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WEST KIRBY'S ARCTIC MAN
A lawyer from West Kirby has just returned from completing a
marathon. But this is no ordinary marathon. This is one of the
toughest Ultra Marathons in the world - the Arctic Ultra marathon - a
non-stop self-sufficient foot race over a distance of 120 miles crossing
the Arctic circle and finishing at the Arctic Ocean.
Lee Quinn has just made it to the finish line, and he told Wirral Life what
it was like.
How did you get into this?
It was something that I’d read about and talked about in the past and then
you end up in the pub saying, ‘Hey why don’t we?’
I’m not even really a runner to be honest, my passion is more in hiking
in the mountains, but I fancied a challenge. I’ve already completed the
Marathon Des Sables (in the Sahara) in 2016 and the Amazon Jungle
Ultra so this was the other extreme!
It’s also a positive motive as I wanted to inspire my daughter and show
her that with a bit of hard work and dedication anything is possible.
How cold was it?
We were actually quite lucky! In years gone by, I believe it’s been minus
40 but we managed minus 20 in the day and about minus 30 at night. It
sounds funny to say, but once you’re running you can fight off the cold.
You’ve just got to be careful that your clothes don’t get too wet because
when you slow down again and cool off there’s a chance of hypothermia
which can take hold quite quickly.
I did have a frozen beard and frozen eyelashes although there’s measures,
like wearing goggles for example, that you can take to minimise the effect.
How long was it?
Each day was a bit different. We run it over five days so day one is about
53km, day two was about 44km then day three was just over a marathon
again. Day four was longer about 64km and we had a sprint finish on the
last day of 15km.
I came 6th out of 40 runners and my friend Craig came 5th so we were
pleased with how we did. We kept each other motivated and had a bit
of banter.
What did you find difficult and what helped?
Each day had its own challenges. You need to carry everything with you
for the week, so you have your clothes, your food, your medical kit and
the only thing the team can give you at the checkpoints is water. The
checkpoints really help though, on the first day where we did about 53km,
there were five, so they are always on hand to check that you’re OK. There
are doctors at the checkpoints too, who give up their free time and their
holidays to come and get experience of working in harsh climates. They
are amazing. They make sure you’re drinking and eating enough and that
you’re coping with the conditions, so you feel like despite the extreme
challenge of the marathon, your wellbeing is looked after.
The second day was the toughest for me as we were in the hills and
the wind was up. If you took a glove off to have a drink of water or eat
something, then it would only take seconds for you to start tingling with
the cold.
I feel the company we went with are very good, they have a great ethos
and you do feel incredibly privileged to get to spend time in these places,
like the Arctic or the Amazon. For me, it’s not the running that I do it
for. It’s seeing the places, meeting the people and doing something that’s
a little bit out of the ordinary which is a positive challenge.
What did you run it for?
The first two events I took part in raised about £11k for neuroblastoma
but this time I raised money for Rock2Recovery a charity founded by
former two Royal Marines that helps servicemen/women who struggle
when returning from service and try to support their situations.
A good friend of mine who I met on my first marathon was a former
Royal Marine Commando and he was telling me how hard it was when
he left the services so I just thought it would be a nice way to raise
awareness of the issue for the people who give up so much for us and
some money in the process.
What’s next for Lee?
I’m in the Alps in July, it’s called the Spaghetti Traverse. You hike eight
four thousand metre peaks in five days and I’ve also got my name down
for a mountain race in Japan next year, Japan’s always intrigued me so I’m
looking forward to that.
I would say it’s got to be something that lights your fire because otherwise
you’d never get through your fourth day of freeze-dried food or out of
bed early to train – especially in the rain and the cold in winter!
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