10th Anniversary of Extreme World Races to be celebrated with 2012 Oscars of Adventure Awards Night

25 July 2011 at 13:47

Spring is the typical time for awards season in the film industry but this coming year shall see a new addition as the world of Antarctic and polar adventure has its very own exciting ceremony for the very first time.

Celebrating 10 years of EWR and our achievement of creating the toughest races around the globe, we're delighted to announce all of our former race alumni are duly invited to an exciting new black tie, red carpet Awards party.

This is once in a lifetime opportunity to meet all your fellow racers who've previously competed in the Polar Challenge, South Pole Race, the Belize challenge should not be missed. At this exclusive 'family' reunion, in true (CEO) Tony Martin style, you can expect the unexpected so don't be the only one who is not there!

Over the coming months, we will announce a series of special guests; commemorative award categories to vote on; an extra special host to manage the night's proceedings; and details of a truly impressive venue.

Invites to this landmark night are for former EWR adventurers only so don't miss out on and register your interest now on what is set to become an annual landmark occasion for the adventure industry. Celebrating our 10^th anniversary this memorable evening will commemorate the history of Extreme World Races & the fantastic achievements of all our former participants.

Find out how you can secure your place on this once-in-a-life-time night and register your details now with polarelitefoundation@extremeworldraces.com. Monthly bulletins will be sent out to announce all aspects of the Oscars of Adventure. Tickets are £95pp.

Venue: London TBC Date: 16th June 2012 Dress: Black Tie

Posted in Extreme Headlines | The Human Races | South Pole | North Pole | Siberian Ice Race | Extreme Races | About EWR | No Comments

Top of the World with the 2011 Polar Challenge - Part 1

10 May 2011 at 17:24

EWR Polar Challenge  2011 - Independently verified as one of the most difficult endurance events ever created.

With the Polar Challenge 2011 now complete, this year has proven this tenfold and highlighted why this race, as a spectacle, is truly peerless:  Out of the 5 teams that started only 2 teams went on to fully complete the challenge.

Team 'Chilled Out'  and Team 'CSC' with Jill Brangan were able to complete the 320 nautical miles in often challenging conditions but one thing that never changed was their spirit.  Racing from Truro Island; crossing Bathurst then on to the sea ice; past the Noice Peninsula to the 1996 Magnetic North Pole - all this takes a lot of courage.   If you read the EWR race reports and listened to the daily diary reports, you would have heard the teams delight at receiving messages of support throughout the race.

This is not just a journey for those participating but an adventure that is shared throughout their communities, families and friends;

“We are delighted that Georgy, Jill and Tom put in such a magnificent effort on the Polar Challenge 2011. It will be something they will not forget for a long time. Thanks to all the team at EWR for keeping a close eye on the competitors; ensuring we always had every confidence in their wellbeing; and keeping the anxious relatives closely informed throughout. You run a particularly impressive organisation.”

Glyn Jones, father of Team CSC member Georgy Jones

Throughout the course of 2009/10 a variety of inspired men and women from across the world decided that this was their time, a chance to test their mettle at the top of the world.  The events that lay in store for these adventurers were not wholly unexpected; they went in as prepared as you could possibly be. However, nothing can prepare you for the Arctic in all its breathtaking beauty and its’ uncompromising fury.

You have to go back as far as 2009 for some of our competitors to gain enough insight into how far they come...

EWR's ethos of providing ordinary people with the training, equipment, skill and opportunity to visit these spectacular places is the realisation of a life's ambition for most.

The first time the teams had a chance to meet was during an unexpectedly rainy weekend in Wales.  Well maybe not that unexpected.  It may have delayed The Open, sending hundreds of golfers scrambling for cover but our intrepid bunch were more than up to the task.  This was their first taste of training and an indication of what was to come.

The GPS training weekend in the stunning Black Mountains is the first instalment of the lengthy preparation process.  This of course, supplemented by a very differing set of race preparations for each of the teams.  Not only do you need the physical and mental fortitude to withstand the rigours of Polar travel; you also need the confidence in your ability to use life-saving equipment such as a GPS.

The weekend for some was the first opportunity to eye up the competition. For others this was merely a chance to learn and experience something new. You have to remember that this area of Wales is a challenging landscape. Given the vertical climbs along the course it was no easy task but all made it through and found their way to the pub afterwards!

Then it was on to Norway..... Stay tuned for Part 2 of our Polar Challenge 2011 round-up, coming soon.

Posted in Extreme Headlines | The Human Races | North Pole | 2011. Polar Challenge | Extreme Races | No Comments

Extreme... by Royal Appointment!

31 March 2011 at 11:55

On the dawn of EWR’s very own ‘Polar Challenge’, Prince Harry has decided to take the plunge in aid of the ‘Walking with The Wounded’ charity http://walkingwiththewounded.org.uk/

This inspirational trek to the North Pole with injured servicemen and women will be a stern test and as many people have found before; the freezing waters of the Arctic are, well, freezing!

Also taking the plunge this week are our first intake of would be explorers as we open our doors for the first time to our new ‘Adventure Academy’ training facility in Hjerkinn, Norway.

Of the hundreds of people who have previously been through EWR’s camp en route to our North and South Pole races, it is the ‘The Ice Jump’ people fear the most.  However, any fears are soon allayed and with encouragement from our survival experts, for most, the moment turns into a monumental achievement.

The week long training includes; extreme survival training, cross country skiing and a mini-expedition out in the mountains.  It’s a great challenge and if you have ever thought about what it would be like to experience Arctic conditions – or you may wish to get into the expedition industry - why not give us a call about our next Adventurer Academy?

The explorer training package is of course included with our Polar Challenge and South Pole Race packages and is an excellent introduction to Polar exploration.

Posted in Extreme Headlines | The Human Races | North Pole | 2011. Polar Challenge | Extreme Races | No Comments

The Power Of Beliefs

03 November 2010 at 07:55

Here's the second in John Campbell's series of weekly posts for us. John is the author of “The Secret of Intimate Relationships” and his website isWiseOwlSecrets.com. He's also coaching EWR's Frank Runge in preparation for the EWR Centenary Race to the South Pole in 2011.

Hi there. I trust you all had an amazing week and are starting to become aware of the words you speak! I’d like to start by offering you the following quotation about our beliefs:

You experience what you believe, unless you believe you won't, in which case you don’t, which means you did!

Now, I invite you to take some time and let that little chestnut permeate your consciousness. At first glance, it might seem like a ‘conscious mind’ scrambler – which, after all is the object of the exercise. When we scramble our conscious mind we can access our true potential by connecting with our intuition (aka INNER TEACHER)! That’s when we get ‘in the flow’.

It took me a while to really understand the power of this statement about our beliefs and it was the catalyst to many positive changes. You may find you are in fits of laughter when it sinks in because the simplicity of the truth is always very amusing.

How Does This Information Help Us?

Once we accept this concept and understand that beliefs are ‘created’ - and can therefore be ‘un-created’ if they do not serve our ultimate good - we can then create new beliefs which better serve our needs.

In last week’s post I made a statement that ‘Extreme environments place extreme pressures on the minds of even the most highly trained and physically conditioned humans’. As I was preparing for this week’s post about beliefs, I re-read that piece and realised that it was technically incorrect. A more correct statement would be:

The beliefs about extreme environments will determine what pressures will be placed on the minds of even the most highly trained and physically conditioned humans.

Let me ask you this; how might it benefit you when undertaking any act of physical endurance if you were to believe that your body is actually neutral – that it doesn’t feel or experience anything OTHER than what your mind is telling it? Would that be a powerful belief and a great asset when engaged in an Extreme World Races event?

I do my best to ensure I allow only positive news stories into my consciousness and last week I sat, enthralled, witnessing the Sky News live coverage of the evacuation of the Chilean miners. What struck me most was when one of the guys - who was clearly a major influence on the others - said, ‘I always kept believing that we would ALL get out alive and in good condition’.

Then when he climbed out of the ‘cage’, he ran up to the cheering crowd punching the air with such great energy that one could be forgiven for thinking that he had just won some major sporting event. This man clearly was in touch with the power of his mind. He would be a great team member on any Polar race!

Dawning Of A New Era

We're entering a period of human evolution which is truly going to blow away many of our old conditioned beliefs. Everywhere people are beginning to question the limitations which they and others have placed on themselves and they are beginning to question reality as it has hitherto been portrayed.

It is interesting to witness the emotions which can be evoked when these previously unfamiliar ideas are first considered. Some people become angry at the ideas because it is questioning millennia of limiting pre-conditioning.

In 2003, Sir Paul McCartney - arguably one of the most successful and wealthiest men in the world - went to the Thames site of the American mind control expert, David Blaine. McCartney became incandescent with rage and allegedly attacked a photographer who was photographing him screaming obscenities at Blaine in his box, where he had been without food for 44 days!

What could motivate someone like McCartney to such levels of anger? Simply because his conditioned beliefs were being challenged. Our ego (id) has an investment in keeping us limited and in believing that ‘we believe what we see’, NOT ‘we will see what we believe’. So it could be interesting to become aware of any emotions which you may experience when exploring any new ideas and make a note of them.

To end this week, I would like you to start recording some of your beliefs about life situations and, without judging yourself, see which of these beliefs are life limiting and life enhancing. You could also begin noticing the connections between your thoughts and your emotions. When you think a certain thought, how does it feel? Does it feel peaceful or disturbing, for instance? Then see if you can feel the effect on your physical energy as a result.

I wish you all an amazingly powerful week ahead.

Thought for the week: ‘It takes great learning to understand that all things, events, encounters and circumstances are helpful'

John Campbell
‘Inspiration rather than Motivation’

Tags: extreme world races | law of attraction | john campbell | training

Posted in Extreme Headlines | The Human Races | 2011. Race to the Pole. Scott v Amundsen Centenary | John Campbell | No Comments

Going Polar? Do The Pulka.

29 October 2010 at 21:10

If you read our articles on the training for our Centenary Race to the South Poleor the upcoming Polar Challenge, you'll notice that we talk about learning how to handle a 'pulk'.

A pulk is a small sledge designed with a low centre of gravity to hold supplies and be easy to pull across the snow. There is some debate about where the word originates, with some authorities suggesting it has its roots in the Norwegian Lapland 'pulkha' for sledge while others plump for the Sami word 'bulke'. What is clear is that its physical origins are in the Arctic regions of Norway, Sweden, and Finland.

Pulks Are Spreading

The pulk's simple design and its suitability for being pulled by a skier have seen it adapted for almost all snow-covered landscapes. They're even used by Alpine rescue teams, as I know to my cost. A few years ago, I damaged my knee in a skiing accident. I was strapped into a pulk and brought down the mountain behind a rescue skier. The pulk's rigid construction - which makes it so easy to pull - combined with the icy conditions and the speed of the descent, meant that I felt every bump and actually broke two ribs before we reached the bottom. That certainly took my mind off the pain in my knee. Our race competitors will not be riding in their pulks!

The main benefit of the pulk, of course, is that it takes what you need to carry off your back. Where early Polar explorers tried to adapt small life boats from their expedition ships to use as sledges across the ice and snow, later more successful teams began to copy the techniques used by peoples living in the more extreme conditions. Pulks soon became a key component of any expedition to either North or South Pole.

Build Your Own Pulk

Modern pulks use a plastic base, which helps keep down the weight, as well as making them fairly cheap to build. Many explorers and people living in places with suitable winter conditions build their own. If you feel like having a go at building your own pulk, visit SkiPulk and download Ed Bouffard's pdf pulk book, which tells you everything you need to know about what goes into building a successful pulk.

Tags: extreme world races | pulks | extreme training

Posted in Extreme Headlines | The Human Races | Training | No Comments

Understanding The Mind

25 October 2010 at 06:18

We've invited John Campbell, author of “The Secret of Intimate Relationships', to contribute a weekly guest post to the EWR site. John is a recognised expert in using advanced mind techniques to influence outcomes. He's also coaching EWR's very own Frank Runge ahead of Frank's participation in the EWR Centenary Race to the South Pole.

Few, however, are truly aware just how powerful their thought patterns are at every given moment and how crucial it is to master control of these thoughts if they are to achieve the outcomes they desire.

There is no such thing as an idle thought or, for that matter, an idle word. Every thought we think and every word we speak has a powerful impact on our actions and the actions of those with whom we interact.

Thoughts Become Outcomes

These principles are not simply my personal take on things. They are actually Universal Laws – no different to the Law of Gravity – and the most pertinent law we need to understand fully if we are to harness the power within us is The Law of Attraction.

The Law of Attraction, in its most simplified form, states ‘that which is liken to itself is drawn’. This translates as ‘what you focus on is what you will attract into your life’. In the coming weeks, I'll use my guest posts here to explore how we can use this knowledge and a deeper understanding of these principles to enhance our performance in every area of our lives.

I will invite you to practice simple exercises. To start with, these will help you raise your awareness of the language you use. We'll start with our language because our words are audible and, therefore, more easily monitored. Once we are aware of our spoken words and begin to change them to our advantage, we can then move on to our silent thoughts – which are the most powerful tools we have in our make up.

I'm sure you'll agree that, if we were able to harness 30%+ more energy, the likelihood of improving our performance in something would increase proportionately. If that seems logical, you can see that it would be an advantage to know how we can tap into this extra energy.

Focus The Mind

It's my firm belief that the top achievers in the world today are those who consciously study and commit to training their minds. Not just in their particular field of endeavour but in every moment of their lives. They make these practices their primary focus.

In 2004, I worked for a year with two youth professional football teams of under 18’s and under 17’s, using these principles. The first thing I needed to do was win over their coach, as these principles were totally new to him. This was a professional League club and I saw that these ideas were new and unfamiliar even in areas of professional sports psychology.

By using muscle testing techniques they were able to experience directly how different thoughts impacted their physical energy. Feeling the thoughts make physical changes in their bodies was a great way for them to be convinced of the power of thought and then to learn how to influence their physical responses. At the end of that season, both sides topped their respective division and won their leagues!

Parachute Mind

Extreme environments place extreme pressures on the minds of even the most highly trained and physically conditioned humans. If, however, we were to deepen our understanding of the principle that our thoughts have the ability to alter the molecular structure of our bodies, would that motivate us to commit to taking control of our thoughts?

The people who are best equipped to withstand, and even flourish, in these extreme conditions are those who are prepared to ‘change their mind’. Are you willing to open your mind to some breath-taking new ideas? Remember that the mind is like a parachute – it only works properly when it's fully open! And if you're not yet willing, how about just be ‘willing to become willing’? That’s all that’s needed to create positive change.

Thought for the week: ‘If you change the way you see things, the things you see will change.'

I look forward to sharing with you again.
John Campbell
‘Inspiration rather than Motivation’

Tags: law of attraction | mind training | john campbell

Posted in Extreme Headlines | The Human Races | 2011. Race to the Pole. Scott v Amundsen Centenary | Extreme Races | Training | John Campbell | No Comments

Siberia on Ice. 2012

22 July 2010 at 13:14

Posted in Extreme Headlines | The Human Races | Siberian Ice Race | 2012. Lake Baikal | Extreme Races | No Comments

Polar Challenge

16 July 2010 at 17:21

Polar Challenge gives competitors the opportunity to experience one of the last remaining wildernesses of the world by racing to the very top of it at the Magnetic North pole.

Racing in teams of two or three, competitors set off from Resolute in Northern Canada across a terrain of frozen sea ice and arctic tundra. As well as racing against the other teams and dealing with the extremes of environment, competitors are also likely to have to factor polar bears into the game plan, the natural inhabitants of this extreme environment and the most powerful animals on earth.

Race distance:

563km

Calendar :

Race 10^th April–15^th May 2011

Norway Training 8^th-15^th January 2011

Posted in The Human Races | North Pole | 2011. Polar Challenge | Extreme Races | No Comments