IN APRIL, WHEN most of us will be hoping the worst of the winter weather is behind us, one Irishman is actively seeking it out as he takes part in the 2015 North Pole Marathon.
Billed literally – temperatures last year dipped as low as -30 Celsius – and figuratively as the ‘world’s coolest marathon’, the North Pole Marathon was held officially for the first time in 2003 and attracts dozens of runners from around the world.
With armed guards keeping watch for polar bears, the race is run over very short loops to ensure the safety of competitors but to give you an idea of what makes the North Pole Marathon unique, take a look at this GPS reading from Ladislav Simek who took part in last year’s race.
In the seven hours and 57 minutes it took him to finish the event, the entire course drifted approximately one mile in the Arctic Ocean.
So why would anyone want to take their life in their hands to take part in such an extreme event?
For Dubliner Gary Seery, running not only changed but also saved his life.
“I suppose I’ve been running seriously for going on four years now,” Seery told The42 this week.
“I had run a marathon back in 2008 but it was just a milestone thing I wanted to do more than anything else but it wasn’t something I was really seriously into.
“However, in 2010, I’d gone through a bout of depression so I was looking for ways to improve my mental as well as my physical health and took it quite seriously from there.
“Back in 08, I guess I didn’t realise how good running could be for your mental health. When I decided to run the Dublin City Marathon, for example, it was just one of those New Year’s Eve vows when you’ve had a few jars and say to yourself ‘I’m going to run a marathon.’
“But I hated it. I can’t emphasise enough how much I hated it. I thought it was ridiculous, I hated the whole thing and my time proved that as I kind of fumbled my way around in five hours and twelve minutes.
“I just stopped running from that point.”
However, things changed dramatically for Seery about five years ago when the IT Director for Hibernia Networks was coming to terms with his mental health.
“In 2010, when I started to look at it again on the back of the bout of depression, I was saying to myself then that it could be good for me, it got me out of the house which was really important.
“Back in 2008-2009, I couldn’t wash myself, never mind leave the house, I just didn’t have the energy because of my depression.
“So it was a real struggle to get back out there in April 2010 but I just took it in baby steps – I was still smoking at that time – but the impact was nearly immediate in terms of what it did for me mentally.
“It wasn’t easy at all but as an experience – getting up to marathon distance – it was much more enjoyable this time around and it didn’t take me long to really get into it. For a start it was a way for me to stop smoking and it was a way for me to get back on my feet from depression and a way for me to stop taking medication and it did all those things.
“Above all, it was a great self-confidence boost. At the start, when you run one kilometre, you’re delighted with yourself and then you just keep building on that and your confidence increases every time you hit a goal.”
Seery accepts that while running has helped him with his mental health, it may not be for everyone, but the benefits he has experienced are clear.
“I’m not a doctor, obviously, these are just my experiences really, but you don’t get depression overnight, it comes on gradually over time. It’s something that builds up after a number of incidents, over time and all these factors play into it.
“That means it’s not possible to get rid of overnight either, you can’t just make it disappear, it takes time but running helped with that.
“I would have been a very ambitious, very driven person pre-2009. I was somebody who grew up in a working class area, left school at 15 and now I’m the IT Director for a global company.
“After I got sick, I had to build all that back up again because you get knocked, your self-confidence gets rocked, and you’re more anxious about everything because you’re giving yourself a good kicking.
“The running gives you little rewards at the start and they get bigger and bigger as you go on.”
Not content with just competing in park runs or five and ten kilometre races, soon even the marathon distance wasn’t enough for Seery and he began to test himself to the limit.
“In 2011, I ran the ultra (39 mile) event at the Connemarathon and in 2012 I ran a 100km race which is the furthest I’ve run but I’ve done a lot of marathons since then including five in five days.”
Which all leads up to his decision to take on the world’s coolest marathon.
“I really started to think about it seriously about three years ago. I’m not sure why but I was immediately attracted to it and – after watching some videos on YouTube and reading some interviews with people who have run it before – I was intrigued.
“And although it’s an absolutely nuts thing to do, I knew it was something I could really throw myself into.
“I’m trying to keep a time off the agenda (Ireland’s Gary Thornton is the only person to break four hours for the event) . I don’t want anything to ruin the experience. I don’t care if it takes me a day to complete it as long as I cross the finish line.”
But how does anyone go about training for a race where temperature can get as low as -30 Celsius? By running on a beach and in a giant fridge.
“Preparing my body for running in such a cold climate has been the biggest challenge by far. Thankfully, this week I’ve been in the US and had some really cold weather so I could step up the training a bit but I’ve had nothing like Arctic conditions just yet.
“Helpfully, I do have the use of a freezer that I can run in thanks to Pro Freight in Dublin and they allow me to try and experience some of the cold as it gets down to -15C in there.
“The important thing though is that it gives me the chance to wear the full gear I’ll have on during the race. You’ve to wear layers of clothing which is something you have to get used to after years of running in shorts and vests.
“But I don’t think I can ever fully replicate the cold so it’s something I’m just going to have to adapt to when I get there I think.
“Ironically enough I suppose, I’ve found beach running is very good for replicating conditions under foot when you get to the North Pole. The sand makes it tricky enough to run and saps the energy so I’m down in Dollymount a good bit.”
Competing at the North Pole is not cheap, and Seery admits he couldn’t even consider it without the help of his company Hibernia Networks. But as much as the Dubliner will take part in the race this April for himself, he’s also hoping to raise €42,000 for the Habitat for Humanity charity.
“I was looking at different charities that I might be able to help and Habitat fit the bill.
“Even in Ireland. Some of the people on the streets here, who are homeless, are working and they can’t afford to have somewhere to live, that’s just not right.
“I’m trying to raise enough cash to renovate a home for somebody on a low income and have a project underway and want to ensure we can raise enough for that.”
You can support Gary Seery here.
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