2010
Spring
Summer
Edition
Delbert Baker
An African American President of Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama, who has run 48 marathons in total. Delbert has completed marathons on all seven continents and ran 5 marathons in 5 different states in the USA in 2009, bringing his total to 34 states. Delbert is targeting all 50 states as he raises scholarship funds for students at a private Christian, historically Black university in the southern part of the United States.
Jason Bolton
A 33-year-old Doctor and Territorial Army Medical Officer. Originally from Lancashire, Jason qualified in London in 2001 and is currently living in Cardiff. He has experience in many outdoor activities including trekking, kayaking, scuba diving and skiing. Jason's running experience was limited to that required by the TA but he has recently enjoyed pushing himself further. He has a place in the Great North Run in September 2010 and is looking forward to the South Pole Race in 2011 as part of Team Centrepoint.
Ben Boyne
A keen marathon runner, outdoor pursuits fan, and polar novice. Ben is running the North Pole Marathon to experience extreme exertion before embarking on a self-sustained trek to the South Pole in 2011 as part of the South Pole Race, an event where competitors haul sleds.
Andrew Carnie
A lifetime interest in individual and team endeavours including running, trekking, mountaineering, snowboarding & Heli skiing. Andrew will also be competing in the South Pole Race in 2011/12 with fellow runners Ben & Jason and regards the North Pole Marathon as a perfect introduction.
Simon Carroll
Making his marathon debut after winning entry to the marathon in a nationwide Irish Schools Athletics fund-raising draw. Thirty-five-year-old Simon is a secondary school teacher and hopes to raise money for the Irish Cancer Society though his participation in the race. Check out www.mycharity.ie/event/simo_northpolemarathon/ to make a donation.
Yen-Po Chen
Winner of marathons in Japan and Canada and third place finisher in the 600km Polar Challenge race in 2008. More recenty, 23-year-old 'Tommy' finished fourth in the 2009 Himalayan 100-Mile Stage Race. He attends the National Taiwan Sports University.
Paddy Clark
A former veteran cross-country international for Scotland with a marathon PB of 2:27. It has been 20 years since the 64-year-old last ran the complete marathon distance, though he missed out on only the first few miles of a recent Everest Marathon due to altitude sickness. Paddy works for BBC World Service.
Jamie Cuthbertson
A blind competitor who lost his sight in an explosives accident while serving as a Captain in the Royal Engineers. Jamie has competed for the United Kingdom in the European Blind Championships and has also participated in the Marathon des Sables, Trans 333 and a 150-mile trek in the Gobi Desert, as well as events such as the Commando Challenge, London Triathlon and Glasgow Marathon. After rehabilitation at St Dunstan's in Brighton, a charity which supports blinded ex-Service men and women, Jamie completed an MSc in Information technology and has worked in the volunary sector for the past 18 years. He wil be guided by Alex Pavanello, a member of staff at St. Dunstan's.
Emer Dooley
A convert to marathons at age 40 who likes the outdoors, particularly mountains and water. After growing up in Ireland, Emer moved to Seattle. Intimidated by the impressive running backgrounds of all the other runners, she wonders why she has not yet run marathons on all continents, been to the south pole, or completed multiple Ironmans. She hates being cold and her ambition for the North Pole marathon is not freeze to death.
Mark Fell
Veteran of several marathon and ultramarathon races, including the Marathon des Sables, the Davos Alpine Marathon (both the 42km marathon and 78km ultra), as well as the Zermatt Alpine Marathon. Thirty-five-year-old Mark also completed the Nice Ironman Triathlon in 2007 and finished second in the 2009 Antarctic 100k.
Terry Harker
Completed six marathons, two half-ironman triathlons and one Ironman. Forty-six-year-old Terry has been living in Mexico for the past 10 years, but being from Canada he has some cold weather experience. He started his long distances pursuits at age 40, having previously played hockey, football, tennis and golf.
Michael Langton
Completed thirteen marathons to date, including the Everest Marathon in the Himalayas. In 2007, Michael lived and worked at the Amundsen/Scott base, a US research station at the South Pole in Antarctica. He has a strong interest in both the Arctic and Antarctic regions and travelling to the North Pole to run a marathon is an absolute must for him. It will be a lifelong dream come true for the 38-year-old to have stood at both geographic poles. His next target is to run 100 marathons around the globe and summit Everest.
Matt Nicholls
Completed one marathon - the London Marahon - nineteen years ago. Forty-two-year-old Matt decided to get fit again and climbed Kilimanjaro in 2009. Matt is married with three children.
Arnold Oliphant
A scientist who specializes in genetics who has been studying the biochemistry of running as a hobby. Four years ago, Arnold (50) was 40 lbs overweight and was a severely affected Rheumatoid Arthritis sufferer. After changing his eating and exercise habits he now only rarely has a swollen joint, has enjoyed the significant health benefits of running 10 marathons, and is looking forward to many more. He says he will chasing his daughter Sarah for most of the North Pole Marathon and hopes to join the Marathon Grand Slam Club by the end of the year.
Sarah Oliphant
Completed marathons on six of the seven continents so far. Sarah is working on becoming a member of the Seven Continents Marathon Club and Marathon Grand Slam Club and will be running the North Pole Marathon with her father Arnold. A student, she enjoys singing and playing the piano.
Luis Pallares
Participant who is sponsored by Instituto Marquès, which has an internationally recognised reputation in the field of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Assisted Reproduction. This espnish Institute wants to raise people's awareness about the negative impact of highly toxic chemical substances and polution on fertility. The Institute sees a parallel with the North Pole, which also has its integrity threatened by pollutants, and Luis will highlight these issues through his particpation in the North Pole Marathon.
Alex Pavanello
A member of staff at St. Dunstan's who will be a guide to blind competitor Jamie Cuthbertson. St. Dunstan's provides lifelong support for bling and visually impaired ex-Service men and women. See www.st-dunstans.org.uk.
Ivano Pilarova
Completed 65 marathons to date and hopes to run marathons on all seven continents. Ivana likes to run long distances in extreme locations and has taken part in hot desert races such as the 100km del Sahara, the 100 Miles of Namibia and the Marathon des Sables. Ivana has also completed the Transalpine Run and participates in cross-country skiing races. She wanted to try something different and registered for the North Pole Marathon. Ivana is married with two sons.
Zachary Reeder
A 28-year-old aeroespce engineer from Texas, living in California, who will be making his marathon debut at the Pole. Zach is working for his childhood hero, Burt Rutan, a famous American aeroespce engineer. He started running with his father when he was 13 and has been at it ever since. This will be Zach's first time above the Arctic Circle and he has become very interested in the golden age of polar exploration. He sees the North Pole Marathon as a way to live a little bit of that history. For inspiration, he has named all of his running shoes after vessels of exploration and survival: Fram, James Caird, Gjoa, and Cutter Bear.
Andrei Rosu
A 33-year-old keen drummer and professional banker at UniCredit Tiriac Bank running his first full marathon, after experiencing a relay and a half marathon. Andrei likes hiking, snowboarding and travelling and hopes to complete marathons on all seven continents and the North Pole. His reasons for running the North Pole Marathon are multi-fold: to reach the North Pole; to test his endurance; to cure his phobia of low temperatures; to become the first Romanian to finish the event; to become the first person to play drums at the North Pole; to increase his chances of becoming a Grand Slam Club member; to promote a healthy lifestyle in Romania; to convince more Romanians to attend the competition in future; to meet nice people and drink a beer with them; and to have a nice bedtime story for his son and nephews.
Joep Rozendal
A former marine officer who became exited about the Arctic after his training in Northern Norway. Joep is now working as a management consultant for public security services and wants to use the experience of running the North Pole Marathon in management development training. He has run six marathons before, two of them in less than three hours and one of them uphill (Jungfrau Marathon).
Michael Stashin
A 48-year-old runner and triathlete from Ottawa, Canada who has participated in both marathon and Iron distance events. Michael enjoys completing physically demanding activities in exotic locations that result in memorable and rewarding adventures. He says that visiting the North Pole will be a wonderful experience in itself, "But to also run a marathon there – at the top of the world - what an incredible adventure that will be!"
Krzysztof Szachna
A 39-year-old who has completed ten marathons since changing his lifestyle and giving up cigarettes in 2007. His first marathon was in Warsaw in 2008 and this has since been followed by the Honolulu, Marrakech, Stanley, Spitsbergen, Beiruit and Hobart arathons as well as the Cracovia, Wroclaw and Poznam Marathons in native Poland. In 2010, he hopes to complete both the North Pole and Antarctic Ice Marathons and become a member of the Seven Continents Marathon Club and the Grand Slam Club. He will be the first person from Poland to run the North Pole Marathon. Married with two children, Krzysztof is a Senior Sales Specialist with IBM Poland.
Julia Tizard
A 30-year-old Briton living in California who is making her marathon debut at the North Pole. Julia has always had an adventurous spirit and loves the outdoors. She has climbed several 4000m alpine peaks, including Mt Blanc, and recently climbed Kilimanjaro. Julia has loved running throughout her life and used to compete in cross country when yonger. She is also fascinated by early polar exploration and can't wait to experience the ice herself. Julia says she is sponsored by an incredible company, Virgin Galactic, which also employs her.
Brent Underdahl
A Canadian living in Cabo San Lucas Mexico for 12 years. In between running 30 marathons and completing 6 Ironman Triathlons, Brent likes to party in Las Vegas. He says his gregarious nature lends itself to gambling, girls, and liquid gluttony. However, this never interferes with his competitive nature and performance. He has completed the Boston Marathon dressed as an American football player, the New York Marathon as Superman and the Las Vegas marathon as Donald Trump. While Brent cannot afford Rudolph's entry fee, Santa Claus will be competing in this year's North Pole marathon solo. Santa Claus feels his home ice advantage is why HE WILL WIN!
Rik Vercoe
An ultra-marathon and marathon runner, but also a keen participant in all events from 5km upwards. Rik has completed the London Marathon three times, but prefers hilly trail marathons in the countryside. He recently ran the Polar Circle Marathon in Greenland as part of his cold weather training for the North Pole. Rik is also a prolific traveller, having visited more than 70 countries worldwide. A keen SCUBA diver instructor, he has made 1400 dives in 30 countries and has written 6 diving guide books. He is running the North Pole Marathon in April to raise money for the charity, The Elizabeth Foundation (www.elizabeth-foundation.org) and after returning to the UK, plans to run 5 marathons in May 2010. Rik works as Site Director for the award-winning Listening Company (www.listening.co.uk).
Team Centrepoint
Team members: Carnie, Boyne, Bolton
men's Marathon
women's Marathon
team competition