FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Curtis Lieber
1-800-770-5961
COUNTDOWN TO NORTH POLE MARATHON
March 17th 2003
Ten athletes have now committed to the North Pole Marathon 2003, which will
be held on April 17th. Among the field is the South Pole Marathon winner,
Richard Donovan of Ireland, but absent from the competitor list will be US
marathon legend, Dick Beardsley, who has commitments to the Boston
Marathon.Beardsley, a former London Champion and 2.08 marathoner, had
originally hoped to take part in the North Pole race but a change in the
marathon date understandably ruled him out. In all, five countries will be
represented, comprising Austria, Ireland, Russia, the United Kingdom and
the United States.
Global Expedition Adventures (GEA), the North Pole Marathon organizers,
have also confirmed that a video documentary of the event will be produced.
KIBO Productions, a US-based company, which specializes in marathon
documentaries will travel to the Pole to make the 30-40 minute production.
Curtis Lieber, Vice President of GEA and the North Pole Expedition Director
has also stated that a second documentary may yet be commissioned by a
European television network.
Brent Weigner, race co-director, says that the North Pole Marathon is
undoubtedly the only marathon not held on land. “It is effectively run on
water, frozen water, above 12,000 feet of Arctic Ocean. It offers the
adventure experience of a lifetime for athletes of reasonable fitness and
drive, whereby they not only get to travel to the Pole but they also get to
run there.”
The event, of course, is nevertheless an extreme one. Temperatures can
plummet to –50C or below with the wind chill and there are the usual risks
of hypothermia and frostbite associated with such exposure. In addition,
there is a danger of crashing through a ‘lead’ or break in the ice and the
remote possibility of running into a Polar Bear. However, this has
obviously not deterred any of the intending participants. Mary Ritz of
Wyoming, USA, who has already competed in Antarctica and on Mount Everest,
and is the only female entrant, says she is looking forward to reaching the
finish line where all the earth’s lines of longitude meet at 90 Degrees
North.
Most of the competitors in the North Pole Marathon race have already
completed marathons on all seven continents, but by running at the exact
geographic North Pole they hope to join the North Pole Grand Slam Club.
This new club will be composed of members who have run a marathon on all of
the continents and at the North Pole, which is situated in the Arctic
Ocean.
For more information on the marathon and the participants, see
www.NorthPoleMarathon.com.
Contact: Curtis Lieber
Global Expedition Adventures
191 Joy Lane
Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459, USA
Email: northpole@cybertron.com
Tel: (within US) 1-800-770-5961
International Callers: + 850-217-9974
Fax: + 850-267-9588
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