Peter Ferris and Wayne Pollock are two ordinary people running extraordinary death defying marathons on two of the most inhospitable places on earth, the North and South Poles. Their mission is to raise £100,000-00 for Cancer Research UK, Macmillan Cancer Support, and the Marie Keating Foundation.

On 1st April 2008 both athletes  ran the world’s coolest marathon, the North Pole Marathon at 90 degrees South in -39C temperatures. 

You will ask yourself how  they manage to overcome the extreme sub-zero temperatures in one of the remotest parts of the planet.

There is just a mere 6 to 12 feet of frozen water, ice and snow separating The North Pole from 12,000 feet of the Arctic Ocean. Both athletes  physically and mentally pushed themselves to the edge. 

If that is not enough, Peter and Wayne will  run  the Antarctic Ice Marathon, another 26.2  miles of sheer hell on earth  on   12th December 2008.  It  will take place at 80 Degrees South  at an altitude of 3,000 feet. The Antarctic Ice  Marathon is the southernmost marathon on earth.

Three days later with aching limbs and possible frostbite, the two intrepid athletes will run the Antarctic 100km or 62 mile ultra race  which will take place on December 15th. Undoubtedly, “the world’s coldest 100km”, this ultra marathon challenge is reserved for only the toughest of endurance athletes.  Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, highest and driest continent on the planet. The lowest temperature  ever recorded on earth was -89°C (-129°F) at the Russian Vostok station in Antarctica in 1983. At this temperature steel will shatter and water will explode into ice crystals. The continent also experiences Katabatic winds, reaching 300 km per hour (185 miles/hour).

By the end of  2008, Wayne and Peter  will have become the first athletes to have completed these three  Polar Extreme events in one year. Further information about the Polar events including the latest press releases  can be obtained at

http://www.npmarathon.com/   (North Pole)
http://www.icemarathon.com/  (South Pole)http://uk.geocities.com/run4peter/home.htm  (Peter Ferris)

Watch the 2008 North Pole Marathon on youtube by clicking

www.youtube.com/AlJazeeraEnglish 

View 2008 North Pole Marathon photos on  www.flickr.com

At the search box enter ‘2008 North Pole Marathon’

Peter Ferris MBE and Wayne Pollock
2 Gortgranagh Drive
Coleraine
Co Derry  BT51 3NQ

Tel 028 70320228 from NI / UK

Tel 048 70320228 from ROI

Email run4peter@hotmail.com