The Polar Adventures training scheme is now refined and well proven, though constantly under review.
Something we are proud of.

Still plenty of time for willing racers to apply

Planning is now well advanced for our Assessment days to be held on October and November in London.

These tend to be a real "eyeopener" for many people and by the end of the day all usually appreciate exactly what they are taking on in racing to a Pole!

Training/seminar schedule for 2008 and 2009 now available.

Download / View Training Schedule

ENTRIES FOR 2009 POLAR RACE NOW BEING TAKEN.
Please use our Entry Form.

With entries now coming in for the 2009 Race the last official event of the 2007 Race, the prizegiving, was held at our favourite black tie venue "The Travellers Club" in Pall Mall, which went on into the small hours of the morning with principal organiser Jock Wishart in "full flow". No one escaped his tongue!

Future 2009 Polar Race competitor.

We are now opening the entry list for the 2009 race and ask that people wishing to enter should reserve a provisional entry place. We have a large number of people interested in doing the next race so early confirmation of your interest would now be appreciated.

Well, we are all finally back home.

Even that turned into an adventure as due to problems on refuelling the plane we were delayed getting into Iqaluit from Resolute and missed the connection to Ottawa...

The Racers are in and the winners of the Wedgwood Blue Ice Trophy decided.

But more importantly, everyone who took part finished and had a journey they will never forget.

Our Racers are certainly getting their money's worth.

The finish is turning into more of an adventure than anyone expected...

Carpe Diem arrived at the finish last night at 21.25 local time in very good order with smiles all over their faces. Another Polar first with Jan Meek, at a youthful 62, becoming the oldest woman to walk to a Pole - beating the record set by Babs Powell in the 2003 Polar Race.

At 1.15am this morning I was woken by cries of delight coming from the Finish Line and the Pole!

It seems the ploy has worked and the first teams reported in tonight having made excellent progress on the flatter ice and now better conditions over the Noice Peninsula.

Or the Brass Monkeys to be exact.

It always gives the Base Team a fit of the giggles at night when in our scheduled call we are "welcomed into the Monkey Pen" by Danny...

Promptly at noon, our teams took off on the final leg of the Race, all straining at the leash to be away now the end is in sight. With the teams due to fly out to Ottawa next Friday all agreed to forgo the normal 24 hour rest period...

"Ice conditions are horrendous" was the general comment made by our racers as they made CP 3 which is located 8 miles west from where we had originally intended it to be simply because we were unable to find a flat pan of ice for the plane to land on closer to the point...

Out on the trail only 6 miles separate first from last and and with Team Refuge taking a 2 hour time penalty it still looks like all to play for in the final leg.
All teams are expected in tomorrow night with a start planned for sometime after midday on Sunday...

New Photo Gallery of shots from Checkpoint Two

Take a look at the gallery

"We've found a gun, skis and a flysheet" reported Carpe Diem's Dan Byles and I cursed loudly over the sat phone. This is a dangerous situation as Team Refuge are now without protection and if the gun had not been found they would also have been disqualified...

Jock's Rule!

A brief interlude to talk about one of the Teams

Precisely at 10:20am the 3rd Leg of the 2007 Polar Race for the Wedgwood Blue Ice Trophy started. 75 miles from Cator Harbour to a waypoint about 4 miles off the coast of King Christian Island.

At 12.17 (local time) Carpe Diem strode into the finish at Checkpoint 2. They were last but still had a spring in their step as they crossed the line. They openly admit that they are here for the experience and to finish the race rather than to seriously compete, although they still managed to hold 5th position for a couple of days...

Five of the six teams have arrived at Checkpoint Two, with the last due in lunchtime tomorrow.

Second in to CP 2 having lead most of the way was Team Polar Horizon. Knowing the individuals concerned, I suspect this is the spur needed to make them pullout all stops.

Apologies if you have missed out on my musings but for the last 2 days I have been "hors d'combat" suffering from something pretty vile which had me "erupting" from all parts...

Finally the weather is in our favour and we safely landed the Checkpoint Crew - arriving to meet the 2 teams who had already reached the Checkpoint position.

The weather where we need to touch down to set up Checkpoint Two is unfortunately still being prohibitive...

New Videos have been added to the Video Gallery of the contestants arriving at Checkpoint One...

Brilliant weather in Resolute!
Brilliant weather for the racers!
But we could not land the C.P team In Cator Harbour,north of Bathurst Island and site of our 2nd checkpoint because of fog...

Well our competitors had another glorious day in the office. Hard work through the rubble but done in marvellous sunny conditions with little wind which makes the tea at the end of the day really enjoyable...

Not seeing a bear was the exception rather than the rule as competitors moved further north passing across a major migratory route which runs through Polar Bear Pass on Bathurst Island...

Leg 2 of the Polar Race 2007 started today at 08.25 with all the teams setting out together on their way to CP2, north of Bathurst Island some 130 miles away - the longest and hardest leg of the Race.

When the Polar Race was originally conceived it was decided that it would be too much to ask contestants who were (in the main) Polar novices, to undertake the whole race unsupported and hence it was decided that they would have to be resupplied. Hence, the idea of manned checkpoints was born...

Our final team Carpe Diem (Dan Byles, Richard Profit and 62 years young Jan Meek) arrived safely into Polaris in good order this evening - tired but very happy.

Three more teams made it in to Checkpoint One at Polaris in the early evening...

Obviously spurred on by their polar bear encounter Team Refuge (Jake Morland and James Turner) were first into the Polaris Checkpoint early this afternoon...

"You know Jock I really do want to see a Polar Bear" said Jake Morland of Team Refuge during the training week in Resolute...

All seems very quiet today now the racers have left and most of it was spent clearing up and readying the "checkpoint" team to fly out...

There was a few tears shed as the racers said their goodbyes, confident in their abilities but still a trifle apprehensive about the coming weeks...

The Race Begins!

Exhilerated from their mini expedition. Some intense final hours of preparation were put in by contestants before the start of the Polar Race...

Thanks to our resident cameraman, Tony Woodford, we have a selection of video clips available for you viewing pleasure.

The Video Gallery

Another day,another night sees our contestants growing in confidence...

Blessed so far with excellent weather (almost 10 degrees warmer than normal for this time of the year) the competitors were in good spirits as final preparations were made for a mini expedition towards Griffith Island...

It is always an experience when you spend your first night out in the Arctic and so it proved for our competitors...

Christmas had come!

Or so it seemed as the First Air flight arrived and disgorged our missing baggage...

Competitors in the 2007 Polar Race found themselves in Resolute Bay, Nunavut, Canada last night after a pretty eventful "tour" of the Arctic...

The Racers left England today from Heathrow on the first leg of the trip to Resolute.

Final prep and medical shocks were the theme today.

THE RACE STARTS FROM RESOLUTE ON APRIL 8th.

NO--- NOT Global Warming!!

Polar Adventures have launched a new race.

The London 2 Paris Rowing Race for adventurers everywhere

london2parisrowing.com

Contestants in the 2007 race spent the day at the Royal Canoe Club, the session predomiantly aimed at Filming technique.

January 6th and 7th saw most of the 2007 competitors enduring gale force winds and relentless rain on the Porthcawl sand dunes in Wales for a Get me out of here! weekend.

Polar Race contestants enjoyed a day at the Wyle Valley Shooting Centre last week getting familiar with shotgun procedures - Something we all hope they never have to use, but important.

A motivational speaker, a United Nations advisor recently returned from Iraq and a Lloyds broker are all members of teams selected to compete in next year's Polar Race for the Wedgwood Blue Ice Trophy to be held in April 2007.

Saturday night saw the culmination of six months hard work for the boys from the Polar Horizon team when their charity ball took place at the Stratford Manor Hotel.

The Polar Race 2007 competitors assembled at a hotel in the Cotswolds to be issued with all of their Arctic clothing. This included everything from socks and hats to the down jackets and gloves that will ensure they will stay warm even when it is down to the -40°C they are likely to encounter.

The organisers of Polar Race 2007 are delighted to welcome team Polar Horizon as the latest competitors for next year's race.

On Sunday all the racers for the 2007 Polar Race took part in the legendary Tough Guy event in the Midlands.

On Friday 23rd June a 10-year reunion took place at the Travellers Club, Pall Mall, for our original Ultimate Challenge expedition to the Magnetic North Pole in 1996.

On Saturday night the "Explorers" team convincingly won BBC 1's Test the Nation programme, hosted by Anne Robinson and Philip Schofield.

The weekend of 25th/26th of March saw things hotting up for the Polar Race 2007 entrants as they began to realise the race was now only 12 months away.

Spring 2006 will see the organisers of the Polar Race back in the Arctic as they are taking out a group of people to train them in the finer arts of polar travel.

Polar Race Director, Jock Wishart, was recently interviewed for a Men in White Coats TV programme. This series is produced by Tiger Aspects and aims to solve people's sporting problems scientifically.

Our producer/cameraman Sacha made this comment as he walked into the gymnasium on our fitness 'wake up call' last weekend.

The first day will be for physical progression to ensure optimum fitness levels and to improve team working skills through a series of team problem solving exercises.

Following a successful second assessment day on Saturday 10th, a number of our entrants took part in a yomp along the Ridgeway on the Marlborough Downs on Sunday

The first assessment day for UK entrants in Polar Race 2007 was held at Taunton School, Somerset on Sunday — part of Polar Adventures' approach to ensuring a successful event for our competitors.

The Polar Race is well known to be a physically hard undertaking, but many are surprised to find that is even harder mentally.

The first assessment day for applicants wishing to take part in Polar Race 2007 has been announced. It will be held on Sunday 6th November in Taunton, Somerset.

Following the huge successes of Polar Race 2003 and Polar Race 2005, plans for the third biennial race to the Magnetic North Pole are well under way.