Archive for the 'Team Mercury' Category

'Team Mercury' Face Their Toughest Challenge in the 'EWR Amundsen/Scott Centenary Race to the South Pole'

18 November 2010 at 12:25

There’s tough and then there’s the EWR Centenary Race to the South Pole.

Three soldiers - RSM Mark Morgan, Warrant Officer Sean McIlroy, and Captain Billy Morris - are Team Mercury and, although they’ve competed in their fair share of endurance races, they know that theCentenary Race will test them to the limit.

The Centenary Race is only the third South Pole race ever and the second run by EWR (Extreme World Races). The race in 2009, with Ben Fogle and James Cracknell being defeated narrowly by the Norwegians, was filmed as part of BBC’s On Thin Ice documentary series.

The Centenary Race in 2011 commemorates the original battle between Captain Robert Falcon Scott and Roald Amundsen across the Antarctic to reach the South Pole. The Norwegians won that race by 33 days.

This time, 'Team Mercury' will set off for their challenge from Novo - along with all the other teams and individuals competing in the Centenary Race - 100 years to the day after Amundsen beat Scott in the original epic duel.

The team members know just how arduous the race will be. “We’ll be skiing 16 hours a day and the rest of the time will be for sleeping and eating,” says Mark.

Having already started training in the Black Mountains and by pulling tyres on a Welsh beach, next year will see 'Team Mercury' training with EWR in Norway and Scotland.

Between the start on December 2011 and the race finish in mid-February 2012, Mercury and the other teams from around the world will negotiate multiple crevasses, cross snow bridges, and climb to 3,000m on the high polar plateau as they struggle to survive the 704km route.

Throwing in winds of up to 80mph and temperatures as low as -40C, this is the ultimate extreme endurance race and it takes place in the stunning landscape of one of the coldest, driest, and highest deserts on earth.

One difference between the Centenary Race to the South Pole and Scott and Amundsen’s original race will be the fact that all the competitors will be fitted with tracking devices and check in with regular live satellite phone calls. Progress of the teams will be updated hourly on the EWR website.