Tuesday, 1 July 2008
Another month has slipped by and there is a growing sense of reality about what I am planning to do. I have now progressed to pulling tires for eight hours as one of the key sessions each week – it is tough but then I remember that this is only half of day 1 of a 44 day race in sub zero temperatures. So the training isn’t that tough after all. I have a really strong sponsorship offer but the money is not in place yet and it remains a worry – again worrying is not worth anything I have to keep getting the proposal in front of people and develop the links.
There are still so many strands to the project and the spotlight was placed firmly on my lack of a team exactly one week ago. On the morning of Tuesday 24th June I was in Southampton preparing to deliver one of my presentations (www.markpollock.com) to a multi-national company. I was lying in bed in my hotel room just about to get up and go to the gym to do some training. My dad, Johnny, who was assisting me on the trip came rushing in from the next room and switched on the television.
Two guys who are also in the South Pole Race were on the television. BBC TV presenter Ben Fogle and his team-mate and Olympic Gold medallist rower James Cracknell were on breakfast TV talking about their entry in The deadline for applications was one week after they appeared on television and candidates had to be available for assessment on 6,7 and 8 July. The successful person is set to be announced at the official press call in London on 10 July (which I will be attending) and then their new team will be travelling to Austria for crevasse training between 16 and 21 July.
Listening to Ben and James talk about the event, the training and their difficulties with forming the race team was like having a mirror held up to me. The speed of their selection process and the reality that the Austria training session is the major race training session before the race where all teams will attend has brought it home how close the race really is.
We’re running out of time. And, I need my team-mates, sponsors and miles in my legs!
