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About Us
Polar Running Adventures is operated by three-time polar marathoner Richard Donovan. A native of Ireland, he is also the organiser of the annual North Pole Marathon.
In addition to completing marathons in both the Arctic and Antarctic, Richard has successfully participated in other extreme locations such as the Sahara and Atacama Deserts, the Andes and Himalayan mountains and the Amazon Jungle. He is also an Irish international ultramarathon runner.
In February 2009, Richard set a new record for running marathons on all seven continents when he completed his World Marathon Challenge in 5 days 10 hours 8 minutes. In December 2009, he finished first in the Antarctic 100k for the third time. Also in 2009, Richard was race director of both the Anglo Celtic Plate international 100km and the inaugural Commonwealth Championships at 100km.
Leading international magazines, including National Geographic Adventure, Sports Illustrated and Runner’s World, have published feature length interviews and reports on Richard’s adventure race performances. He also featured in various documentaries, including the world syndicated BBC programme ‘Desert: The Challenge’, which was narrated by Mike Stroud.
A former economist, Richard was educated in Ireland and the USA and received postgraduate academic scholarships in both countries. He is the current Chairman of UltraRunning Ireland.
While Polar Running Adventures promotes and organises the Antarctic Ice Marathon races, Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions provides all of the associated logistical support.