|  |  |  | | | | Yorkshirewoman completes coolest marathon - at the North Pole! | | | | |
| |  Kirsty Devonport at the North Pole
Release Date: 9 April 2008
In temperatures of minus 29°C Yorkshirewoman Kirsty Devonport has completed a full marathon at the North Pole. Her inspirational efforts have helped her raise over £10,000 for leading UK blood cancer charity Leukaemia Research.
Barnsley-born and Richmond-raised Kirsty said: "The terrain was unpredictable throughout. With each step you didn't know whether the snow beneath your foot would hold or whether you were going to fall; having fallen flat out three times in the first 4km, I knew that it was going to be a tough and long run!"
Kirsty took 6 hours and 12 minutes to complete the circular 26.2- mile course. "By way of comparison, to help you judge just how challenging it was, my most recent land marathon time whilst training for this event was 3 hours and 33 minutes", she explained.
The 31-year-old joined a select group of runners from around the world to take part in the event on 1 April. The run was delayed for five days as the Russian logistics company cleared a runway long enough for the plane to land.
Kirsty said: "The race started just after 5am on Tuesday 1 April - we flew to the pole shortly before midnight on Monday, meaning that we had no opportunity to sleep on Monday night. The base camp still hadn't been built and so there was nowhere to change in or keep the food and drink that we needed to sustain us throughout our trip. But, having already endured nearly a week's delay, we were just anxious to press ahead with the race."
The intense cold caused problems with her rations. "The food and drink I had taken to sustain me throughout the race had frozen by the time I came to need it; this was especially difficult because by then it had been 12 hours since my previous meal and I needed additional fuel to maintain heat."
"But the sound of the echo of my footsteps rebounding from the ice was incredible, the 24 hour sun beautiful and the whole experience truly memorable. Most importantly, however, it was an amazing feeling to finish the race mentally and physically exhausted, cold and extremely hungry in the knowledge that, thanks to everyone's support, I had just exceeded my goal of raising £10,000 for Leukaemia Research. A huge thank you to all my family, friends and complete strangers who supported me!"
For those that would like to sponsor Kirsty, you can still do so by visiting her fundraising website at www.justgiving.com/kirstygoesnorth. She entirely funded the trip herself, so all money raised will go to Leukaemia Research.
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