Polar adventurers in team-mate plea

By Simon Hayes on August 20, 2009 1:03 PM |

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Intrepid Wharfers looking for adventure can still claim a place in a team heading to the North Pole - but they had better be quick.

Wharf readers Charlotte Byrne and James Davers are in training for the Polar Challenge race next April but need one more hardy soul to join them in their quest to be the first team to reach the magnetic North Pole.

But time is running out as the new team-mate will need to be in place before the serious training starts next month. The Wharf featured Charlotte's original plea for a team-mate back in June but things have moved on since then, as she explained.

She said: "I had a fantastic response to the article. Unfortunately my original team mate dropped out shortly afterwards leaving me needing to find two people.

"I had a shortlist of three but the one I wanted to join us could not commit until December, which is too late for the training we need to do. It was looking pretty desperate until James got in touch and he turned out to be an ideal candidate.

"Now we need one more person and we need them quickly as we start our training next month so it's vital people get in touch as soon as possible."

The month-long challenge will require a serious time commitment, as well as a big cash pledge. The race next April will involve hauling sleds weighing 55kgs each across 360 nautical miles of pack ice in northern Canada, with sub-zero temperatures and roving polar bears to contend with.

James insists he is in it for the long-haul. The 36-year-old, who works in financial services in Canary Wharf, was inspired to join the team after reading Charlotte story.

He said: "Secretly I've always liked the idea of doing something crazy like this but never got off my backside to do something about it. But then I read the article in The Wharf and thought to myself why not give it a go?

"Although I've done winter expeditions before, walking in the Cairngorms in extreme weather, this is a challenge on a whole new level. I'm really excited about it and we're in it to win it. So I'd urge anyone else looking for a challenge to get involved."

Ironically Charlotte had to turn down one potential team member when she thought her team was complete.

She said: "Amazingly the article inspired two more people to enter as a team. One of them wanted to join my team but was told we had a full complement so she set up her own team."

The Polar Challenge starts on April 12 next year. Each competitor has to raise £20,500 to take part. Contact Charlotte on icelated@13thflaw.com.