North Pole Marthon - World Record BURCH HYPER FITNESS SYSTEMS (BHS)

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