Lee

Alexander

great britain

Lee is the Senior Vice President in charge of Application Development for The Federal Reserve Bank Of New York. He was born, raised and educated in Glasgow Scotland but has been living in NYC since 1998 with his wife Helen and two kids Dylan and Luke. He has run more than 20 marathons including the NYC Marathon (almost) annually since 2001 and additional marathons on six continents (Boston, Berlin, Sydney, Hong Kong, Rio De Janeiro and Kilimanjaro). Lee has also completed a full distance Ironman triathlon in Zurich, Switzerland as well as several shorter triathlon races.

Sarah

Ames

germany

Sarah will be finishing her fourth round of running marathons on all seven continents. According to available records, she will be the first woman to do so. Sarah was the first woman to complete running marathons on all continents three times in 2011, the first German woman to complete a marathon on all 7 continents in 2007 and the first German woman to join the Grand Slam Club by running a marathon at the North Pole in addition to the 7 continents. She runs for the experience and the location and looks forward to reconnecting with friends she met along the way. She was born and raised in Heidelberg, Germany and after studying at the University of Hamburg moved to the U.S. for graduate and law school. Sarah now works as an attorney in Chicago.

Richard

Atkins

great britain

Richard plans to run an ultra on every continent and is targeting the 100km event in Antarctica. His longest run this far has been the Comrades in South Africa, which he completed in 2013. Richard, who is growing a beard suitable for the Antarctic, is running in aid of prostate cancer. See http://www.justgiving.com/crazyrichie2014/

Havard

Bo

norway

A 38-year-old, Stavanger based, engineer who enjoys a challenge. His adventures started with mountain hiking from an early age, and he has conducted numerous hiking trips in mountains worldwide as well as in the jungles of Asia and South America. In addition to a number of more moderate cycling races, he has cycled the 542km Styrkeprøven race from Trondheim to Oslo. By completing the full marathon in this Antarctic Ice Marathon, Håvard will be the first Norwegian joining the Marathon Grand Slam club; i.e. finishing a marathon on each of the Seven Continents and on the Arctic Ocean at the North Pole Marathon.

Lynn La

Canna

australia

Lyn has run the Melbourne Marathon twice, the London Marathon and the New York Marathon. She hopes to run a marathon on each continent plus the Arctic as part of what she claims to be a Mid Life Crisis. Lyn chose Antarctica as her fourth continent because she didn't want to leave it too late and be too old and injured to do it! She took up running in 2007 when she participated in a fundraiser event after a friend's three-year-old daughter had a heart attack and was in an induced coma for ten days in Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital.

Heather

Carr

united states

The Antarctic Ice Marathon will be Heather's fifth marathon and first outside of Minnesota. She began running 5 years ago after having not run for most of her adult life. She runs year-round, even on the coldest of Minnesota winter days. Heather also enjoys running shorter distances (particularly trail running), as well as indoor cycling and strength training in order to stay fit. She loves to travel with her family, and, as fanatics of the great outdoors, are always looking for a nearby hike or other activity. Heather has a network of amazing and supportive friends that share her enthusiasm for fitness and a healthy lifestyle.

Carol

Chang

united states

Carol is the Chief Programs Officer at the American Red Cross, North Jersey Region in Princeton, NJ. She is travelling with Brian Larson, both natives of Iowa, who met 20 years ago while working with CARE in Haiti. In 2007, the two decided to bike across Iowa in the state's annual 500 mile bike ride, called the RAGBRAI. After completing the ride, in a moment of delusion, the two decided to train for the NYC Marathon. Seven years later, in addition to the NYC Marathon, they have completed marathons in Berlin, Germany, Limpopo, South Africa, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Shanghai, China and Melbourne, Australia. Carol and Brian hope to finish the Ice Marathon to complete their pledge to one another to run marathons on all seven continents.

Penbin

Chen

china

Penbin was third place finisher in the 255 KM Doliho Ultra-Marathon earlier this year and previously finished second in the 2012 Jungle Marathon in Brazil. He has run numerous other ultramarathon events in Australia, China, Greece and the Sahara Desert in Morocco, with distances ranging from 100km to 250km. The Chinese national channel, CCTV, will document his participation in the Antarctic Ice Marathon & 100k.

Andy

Chik

hong kong

china

Profile to be added

Steven

Choate

australia

Steven, 31, is a Surf Lifesaving beach sprinter with the North Cottesloe club in Western Australia. He is a world champion beach relay runner and Western Australian beach relay champion and has won professional running races in Australia, mainly over 550m sprint distances. He has been a track and field junior hurdle record holder, track relay champion and district football representative. Steven has been a team runner in the Blackwood and Perth marathons, but the Antarctic Ice Marathon will be his first full marathon run. He works in the outback of Western Australia as a mine safety officer at Marandoo, near Tom Price. As a member of the emergency response team, Steven carries out mine rescue, road crash rescue, fire fighting and vertical ropes rescue. He also serves theoutback community in vehicle crash emergencies and first aid rescue situations. Steven has come from a hot desert environment where days of almost 50°C (122°F) can breached. He enjoys ‘cross-fit’ competition, surfing and is a keen musician, having played in rock bands. He is a University of WA science and health graduate, and board member of not-for-profit organisation Melanoma WA. Steven has joined his father to share the adventure of the Antarctic Ice Marathon and explore South America.

Clive

Choate

australia

Clive, 63, is a retired outdoor pursuits and physical education teacher who enjoys endurance sports. His feats have included 25 years of consecutive Blackwood ironman contests and a 60 km solo race held in Western Australia, which includes run, canoe, swim, horse and cycle disciplines. Other solo and team adventure races include cycling unassisted across the Australian Nullarbor (3200km), hiking the Kokoda Trackin New Guinea, age group triathlon World Championships, triathlon Ironman and team mountain bike events in the rugged Kimberley of Western Australia and across the Australian central desert. Clive has played representative rugby for Western Australia and Sydney and toured New Zealand with the Australian Southern States team. He has also played polo and polocrosse, competed in endurance horse riding, paddled kayak marathons and enjoyed athletics, tennis, orienteering and rogaining championships. Clive has run the Australian Outback and Paris marathons, but snow and ice is foreign to him. An author of two sports history books, he is married to Lynne, a Masters’ 100m world champion in athletics track and field. Clive is sharing the Antarctic Ice Marathon and travel with his son Steven.

Jonathan

Chow

hong kong

china

Profile to be added

Debbie

Chu

hong kong

china

Profile to be added

Robert

Conway

united states

Robert, 60 years old, has completed marathons on six continents (Los Angeles, Sydney, Paris, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, and Cape Town) over the course of the last five years. He is looking forward to the challenge in Antarctica and hopefully joining The 7 Continents Marathon Club. Running has become a wonderful and fun thing for Bob to do since taking it up only five years ago. The big city races have been a fun way to combine running and sightseeing. The Tokyo Marathon stands out as his favourite because his wife is Japanese and she recruited 17 family members to cheer for him with hats, balloons, and signs. In addition to her family, there were another 1.4 million people cheering "ganbatte" (Keep going, you can do it!) along the entire 42 km. After 35 years as a Certified Public Accountant, he decided earlier this year to slow down a bit, smell the roses, and prepare for the Antarctic Ice Marathon!

Andrew

Coop

australia

Andrew has always wanted to go to Antarctica and will be running his 8th marathon and second continent.

Chris

Cotteleer

belgium

Profile to be added

Miroslaw

Cydzik

poland

Mirek is a 38-year-old marathon runner who has been running for 5 years. He has completed 17 marathons so far – in Poland and around the world. By taking part in the Antarctic Ice Marathon, he will become one of those who have run on all seven continents, which will allow him to join the Seven Continents Marathon Club. Mirek will run both the marathon and the 100km run in Antarctica. It will be his debut at an ultramarathon distance.

Regis

Depery

france

united states

Regis has a goal to complete a marathon on each continent. His first marathon was New York in 1999 with his father. Regis grew up in Lyon, France, but has been living in the US for the past 20 years. The 45-year-old is an airline pilot (United Airlines, First Officer on Boeing 757 and 767, flying to Europe from Newark, New Jersey). The father of two likes to travel with his family to discover new cultures and meet people. He plans on participating in the New York Tri (Olympic) next year.

Nancy

Freeman

united states

Nancy is a systems engineer and occasional singer/songwriter who lives in the Arizona desert and believes that the best way to experience the world is to get out in the middle of it. She ran her first marathon at age 50, kicking off a quest to run a marathon on all 7 continents. She has pledged a donation to the Heifer Project for each training mile run in preparation for the Ice Marathon, and invites others to join her at http://facebook.com/JourneyToTheBottomOfTheEarth.

Oscar

Giazzi

italy

Oscar started running marathon in 2011 and the Antarctic Ice Marathon will be marathon number 20 for him. The 47-year-old also loves to run ultra marathon and ultra trail events. Sport and adventure have been part of his life since a child. He loves travel, running in frozen environments, trekking in the Himalayas and driving his motorbike. Oscar is the first Italian to run the Antarctic Ice Marathon, which he regards as a great honour.

Graham

Gillespie

australia

france

After retiring from the military in 2005, Graham ran his first marathon just to tick it off his bucket list. However, since completing his second one in 2008, he has run more 40 marathons. Graham has run marathons on six continents to date - Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and the Volcano Marathon in South America on 11/11/2014! In April 2012, he also ran the North Pole Marathon on the Arctic ice cap. The Antarctic Ice Marathon will give him his seventh continent and the Grand Slam.

Lewis

Hartman

great britain

Lewis Hartman is a Major in the British Army (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers), who started running "for fun" in 1997 in preparation for the 1998 London Marathon. He has since run a number of half marathons, the 2011 US Marine Corps Marathon (Washington DC) and the Salisbury to Winchester "Clarendon" Marathon. Lewis has completed 10 winter Tough Guy races, which gives him some insight to running in the cold. He is running the Ice marathon for 3 main reasons: firstly to visit his 7th and final continent, secondly to prove - as he reaches his 40th birthday - that age should not stop you from achieving anything you put your mind to, and thirdly to raise funds for 3 charities: the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research & the Army Benevolent Fund (ABF). Lewis is hoping to build on his 3rd continental marathon and eventually join The 7 Continents Marathon Club, via interesting marathons only!

Hendrik

Hellemans

belgium

Hendrik is an international hospitality professional and entrepreneur. The Ice Marathon will be his 15th marathon on his 4th continent. Hendrik ran his first marathon in 2006 in New York, and subsequently continued to run city marathons in Europe, the USA and the Two Oceans ultra in South Africa. His aim is to run marathons on all 7 Continents. Hendrik is a member of the Belgian Managers Marathon Club and lives with his wife in Antwerp, Belgium.

Stephane

Holvoet

belgium

Stephane describes himself as a "plain vanilla marathon runner". He has run 13 marathons (city and nature) since 2003 and his best memory is running the Connemara Marathon in Ireland. Antarctica will be his toughest challenge so far. The 58-year-old father of three was CEO of Amsterdam Commodities, a publicly quoted (Amsterdam) worldwide producer and distributor of tropical food ingredients from 1987-2013. Stephane has also been a serial private equity investor in software startups, rubber plantations (Liberia) and food manufacturers, among others.

Stephen

Hopkins

united states

After a few knee surgeries in his teens, Steve spent most of his twenties drinking beer on the couch (sometimes on the front porch). However, he decided to change his life in his early thirties and signed up for a 10k race. He realized that running and loving beer could work together, so he kept working towards running his first half marathon a year later and then his first marathon 6 months after that. Steve then decided that running a marathon on every continent would be an awesome way to see the world. After the Ice Marathon, Steve will be staying on the continent to do some mountaineering.

Nicholas

Horsfall

great britain

Nick is a 35-year-old from Harrogate, England who currently lives and works in Sydney, Australia as a Business Intelligence consultant. With a sporting background in soccer, he started his marathon journey in 2009 by running the New York Marathon, which was followed shortly thereafter by the London Marathon. These gave him the impetus to look for marathons around the world and it wasnt long until he came across the challenge of running a marathon on every continent. Since London, he has completed marathons in the Sahara Desert, Great Wall of China, Sydney, Inca Trail (Peru) and is now looking to complete his 7 continents challenge in Antarctica. After the Antarctic Ice Marathon, he is looking at completing an Ironman event and has signed up for the Melbourne Iron Man in March 2015.

Adriana

Istrate

romania

Adriana is a banking consultant working for the BCR Banca pentru Locuinte. After completing the Bucharest International Marathon in 2013 and the Transmaraton ultra in 2014, she wondered what to do next to test her limits and the Antarctic Ice Marathon & 100k became the first two competitions of her “7 continents” (7 marathons and 7 ultras on 7 continents) project. Her plan is to make the small world around her a better place and she seeks to make the most of herself through sport, nutrition, healthy and balanced choices. Adriana will be the first Romanian woman to run the two distances in Antarctica. Throughout this project, she will raise funds for Hospice – Casa Sperantei Foundation, whose mission is to introduce and develop palliative care services in Romania for patients with a terminal illness, raise awareness at a national level through advocacy, promotion and education and build fundraising capacity. Adriana is very excited to go to Antarctica.

Michael

Larocca

united states

Michael has completed 3 standard marathons (NYC twice and Boston once) and 1 ultra marathon of 50 km (Palermo), but has been away from running for many years. He's running the half marathon in Antarctica as a way to spark his running career again, and to see a beautiful part of the world he ordinarily wouldn't have seen. Apart from his running interests, Michael runs an IT Professional Services company called Ready Computing, with offices in New York USA, Quebec City Canada, and Santiago Chile.

Brian

Larson

united states

Brian Larson is an artist and Chief Financial Officer at a non-profit in Miami, Florida. He is travelling with Carol Chang, both natives of Iowa, who met 20 years ago while working with CARE in Haiti. In 2007, the two decided to bike across Iowa in the state's annual 500 mile bike ride, called the RAGBRAI. After completing the ride, in a moment of delusion, the two decided to train for the NYC Marathon. Seven years later, in addition to the NYC Marathon, they have completed marathons in Berlin, Germany, Limpopo, South Africa, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Shanghai, China and Melbourne, Australia. Brian and Carol hope to finish the Ice Marathon to complete their pledge to one another to run marathons on all seven continents.

Phillipe

Laurent

france

Philippe is multiple sclerosis sufferer who successfully completed the North Pole Marathon in 2012. MS is a disease of the central nervous system, which changes normal life for the sufferer with irreversible consequences. Everything changes very quickly and Philippe found himself "diminished physically and morally" after being diagnosed in 1996 aged 30 years old. He quickly found himself having to use a cane, with urinary problems and serious imbalances. However, he has found that problems of inaccessibility are an additional handicap in his native France. Philippe has thus written a Mobility Pact, calling for (1) Mobility in the City (2) Mobility in the Population (3) Mobility in the School System (4) Mobility via Financial Support (5) Mobility in Professions and Trade (6) Mobility induced by Research. Philippe believes that accessibilty must become a priority in France and he engages in difficult challenges such as the North Pole Marathon and Volcano Marathon to support the themes of his writing.

Fredrique

Laurent

france

Frédérique is a 45-year-old naturopath based in Annecy (Alps). She has climbed alpine and morocco peaks, completed many trail races in the mountains and several Raids with SDPO in China and Uzbekistan. She completed 5 marathons on 5 continents in extreme and varied conditions, along with her partner Christoph Lebrun. These included events on volcanoes, in the jungle, at high altitude, in the desert and in the savanna surrounded by wild animals. They will be the first French couple to run the Antarctic Ice Marathon and it will be the sixth continental marathon for Frédérique. She is running the Antarctic Ice Marathon under the colours of Meltonic to raise money for the charity, Monsieur Nez Rouge, to help children affected by rare diseases. To donate to her charity, please visit http://monsieurnezrouge.blogspot.fr/ You can follow her preparation and commitment for the association on http://www.grand-chelem-marathon.com/.

Christophe

Lebrun

france

Christophe is a 52-year-old product manager working for a publishing company in Paris. He has climbed alpine peaks, including Mt Blanc, completed more than 50 triathlons and half-marathons and several Raids with SDPO in China, Turkey and Uzbekistan. In 2011, he ran the North Pole Marathon and then completed 5 marathons on 5 continents in extreme and varied conditions, along with his partner Frédérique Laurent. These included events on volcanoes, in the jungle, at high altitude, in the desert and in the savanna surrounded by wild animals. They will be the first French couple to run the Antarctic Ice Marathon and it will be the seventh and last marathon to join the 7 Continents Marathon Club for Christophe. He is running the Antarctic Ice Marathon under the colours of Meltonic to raise money for the charity, Monsieur Nez Rouge, to help children affected by rare diseases. To donate to his charity, please visit http://monsieurnezrouge.blogspot.fr/ You can follow his preparation and commitment for the association on http://www.grand-chelem-marathon.com/.

Sindy

Leung

hong kong

china

Sindy enjoys running and hiking in various countries as a means of travelling and meeting people all over the world. She completed the 28th Marathon des Sables in the Sahara Desert in April 2014, the Oxfam Trailwalker 100K on three occasions, the Standard Chartered Marathon twice and the Vibram HK100 Ultra Trail Race in 2014. Sindy is travelling to the Antarctica with five of her colleagues "all six of them coming from a small, tiny place known as Hong Kong".

Winnie

Lo

hong kong

china

Winnie started running in the past year and the Antarctic Ice Marathon will be a significant challenge for her. However, she wants to do something different and has prepared for the race via running the Osaka Marathon in October.

Edwin

Ma

hong kong

china

Edwin is a bank manager from Hong Kong who uses running as a means of jumping out of his office life. The Antarctic Ice Marathon will be his second marathon, having completed his first at the 2012 Osaka Marathon in Japan. However, Edwin also takes part in ultra trail running, such as HK100, Marathon des Sables and the New Zealand/Japan Trailwalker. He is also planning to run the UTMF and UTMB. He regards these races as a good reason for travelling to where he wants to visit. His wife Winnie Lo is also joining him to take on the challenge of the Antarctic Ice Marathon.

Agata

Mikolajczyk

poland

Agata is a 38-year-old pediatric surgeon. She works in the Children's Memorial Health Institute in Warsaw, Poland. Agata is travelling to Antarctica with her partner, Mirek Cydzik. She started running 8 years ago. The marathon in Antarctica will be Agata’s 24th marathon overall, and – more significantly – one which will let her join the ranks of those who have run marathons on all seven continents. Among her biggest running events are marathons in Rio de Janeiro (2009 and 2010), Marrakech (2010), Roma (2010), Prague (2010), Sydney (2011), Toronto (2012), Reggae Marathon in Jamaica (2012), Honolulu (2012), Loch Ness Marathon (2013), Frankfurt (2013), and Da Nang (2014). Agata and Mirek combine running marathons with travelling and sightseeing. Agata hopes to be the first woman from Poland to complete the Antarctic Ice Marathon, and the first Polish woman to join the Seven Continents Marathon Club.

Gavin

Montgomery

great britain

Gavin hopes to run marathons on all seven continents. The Antarctic Ice Marathon will represent his third continent, having previously run the Great Wall Marathon in China and a couple of marathons in Africa. Gavin actively participates in a wide variety of sports including squash, golf, cycling and running. He enjoys the challenge of endurance events, and particularly bike ones, in which he has competed in numerous multi-day stage races on both road and mountain bike. On the running front he prefers getting out on the trail and he has competed in a few ultra distance trail events. Gavin is travelling to Antarctica to enjoy the scenery and the great challenge that the Ice Marathon has to offer. He generally enjoys traveling and is grateful that this event affords him the opportunity to see Antarctica while competing in the marathon.

Kenichi

Okazaki

japan

Kenichi has run the Tokyo Marathon and the '330 km Running Crazy' event around Okinawa Island in Japan. Between October-December 2013, he ran a marathon each weekend for 10 consecutive weeks, and for four consecutive weeks from May-June 2014 he completed a 100 km run. Kenichi's Facebook Page is https://www.facebook.com/kenichi.okazaki.5

Jerico

Padallan

united states

Jerico has been running 5Ks and 10Ks for years and recently "upgraded" to half marathons. He enjoyed his first race so much that he signed up to run another one the following weekend. Since then, he's been unstoppable and always has a race on the calendar. As the Social Media Director for Sweat Tracker (https://www.facebook.com/sweattracker), Jerico will be documenting the experience in Antarctica for their members as well as running the half marathon. His new goal is to complete races on all seven continents.

Samir

Patel

united states

Samir is a medical doctor specialising in Internal Medicine and he runs a private practice in New Jersey. The Ice Marathon will complete a quest, which started 3 years ago, to join The Seven Continents Marathon Club in the year in which I turned 40. Samir runs as an example of healthy living for his patients and his two young children. He says he needs to thank his wife for enduring the countless hours he has spent training, especially since he is now embarking on a new challenge -- training for Ironman 70.3 triathlons.

Genevieve

Pearson

south africa

Genevieve is running the full marathon with friends Neil Wilson and Gavin Montgomery, who all met while doing the Great Wall of China Marathon in 2012 - they all hope to join The 7 Continents Marathon Club. She is a geologist and also a (novice) mountaineer who has simultaneously embarked on the 7 summits challenge having successfully summited Mt Kilimanjaro (Africa) and Mt Elbrus (Europe), while a blizzard prevented summiting of Aconcagua (South America) to which she will return. She has completed various marathons over the years (including the 2 Oceans ultra) and this year has successfully participated in numerous extreme mountain trail races in South Africa and summited Mt Damavand in Iran. Genevieve will be the first South African woman to run the marathon on the actual Antarctic mainland in the snow and hopes to achieve the 7 Continents Marathon Club and 7 Summits in due course. She had hoped to do Mt Vinson (Antarctica) this year following the race but will have to come back next year! During the course of her extreme adventures she hopes to draw attention to various causes - the focus this trip is on raising awareness of the illicit wildlife trade and the plight of Africa’s rhino and elephant populations which are facing a poaching crisis.

Larry

Rich

united states

Larry is the Founder & CEO of Sweat Tracker. He started the company several years ago to provide athletes with the benefits of a dedicated run coach in an online environment. This reduces the cost to runners and allows them to train when it is convenient for their schedule. Larry enjoys the challenge of the marathon distance and has completed more than 50 marathons, typically running at least six per year. He officially kicked off his #quest4seven in November 2013 with the Athens Classic Marathon. The Antarctic Ice Marathon will be his fourth continent. To follow Larry's Quest 4 Seven, please visit http://www.sweattracker.com/quest4seven

Judy

Scrine

great britain

Having "staggered" her way to completing the North Pole Marathon in April this year, Judy has now got the 'Grand Slam' bug and is very excited to have a chance at both the Volcano Marathon and Antarctic Ice Marathon this year. Being travel-obsessive, completing these marathons, getting to 80 degrees south and hopefully also the Geographic South Pole ticks yet more things off “The Bucket List” and would mean getting half way to the Grand Slam. Marathon training must fit around her work as an equine veterinary surgeon in the (usually) gentle climes of Surrey and Sussex in the UK, and her other sports include endurance cycling and scrambling up the odd mountain.

Allesandro

Souza

brazil

Allessandro has completed 3 marathons, 1 ultra marathon and the "El Cruce de los Andes" in two occasions - a mountain race that crosses the Andes, linking Argentina and Chile for a distance of over 100km divided into 3 stages. The Regional Head of Business Process Management at a global agribusiness company was sedentary until he started running in 2008 with the objective of a better work/personal life, as well as improving health. Once introduced to trail running and the amazing mountains in Patagonia, Allesandro set himself a target to run in fantastic places (like Antarctica) driven by the landscape and adventure to overcome personal challenges. In 2014, the dream of running in Antarctica will come true for him and he is using this marathon to raise money for the GRAACC - Support Group for Adolescents and Children with Cancer. Brazil: http://www.graacc.org.br/como-ajudar/doacoes/doacoes-online.aspx International: http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/nutritional-monitoring-of-patients-with-cancer/"

Willy

Steinskog

norway

Willy is keen outdoor enthusiast who enjoys running, skiing and hiking. He has submitted Elbrus and Kilimanjaro, Europe's and Africa's highest mountains, respectively. He has also run various marathons, including the North Pole Marathon and Sahara Marathon, and skied across Norway (Expedition 62). Willy has additionally skied across Europe's largest glacier (Jostedalsbreen) and around Lysefjorden, encompassing a gruelling 7,000 metres ascent / descent over a 12-mile distance. The 51-year-old has also hiked in the Andes Mountains region, including Aconcagua - South America's highest mountain.

William

Thomas

united states

William is a leadership consultant currently living in Singapore and working throughout Asia. A retired US Air Force officer and former university professor, he began running 6 years ago. Now, at age 48 and with 16 marathons completed, Antarctica will be his 7th continent. He credits his friends Ethan and Linh, and his parents Ray and Rosemary, for providing encouragement and examples to follow as he pursued this goal. William runs with NB Runners in Singapore, and appreciates their support as he goes from running near the equator to running near the South Pole.

Istvan

Toth

hungary

Istvan is a 45 year-old who has been running long distances for almost a decade. In 2011, he won the sister race of Antarctic Ice Marathon, the North Pole Marathon, and regards it as the greatest experience of his life. In the last 3 years, he has been moving in a different direction to participate in triathlons and he has successfully completed two Ironman races. However, in the past year he been recuperating from achilles surgery and other illnesses. Istvan's Number 1 priority is to finish the Antarctic Ice Marathon and he hopes it will give him similar great memories to the North Pole Marathon. He also has longer terms plans to join the Grand Slam Club by running a marathon on all seven continents and at the North Pole.

David

Weeds

great britain

A ‘latecomer’ to running, Dave took up running in 2009 aged 31) when he decided to attempt his home marathon in London. In the 5 years that have followed, he has run marathons in New York, Rio De Janeiro, Sydney, Tokyo and Cape Town and will achieve entry into the ‘7 Continents Marathon Club’ upon completion of the Antarctic Ice Marathon. DaveI has run each of these marathons to raise money and awareness for the UK charity The National Deaf Children’s Society (www.ndcs.org.uk) because he strongly believes in the invaluable work they do to create a world without barriers for the estimated 45,000+ deaf children and young people living in the UK. Further information about his challenge, the charity and a link to his sponsorship page is available on www.daves7continents.com

Friedhelm

Weideman

germany

Friedhelm, aged 55, has run marathons and ultras for 29 years. During this time, he has completed 279 races on 5 continents. His favourite events have been Badwater (USA), Great Wall (China) and Comrades (South Africa). He has been the race director of Heidemarathon in Stüde/Germany for 24 years and authored "Laufschuhe im Gepäck", www.heide-marathon-stuede.de/fw-buch/. Friedhelm loves travelling, fast cars from Germany and slow motorcycles from the USA. The Antarctic Ice Marathon should become another adventure on his way to the 7 Continents Marathon Club.

Neil

Wilson

south africa

Neil is a relatively inexperienced and very social marathon runner, seeing this event much more as a rare adventure with great mates than a chance to show off any running prowess. He has ventured into longer distance running, cycling and triathlon mostly in the past 5 years, having spent his school years and much of his twenties playing rugby and cricket. As a pint-size forward in a country of decidedly few pint-size forwards, Neil says he eventually broke his body enough on the rugby pitch that a change of tack to lower-impact sports was in order. The Antarctic Ice Marathon will be his sixth marathon distance run, including one ultra-distance at the 56km Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town in 2012. Neil also completed the South African Ironman and the Great Wall Marathon the same year. He hadn’t given much thought to the 7 Continents challenge until recently, but with this being continent number 3 I will be well out of the blocks by time he reaches that icy finish line in Antarctica. The final 4 continents will be a great excuse for future holiday planning. Outside of his weekend running, Neil heads up the maintenance operations of an airline.

Mariusz

Wira

poland

Mariusz started running seven years ago and has since finished 30 marathons and one ultramarathon on four continents. He has also finished three Ironman distance triathlons at THE IRONMAN / Poland, France-Nice and Austria – Klagenfurt. Mariusz is hoping to join The Seven Continents Marathon Club in the future.