 2014
Hearing the words 'Sorry, I can't sign your medical form as you have a heart defect' did come as a bit of a surprise to me I must admit. A heart defect eh? That doesn't sound... more »
The weight of things - March 7th 2014
£12.99 for an 11g spoon? Absolutely worth it. £400 on a 535g ultralight sleeping bag? Seems reasonable. 7.45 calories per gram of macademia nuts - best stock up. I have even... more »
How hot is 'hot'? - February 28th 2014
Experiencing extreme cold was quite horrific at times. I regularly worried about bits of my face, hands and feet falling off. Extreme heat however, presents a whole host of other problems.... more »
Breaking my Marathon PB - February 22nd, 2014
Late flight, a greasy burger for dinner and a 3am start. Far from ideal preparation for what was only my 2nd ever timed marathon. Could I beat my marathon PB? Well, that wasn't going to be... more »
Running 1000km and questioning why? - February 14th 2014
Do I like running? No, I am pretty sure I don't. This weekend I reached a 'small' milestone in that I have done 1000km of running in training. Whilst I unwittingly completed the... more »
Deemed 'crazy' by royalty - January 23rd, 2014
I was once taught the concept of 'mirroring', matching one's facial expressions and body language to the person you are talking to - helping ensure they are comfortable. I appear to... more »
Christmas 'training' - December 26th, 2013
Despite having lived in Torquay for 18 years, I don't think I had ever once been running. Why would I have done that?! So, it's Christmas, and I need to run a marathon. This was easier... more »
The Challenge
In April 2013, Paul completed the Polar Race – walking to the Magnetic North Pole from Resolute Bay in Nunuvat (Canada). The 6 week challenge, ‘probably the toughest race on earth’ was followed by the infamous ‘Marathon des Sables’ (also ‘the toughest race on earth’), a 260km multi-day ultra marathon across the Sahara Desert. more >
Maps & Tracking
You can explore the full route to the North Pole and follow Paul’s progress with live maps that will plot his position each day as he progresses towards the pole more >
Training
Paul trains for 15-20 hours a week to physically prepare for the challenges and learn the key skills he needs to survive and succeed in two of the harshest environments on earth. more >
VSO
VSO is the world’s leading independent international development organisation that works through volunteers to fight poverty in developing countries (www.vso.org.uk). The Fire and Ice Challenge is aiming to raise £50,000 for VSO’s secure livelihoods programme more >
Donations
We would be hugely appreciative if you can support this initiative, make a donation and help hit the £50,000 target. 100% of your donation to charity will reach VSO with no money from charity donations going towards to the cost of the challenges. more >