Ultra Row Challenge Kick-Starts Ice Marathon Fundraising
After raising a fantastic £800 back in March from the Silverstone Half Marathon intrepid IRGH supporter Philip Blazdell has signed up for an even bigger challenge in March 2012. He will be running in the Baikal International Ice Running Marathon in Siberia .
Phil and his personal trainer Trevor Rackley (picture left) will race across the frozen ice surface of Lake Baikal the world's largest and deepest lake which is located in the small town of Listvyanka a major stop-over on the Trans-Siberian route.
The course will be extremely challenging as although it will be predominantly flat the surface will be mostly covered in a soft layer of snow and there will also be areas of highly polished ice that create conditions similar to an ice-rink. The featureless landscape gives little or no sense of perspective to competitors and the finish line can be seen almost from the start line. It will be a long, cold, lonely 42,2 km trail across the barren white landscape where progress is marked only by checkpoints positioned at 5 km intervals so Philip and Trevor certainly have a huge task ahead of them!
To launch his fundraising for the Ice Marathon Philip and Trevor took part in an Ultra-Row Challenge in October 2011 at The Fitness Company Gym near Bicester. Philip's personal trainer, Trevor Rackley, prepared him for this challenge and will be supporting him throughout his preparations for the Ice marathon. There were lots of supporters and members of the gym who turned our to cheer Philip and Trevor on as they managed to row on a rowing machine for 14 hours non-stop and cover an impressive 108 miles in that time.
Keep an eye out for further news on Phil ip's progress and if you would like to sponsor him and support his incredible journey you can sponsor him online at www.justgiving.com/Philip-Blazdell
22nd November 2011
