The Team Bearing 360 North, Jonny Black and Chris Mike are now in the Austrian Alps, to train for their upcoming 400-mile charity race on skis to the North Pole as part of the 2007 Polar Challenge. The Team embarked on a two week, eight-hour a day training regime to get them in shape for the race that will help them raise money for Orchid, a male cancer charity dedicated to fighting prostate and testicular cancer.
“On the way to Austria, Chris and I were very much looking forward to our trip – the Sound of Music, schnitzel, apple strudel, a nice glass of Riesling, some badly behaved nuns, who could ask for more,” says Jonny Black, a derivatives broker at ICAP. “But, lo and behold these were mere pipe dreams. Our Arctic trainers really put us through our paces with the aim of fully preparing us for the grueling conditions that we will face in April.”
Racing to the North Pole is highly demanding and potentially dangerous. Jonny and Chris will endure temperatures of up to minus 50C, and very possibly encounter polar bears – up to 80 per cent of the world’s endangered polar bear population live in the region they will be ttravelingthrough. During the month-long race they will lose approximately 10 per cent of their body mass, resulting from the physical effort required to haul themselves and their equipment across the ice.
“Undoubtedly this challenge will be a major drain on our bodies and we have to adequately prepare ahead of the expedition to ensure our survival,” adds Chris Mike, a specialised head-hunter in the financial services community. “Simply trying to stay warm, we will burn up to 8,000 calories per day. Our training trip to Austria has put us on the right track and we plan to spend the next few months rigorously training and transitioning to a specialised diet.”
The team’s next training destination will be in Norway, where they will experience the Northern Lights, huge glaciers, the Fjords and some more mind boggling all consuming training.
This race will raise vital funds for male cancer research, and help beat the stigma around the taboo subject. Team sponsors include: Reuters, ICAP, Falke, Merchant Inns and Metia.