BURCH HYPER FITNESS SYSTEMS (BHS‪)‬ Sean Burch

Learn more about Hyperfitness

Gronau Nunatakker Range, First Ascents. On the 4th of July, British climbers (Euan Lawson, Stephen Phillips, John Starbuck, and Owain Jones), British/American Will Cross, and myself flew from Reykjavik, Iceland to Constable Pynt, Greenland, before continuing on to Gronau Nunatakker (N69'28, W30'13), an unmapped and unchartered region in Greenland which lies 60km to the north of Gunnbjornsfjeld.

The first evening out on 7 Jul our group reached the summit of a 2010m peak. The next evening Owain, John, and myself darted up a knife-edge ridge to the summit of a 2650m beauty. On 10 Jul, after a failed attempt to reach the summit of a peak parallel to 2650m on the periphery of Gronau Gletscher, I soloed a 2800m peak west of the team's failed attempt, heading up the mountain's East ridge zigzagging around bergshrunds and dicey cracks. I reached the summit at 3am just in time to enjoy the sun's pale orange color spread across the horizon.

Two days later, our team headed north and placed camp on an upper plateau, setting our eyes on new objectives among the Gronau Nunatakker and Gronlands Styrelsens Gletscher expanses. After several days of heavy winds and blinding snow, leaving four feet of fresh powder, Will, myself, Owain, and John emerged from our tents and hiked to a summit of a small hump peak facing just south of camp. That evening the four of us reached the summit of a 2900m peak to the northeast of camp traversing several icy patches along it's west face and then straight up the south ridge. On the 18th of July our team made it's second and last summit as a group reaching a domed peak in the far northwest corridor of the plateau.

Will and I decided to break off from the group and climbed on our own for the remainder of the expedition. We reached the summits of 2 beautiful virgins (Hhass Peak and Hans Schou Peak), with a gloriously fulfilling ten-hour ski and climb. After another 2 days stuck in our tent due to blizzard conditions, Will and I surfaced for a fourteen-hour, five-summit blitz of peaks (rated alpine PD+), traversing an entire range in the northeast corridor. Back at camp, I decided to make one more solo endeavor, and scaled "Schou Deux" by frontpointing up its south ridge, (1500-meter, alpine AD+) before traversing the western face to the summit. On the summit the wind had died, the air was crisp, and I was alone within the vast polar icecap of the Arctic circle viewing what no man's eyes had ever seen before, an untouched and unscathed part of our world.

A day later Will and I managed to ski back with our sleds to the British base camp just before our Twin Otter arrived to fly us out. The exploration had ended as abruptly as it started, and as usual, I wished I could have stayed behind within the natural world.

Tibet via satellite phone at 15,000ft

Dispatch #3

April 12, 2004, Oslo, Norway

Well, I'm back in Oslo now, safe and sound. I hope you have had a chance to read the press release regarding the marathon. I'm still a bit in shock to have won the race. This was my first marathon, so I really didn't know much about what to expect. Also, I didn't know much about the other competitors. Well, I certainly knew of Sir Ranulph Fiennes, as an Arctic explorer, but I didn't know anything about his marathoning skill. And, of course, no one knew about me as a runner! In all fairness, the conditions were a great equalizer.

The most nerve-wracking part of the whole expedition was using the Russian cargo plane and helicopter. Since the site of the race was the Russian research station ("Ice Station Borneo"), the Russians were in charge of ferrying us all out to their place on the floating ice pack. Their planes are so OLD. It didn't look like they spend much time on maintenance and repair.

The funny part (or not so funny part) about the race was when I couldn't see anyone on the course. There are pressure ridges throughout the ice, so I would be going up and down little hills. At the far end of the course, I'd always be looking over my shoulder, waiting to see if a polar bear was stalking me. They blend in with the snow so that you can hardly see them until they're right on top of you.

Hypothermia was a factor in the race. Noel, a UK athlete, came into our hut frozen to the bone after he finished. Layers of ice were within each layer of his clothing. It took him a good hour to defrost, and even then, he didn't look happy. He was shaking terribly, but managed to pull through. All the runners endured some pretty amazing conditions, and I was just happy everyone made it out alive with no life-threatening injuries or frostbite.

I am having trouble with my left thumb and the ligaments connected to it. I could not feel my thumb after lap 2, and now it aches and goes numb at times. That seems to be the only injury I sustained; the rest of me feels great.

Press is already starting to leak out to the rest of the world. England's largest newspaper, "The Times", ran a story on the marathon with a photograph of me running during it. This morning I had the pleasure to be on "Good Morning Norway", the Norwegian version of America's "Today Show". Half of the interview I just sat there while the host translated my answers to his questions, but it was still grand.

Tomorrow I head home. It was short trip this time, much shorter than any of my other expeditions. Of course, this does not count as my official North Pole trip; that will come later. I already have more expeditions in the planning stages, so stay tuned. As for my foray into the world of long distance running, I will be putting video and pictures taken during the race by UK Sports photographer of the year, Mike King, on the site, as well as all upcoming news media. Hope you'll check it out. Cheers. Sean

Dispatch #2
April 7, 2004, Svalbad, Norway

I left Oslo this morning and had a stopover in Thomso before continuing on to Svalbard. I met some guys out in the lobby from Holland and Australia, who will be with a group skiing to the last degree of the Pole. Super chaps, great attitude. This is a major part of each expedition I go on...meeting people from all over the world, sharing stories...some are pleasant, some aren't, but all are interesting.

When the plane descended into Svalbard, the winds picked up considerably, some of the worst bashing I have ever been in on a commercial airline. The plane was landing on an airstrip the farthest point north a commercial flight can land, in the high arctic, at 78.56 degrees north latitude. I did not realize how strong the wind was until we touched down on the runway and the plane tossed and turned back and forth like a rag doll. A rough landing and taxi that eventually put us just several yards off the entrance to the one terminal at the airport. We had to exit down the plane's steps and

Hyperfitness means learning to test and challenge yourself every day. It means setting short-term and long-range goals and achieving them. It means pushing yourself and discovering that you are stronger, tougher, and more capable than you ever dreamed. With Sean's three building blocks to success-hyperstrength (exercise), hyperfare (nutrition), and hypermind (mental conditioning)-you can accomplish any physical and mental goal you can imagine in twelve short weeks.

But what sets this fitness book apart is Sean Burch's incredible personal story and his encouraging, no-holds-barred motivational approach. With such creative daily exercises as speed skater drills, aerial spins, scale the whale, and ski-mogul master jumps clearly illustrated throughout, the workouts are more like obstacle courses-challenging, varied, and fun. Whether you are preparing for a marathon or another event, or are just ready to dedicate yourself to getting in the best shape of your life physically and mentally, Hyperfitness will inspire you to reach the highest level of yourself possible.

Washington, DC... World recorder holder and fitness expert Sean Burch returned to the U.S. yesterday from Tibet where he reached a record 63 summits of previously unexplored and unclimbed high-altitude peaks in 23 days. Burch netted over 100,000 ft. of vertical gain in the midst of facing mountaineering hazards such as avalanches, crevasses, weather, and rockslides. Burch also confronted unforeseen obstacles as dremo (wild bears), wild dogs, and a botched robbery attempt at knifepoint by nomads. The peaks ranged in altitude from 16 - 19,000ft, and Burch spent an average 16 hours a day climbing for the 23 days.