Events & Photos

Upcoming Events.

As it is the tenth anniversary of going blind This year I thought it was worth doing something to mark the occasion. So,  I have entered a race to the South Pole…

This race is way beyond anything that I have attempted before…financially, distance, time away, weight of kit, isolation and team dynamics. This is the big one and there are no guarantees that we will make it.

The challenge is to add our own chapter to Polar history – a project which is filled with uncertainty and risk.  yet it is the very real possibility of failure that is where the drive to succeed lies…

Check the blog for updates at www.simplydecide.com

Previous Events.

Dead Sea Ultra, Jordan & Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon, Nepal
Irish Sea Kayaking Challenge, Wales to Ireland
Ironman, Zurich , Switzerland
Speights's Coast to Coast, South Island, New Zealand 2006.
Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Marathon, River Thames, England
Speights's Coast to Coast, South Island, New Zealand 2005.
Liffey Descent, Dublin , Ireland.
North Pole Arctic Marathon
Gobi March, Gobi Desert
Commonwealth Regatta, Nottingham

From the lowest marathon on earth to the highest. That was the challenge set by blind adventure athlete Mark Pollock and his fellow adventurer and team-mate John O'Regan. Beginning April 13 th, 2007, the challenge took them from the Dead Sea Ultra Marathon in Jordan 400 metres below sea level, to Everest on May 29 th with a starting altitude of 5,356 meters above sea level.

The first part of the challenge began in Amman , the capital of Jordan , for the Dead Sea Ultra Marathon. Starting 1400M above sea level the event finished at the Dead Sea 400M below sea level.

The temperature soared throughout the race as expected. but more important from a racing point of view was the terrain. The ground under foot was smooth enough to allow for competitive running.

“We moved quickly in the first 10 kms hitting our pre-race split times every kilometre. But from 10 kms on we began moving faster and faster again. The pace was much quicker than we had planned for and although feeling good I was worried about what it was going to do to my quads later in the race.”

The race carved through the desert landscape of the Syrian African Rift Valley and the price of the fast paced downhill was paid as the course flattened in the last 10 kms. After over three hours of fast downhill the undulating end to the race saw almost all competitors slow drastically.

“The prospect of constant downhill for nearly 50kms was a total unknown. I was initially looking forward to the ‘easy' downhill. But John warned me about under-estimating the pain of hammering your quads for that distance. He was right and in the final 5 kms I was for the first time in the race doubting my ability to finish.”

Despite the doubts and the tricky final stretch Mark and John finished 25 th out of 350 competitors in a time of 4 hours 42 mins. And, apart from some expected muscle soreness and some unexpected chafing, Mark and John finished the Dead Sea Ultra in good condition and ready for the next race. However, the ease with which they completed the first race arguably led to a false sense of security going into the second event.

Three weeks after the Dead Sea Ultra Mark and John were on a flight to Nepal and the beginning of stage two of their challenge. They stayed in Kathmandu for two days before departing for Lukla - a small airstrip in the Himalaya and the gateway to Everest. Upon arrival in Lukla their gear was sorted by a Sherpa crew and distributed amongst porters and Yaks before the expedition began.

Commenting on the contrast between the two events Mark said: "By the time we left Kathmandu it was becoming clear that unlike the Dead Sea Ultra which was purely a sporting event, Everest was going to be much more of an expedition than a race.”

The marathon group consisted of 50 foreign competitors from 10 different countries growing to 150 on race day with the addition of local runners. For the foreigners, the first camp was at the village of Phankding . The going was slow due to endless rocky steps and a final crossing of a suspension bridge over the Dudh-Kosi River . John and Mark struggled throughout the first day as they adjusted to a new system of guiding.

John explains: “We developed a new system for this race where I stayed ahead of Mark. We had trekking poles from wrist to wrist and Mark was behind me. Mark also had a second set of trekking poles to feel the ground directly at his feet. Very quickly I realised that the next couple of weeks would test my voice box as much as my muscles as I was constantly communicating with Mark. We couldn't even have a normal conversation as any lapse in concentration could result in a twisted ankle or worse still a trip over the edge.”

The following day while trekking from Phakding to Namche Bazaar they hit some serious terrain. Everest base Camp was 10 trekking days away and by the time they reached Namche Bazaar they were both physically and mentally drained.

“Trekking to Namche Bazaar was one of the most difficult days of trekking that I have ever done. I don't know if it was the shock of the terrain or the altitude or the new guiding system but it was simply awful. We had only just started the trek and I was already destroyed. Just like the Gobi Desert event I did back in 2003 it was clear that I was going to be in a mental battle of survival for the entire trip.”

The effects of the altitude, the terrain, the food and the lack of sleep meant that Mark and John began each day tired and struggling to recover from the previous day. For Mark the terrain was some of the worst that he has tackled. Almost all movement required intense upper body exertion as he had to ensure proper placement with his trekking poles on the uneven ground when negotiating boulders on the constant ascents and descents.

“By the end of each day my arms and shoulders were hurting even more than my legs. Each day I felt worse and worse. The constant battle against dehydration and altitude sickness, the fear of getting sick from the food or water, the lack of sleep and the hours of thinking time at night lying awake all began to take their tol on my state of mind. By the time we went to bed before race day I had not eaten solid food for two days and had not slept properly for over two weeks. And we were about to do one of the most extreme marathons in the world.”

The race started at sun rise with a shout rather than a gun due to the risk of causing further avalanches in the surrounding mountains

John remembers: “I watched as the other runners hopped, skipped and jumped across the moraine as we settled by default as the back markers. One hour and one mile later we were in a race against the terrain and ourselves, nobody else.”

The first checkpoint was at Gorak Shep - the original base camp for Everest expeditions - 5K from the start. The second checkpoint appeared at 10k and heading towards checkpoint 3 at 15K they crossed a plateau with memorials dedicated to climbers who died while climbing in the region. Passing through this eerie section they began a tough descent on steep uneven boulders zig zagging towards Thugla before crossing a narrow bridge and contouring a valley towards the village of Dingboche via a beautiful patchwork of stone walled fields growing barley, buck wheat and potatoes.

According to John, “the terrain on the way to Dingboche was quite even and the views were spectacular with Ama Dablam in full view. But the view soon disappeared and the snow began to fall.”

By the time they reached Dingboche they were shivering with the cold, they had been on their feet for eight hours and they had covered less than half the distance.

“It was shocking how slow we were moving. My heart rate was pumping as I might have expected in a normal marathon but we could only move at crawling speed. It was tough knowing that we were going to be on our feet for at least 15 hours and maybe more.”

The next landmark was at Periche along a narrow path with steep edges falling down into the Imjatse river valley. This was one of the most dangerous parts of the race.

Mark recalls: “Progress was slow as John had to constantly stop and talk me through the next steps to ensure there was no mistake. There was no room for error here and there would be no second chances if we got it wrong”

Mark and John eventually reached the half way point. But it was already getting dark and the worst climbs were still to come. For the next few miles the terrain became as good as any part of the course and they passed through Deboche in relatively good spirits. However, the next section was difficult with a steep climb through a forest leading to the monastery at Thyangboche.

There were less than 10 miles to go but it was dark, all the volunteers had gone home and the after race party back in Namche Bazaar was in full swing. To top it all off they had a severe downhill which zig zagged steeply for over 1 hour 20 mins followed by a 5 mile climb back up to the village of Kunde. Another steep climb saw Mark and John approach their final descent into Namche Bazaar.

“As we descended for over an hour towards the finish line I lost concentration for a moment and in that moment I collapsed backwards over one of the turns on the downhill. It was not serious and luckily there were no injuries but it told me that my body was running out of fuel.”

Eventually Mark and John crossed the finish line 16hrs27mins after the race started and on their return to Kathmandu they received an award at a civic ceremony from the Nepalese minister for sport and tourism. The award was to acknowledge Mark as being the first blind person to complete the Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon. Mark received a similar award from the Prince of Jordan as he was also the first blind person to complete the Dead Sea Ultra.

“The reality is that I never would have been in Jordan or Nepal without the support of John. I imagine that it is not easy for someone who is a competitor to hold themselves back but that is what John has to do when he is guiding me over rough terrain. I really appreciate his continuing support and encouragement with my adventures. Thanks John!” Our thanks to Powerade and The Great Outdoors. Special thanks to Derek and Ken in The Great Outdoors for their expert advice and long standing support.

Please click on the image below to view in full.

Fifty miles of open sea and only a kayak to cross it - that was the challenge facing Mark Pollock and his team-mate Paul Ashmore as they set out from St David's Bay in Pembrokeshire, Wales, to paddle their way across the Irish Sea to Carnsore Point, County Wexford, Ireland.

The window for the crossing opened on the 14th July 2006 only two weeks after Mark completed Ironman Switzerland. And within 48 hours on stand-by, the group got the green light to go.

“I was in really good shape by the time I raced in Ironman Switzerland and felt ready for the Irish Sea crossing. The biggest worry for me was the uncertainty around the weather and my limited time in the boat with Paul due to pre-Ironman training. I was increasingly concerned about the limited kayak specific training I had behind me.”  

The tides and weather matched the strict safety criteria set out by organiser Ross Harding and Norman Keane, captain of the support vessel.

“I had not slept the night before as we traveled to Wales on the car ferry and could not sleep as we waited to start the challenge at dawn. I just wanted to get started. So, I was relieved and excited to launch the kayaks with the sun rising behind us in the east as we began paddling west towards Ireland.”

 Mark and Paul paddled alongside four other two-man sea kayaks, including fellow blind sportsman Tom Kennedy. The plan was for the five two-man sea kayaks to stick together and- to start together and finish together. The conditions were perfect and allowed the thoughts to drift towards the tiring muscles. After eight hours in any endurance event people begin feeling drained and sitting in one position in a kayak only is even more restrictive than most sports. Arms, shoulders, backs and worst of all pains from sitting in one position began to hit the group one by one.

“I found it really tough to keep focused for such an extended period of time and after 11 hours, I actually fell asleep whilst paddling! My energy reserves had totally gone despite taking carbohydrate drinks and gels along the way. It was like falling asleep when someone is talking to you and you just start to dream but then snap out of it. But it kept happening and eventually I hit the caffeine in the form of coffee which seemed to bring me back to life for the final couple of hours. It was really interesting how the body reacted.”

For a grueling 13 hours and 45 minutes they battled time and tides making land at Carnsore Point before sunset. Tidal conditions were such that the group had to divert to Carn Pier which added 15 miles to the exhausting endeavour resulting in a total of 65 miles covered.

Please click on the image below to view in full.

For most, the prospect of completing a marathon is daunting. Try getting your mind to accept that you have to run a marathon after a 2.4 mile swim and a 112 mile bike race. This is the Ironman – known as the ultimate triathlon.

At 7am on 2nd July 2006, almost 2,000 competitors lined the shore of Lake Zurich for the 10th anniversary of “Ironman Switzerland”. In the multitude of compulsory yellow swimming hats were two green hats, identifying Mark Pollock and Brendan Smyth. Former team-mates and medal winners in rowing at the Commonwealth Games, Mark and Brendan were about to face into the uncertainty of Ironman.

“As we stood on the beach with ten minutes to go, the hype was unlike any other race either of us had competed in. The PA system was announcing the count down to ‘one of the world’s premier endurance events’, helicopters hovered over the water as we stood amongst the other competitors on the beach and both of us had to remind each other to keep breathing and keep our heart rates down – it was nearly impossible!”

Brendan and Mark had decided to hold back at the swim start to avoid other competitors swimming over them or getting tangled in the harness that they had constructed to tie each other together. But as the start gun rang out, Brendan made a tactical decision to go, turned to Mark and asked if he was ready - the need to be among the competition was vital. Mark, trusting, nodded and they waded in. The lake water churned with swimmers like a fish feeding-frenzy, a phenomenon which gave the name ‘Piranha’ to the lads’ triathlon club.

“I was very concerned about my ability in the swim but by the time we hit the water the opportunity to worry about it was over. I had to just accept that Brendan would guide me through the best route and I would rely on the training that I had done to get me through. Although three or four people managed to cross our guide rope and tangle themselves in-between us, we made good time on the swim. I could feel us sliding past people on the swim and it at least told me that we were swimming in a bunch. The whole way we moved past people and it didn’t feel overly tiring. I was counting strokes to try to give myself an idea of how far we had gone. I had counted 3,500 strokes and expected another 1,000 at least when Brendan hit my shoulder and told me to get out! As we rose out of the lake, peeling off our swim caps I shouted to Brendan to tell me our time. We had done 1h19, twenty minutes ahead of schedule. Hooray!”

Mark and Brendan ran into transition to change out of their wetsuits into their cycling gear. They moved systematically from the cycle shirts and shorts, helmets, food bags and shoes before jumping on the bike and racing out onto the bike course to the cheers of the massive crowd.

“After the excitement of the swim we found it difficult to calm down on the initial part of the bike. The bike is all about pacing and we tried to take it easy and let our heart rates come down before we started the ‘buffet’ of energy bars, bananas and carbohydrate drinks.”

The Ironman bike ride was completed by Mark and Brendan on a tandem bike rousing loud support from the tens of thousands of spectators. The course has a total of more than 5,000 feet of climbing with hills named: ‘The Beast’ and ‘Heartbreak Hill’.

“The three laps of 60kms at times had sections with so many supporters that we felt like we were in the Tour de France. We had a vague idea of what time we would like to do the bike in but had no clear picture of how difficult the uphills were or how we would feel psychologically knowing that the marathon was still to come. With increasing effort on each lap, we managed to stick to even 2h30 lap times and finish the bike in 7h30.”

They then faced into the 26.2 mile run. The streets were crowded with spectators and the Swiss shouts of “Hup, hup, hup!” pushed the athletes on.

“The marathon was the danger area. Not looking at the marathon in its entirety we broke it down into four 10.5km laps. But as time went on the ‘wall’ finally hit. At around 14kms into the marathon I began to get stomach cramps and had to ask Brendan to slow for the middle 20kms of the run. We kept moving though and began passing people who had raced past us on the bike.”

The water and food stations kept the athletes going in the 30 degree heat. Each athlete burned an estimated 13,000 calories throughout the event or over five times a normal daily intake. To get this amount of food in required the athletes to eat every half an hour despite stockpiling calories by eating carbohydrate rich foods in the days prior to the race.

“For most of the marathon I was on auto-pilot and I felt Brendan was running with a bit of a passenger. I couldn’t even acknowledge the supporters calling our names at this stage…it were all about survival.”

The Ironman mantra is ‘finishing is victory’. Mark and Brendan finished in 14 hours and 26 minutes. And after a short celebration, Mark was in the medical tent getting two IV drips in his arm to rehydrate and Brendan was in the massage tent.

“All of the events that I have done in the endurance sport world are not about times but are about finishing. This one had a 16 hour cut off time and I had no interest in missing that deadline no matter how bad I was feeling. But there was something that was driving me on and that was the memory of New Zealand. I have been helicoptered off the mountains during New Zealand’s Coast to Coast twice after missing a cut off time. However, I simply could not move quickly enough over the boulders in that race – it was not the fitness but rather the reality of moving over boulder fields with a time deadline too tight to meet. The Ironman was significantly longer than the Coast to Coast but at least I could move on the course and I was not going to stop.

I am indebted to the team who helped me get there, not least Brendan. However, Jim Gilmartin who also completed his first Ironman is the guy who got me to enter race in the first place – so thanks Jim!”

Please click on the image below to view in full.

On the morning of 10^th February 2006 Mark stood on Kumara Beach on the Tasman Sea preparing to race in one of the most gruelling multi-sport events in the world.

Competitors traverse New Zealand's South Island by cycling 140kms (3 stages of 55km, 15km and 70km), running, scrambling and climbing 36km (including a 33km mountain stage that crosses the Southern Alps) and kayaking 67kms of the Waimakariri River through the Grand Canyon of New Zealand, the Waimakariri Gorge.

The event has many stages but it is the mountain stage that defines the Speight's Coast to Coast and it was the mountain stage that stopped Mark in 2005. Twelve months earlier Mark was helicoptered off the course at Goat Pass exhausted, dehydrated and mentally shattered when it became patently obvious he would not complete the first day's course before the 7.30pm cut-off.

“I couldn't believe the size and frequency of the boulders and it soon became clear that the mountain run was not going to be a run at all. It is a hike, scramble, crawl, climb and for me, very very slow.”

In 2005, progress was as slow as 1.5km an hour and even slower at times. Mark became dreadfully dehydrated in the searing heat, had bruises and cuts all over his body and vomited in front of a medical officer before he was retired from the race and helicoptered off the course.

He might have won many admirers for his tenacity but he did so feeling like a failure.

“In the final hours of the 2005 event I swore I would never do another multi-sport or adventure race again. At Goat Pass I was devastated physically and mentally I just felt so disappointed with myself. I was only focused on the finish line not how to achieve that outcome. It was all about the result. However, not only had I overlooked the process goals of training for the event properly after spraining my ankle in the run up but I under performed on the day.”

Two days later he announced he would be back and asked New Zealand multi-sporter Josh Stevenson to team up to get him prepared to perform in the 2006 event.

Josh, a 29-year-old professional kayak instructor also guides up to 250 competitors through the Coast to Coast course each year as part of their training programme. He's also completed the event three times himself, and has taken part in six Gold Rush events, the Mt Cook race and numerous 24-hour endurance events. He even trained a Korea team for the recent Southern Traverse in New Zealand.

Commenting on the 2006 attempt Stevenson said: "He knows what he's in for. Last time he expected a mountain track, not boulders the size of houses. He has been stepping up on to chairs and tables for between 2 and four hours as part of a strengthening programme for his legs to get him over the course.”

Mark and Josh moved through the initial 3km run to the tandem bike steadily and managed to stay out of trouble in the crowded bunch of hundreds of athletes. The 55 km road bike stage was characterised by lots of communication from Josh about direction and gradient of the road. Mark on the other hand spent much of the time concentrating on drinking water and eating a combination of carbohydrate gels, fruit cake and electrolight tablets following the nutrition problems of 2005.

At the transition point from the bike to the run, the support team got to work. Mark's dad changed one shoe, Grahame on the other shoe and Anna cleared the bike food and restocked Mark's pockets with the new supplies. In minutes Mark and Josh were on their feet, packs on their backs and on the move.

“I felt nervous as we set off into the mountain. But unlike 2005 I was physically in better shape and mentally I knew I had done the training.”

For the first 3kms Mark ran behind Josh using trekking poles in each hand to feel the ground in front of him and two other trekking poles from his wrists forward to Josh. Josh was able to use the poles in his hands to translate information about the rough terrain to Mark's wrists. This system combined with vocal instructions worked until the first of fifteen river crossings.

“After the first 3km the pole system didn't work. As we got into the river I had to use one pole and hold onto Josh's arm with the other hand to get enough information about the terrain and the fast flowing water. But so far we were moving better than the previous year and I was feeling so much better with the bike stage already worked out of the legs.”

From the first river crossing onwards Mark and Josh faced the true test of the race. From that point on the terrain gets worse and the small rocky paths lead into a sea of boulders.

“As the tracks disappeared I moved ahead of Josh and used two trekking poles to feel what my feet had to land on. Sometimes it was a flat rock, sometimes shingle that fell away and other times the poles just found thin air!”

“I felt really strong as we moved through the early parts of the course and got a real lift knowing that even in the early stages in 2005 I was already crumbling. I remember at one point saying to Josh on a really tough patch that I was enjoying it. And I was!”

Mark and Josh arrived at Goat Pass at 6pm . But Mark was feeling good.

“As I came up to the top of the mountain I asked Josh to keep going past the check point. I didn't want to stop and be told that we couldn't go on. I wanted to go to the finish.”

But as Mark and Josh past the check point the officials came after them to tell them that they were out of the race.

“I felt much more in control this year. I wanted to complete the course and radioed the race organisor Robin Judkins. I asked if we could carry on but I knew that he does not make exceptions for anyone and he told me the bad news that we were out.”

The helicopter arrived and took Mark, Josh and a number of other competitors off the mountain.

“Despite not completing the event I am so glad I went back to try in 2006. This year I gave it my best and I still could not get over the course in the time limit specified. I trained properly, I performed on the day and my support crew were excellent yet I was still only 30 mins faster over the 11 hours. I now know that I am capable of getting from Coast to Coast in New Zealand on that course but just not within the rules of that race!”

Please click on the image below to view in full.

For many paddlers the Devizes to Westminster International kayak race is considered to be their Everest. This ultra river marathon snakes across the English landscape from the sleepy town of Devizes near Bristol through to the bustling, churning waterway of the River Thames at Westminster finishing at Big Ben. The race is 125 miles long and for the double kayak paddlers (K2) that’s 125 miles straight through. No rest.

The plan was for Mark to paddle in the back of the double kayak with Jim Morrissey in the front. Jim is no stranger to this uber marathon. A legendary Irish Kayaker who represents the country at an International level, Jim has previously won this race three times (with Michael O’Meara)

Everything was in place. Jim had done the final adjustments to the boat, the support crew were briefed and ready, the food had been bought. Effectively all they had to do was complete the race…but it was not to be.

“One week before the race I was in Galway training with Jim. We had just completed one of our final training sessions before travelling to England to do the event. The boat was back on the rack on top of the car and I was getting into the passenger seat. But as I stepped into the car I hit my right eye on the bars of the roof rack that were sticking over the side of the car. I think my eye was open at the time and my eye began to haemorrhage at the front.

It was not overtly obvious apart from the reddening of the eyeball but with such an injury there is a possibility of increased pressure in the eyeball and ultimately ongoing pain. Of course my eyes do not work yet I still have to look after them. I do not want to lose them if possible.

So, the net result is that I had to pull out of the DW for this year. It is not something that I wanted to do but my medical advice dictated that I would be best not to race. I am really disappointed as I do not know if I will get the opportunity to do the event with such a quality paddler and support crew again. However, this was simply outside my control.

I suppose I have to reflect and accept that in the balance the health of my eyes is more important than completing the race at this stage.”

On the morning of the 4th February 2005 Mark and his team-mate, James O'Callaghan stood on Kumara Beach on the Tasman Sea . Their intension was to compete in the Speight's Coast to Coast. They did not finish the event.

“This is the first event that I have not finished and I hate it. It is a failure and I cannot see it as anything but a failure. I did not enter the event with the intension of not completing it, yet that is exactly what has happened.”

Recognised as one of the most gruelling multi-sport events in the world Competitors traverse New Zealand's South Island by cycling 140kms (3 stages of 55km, 15km and 70km), running 36km (including a 33km mountain stage that crosses the Southern Alps) and kayaking 67kms of the Waimakariri River through the Grand Canyon of New Zealand, the Waimakariri Gorge.

“We started well running the first 3km to the tandem bike with relative ease and managed to stay out of trouble in the crowded bunch of hundreds of athletes. The 55 km road bike stage was really enjoyable with us finishing in the top half of the group. But then we hit the 33 km mountain stage.

I thought I would be running on the mountain stage although I knew there would be tricky sections with boulders where I would have to rely heavily on James for guidance. But the boulders were bigger than anything I expected and the going was down to 1.5 kms per hour at times. The temperature sored throughout the day and by 2pm I was badly dehydrated and was sick right infront of the medical officer.

However we pushed on until 6:30pm and reached the top of the mountain at Goats pass where we were helicoptered off the mountain due to safety procedures and an enforced cut-off time.”

Mark and James, in accordance with the rules were not allowed to continue with the rest of the event.

“I swore I would never do another adventure race again in the Gobi desert, at the North Pole and again in New Zealand but the draw is too great. I did not enjoy not completing the event andI do not intend to do that again. But The team that formed around myself and James was incredible. Sponsors, the support crew of Margret, Jono and my dad. In particular we met a guy called Josh Stevenson from www.ventureout.co.nz who gave us endless help and advice as well as guiding us up the mountain through any paths that appeared in the boulders.

We did not finish the event and that is really getting to me. I was not fit enough, strong enough or prepared enough for this event and now the opportunity has been missed for 2005. However, I will complete the course and intend to race in the 2006 Coast to Coast”.

Please click on the image below to view in full.

New to the sport of kayaking, Mark first got in a K2 racing boat in April 2004 in preparation for The Liffey Descent, a 17 mile kayaking marathon race on the River Liffey in Dublin at the beginning of September 2004.

“I was amazed at the generosity of guys that I barely even knew. Willie Irwin raced with me in a preparation race and John Ringwood stepped in for the Descent itself. I just let people know what I was trying to achieve and we were able to put a team together to help me learn how to kayak, train for a race and ultimately complete the Liffey Descent.”

Mark raced the event with a hugely experienced paddler called John Ringwood. Having competed in the Liffey Descent over the last 20 years and in races all over the world, John was an ideal partner to help Mark complete the course.

“After very nearly capsizing on the first weir of ten I thought we were going to spend a lot of time in the water. But we managed to get over the big weirs after the initial scare with relative ease until the half way point. At Lucan weir we snapped the front off the boat after hitting the riverbed over the weir and both thought our race was over. But after some running repairs and time on the riverbank we went on to finish the race in a little over three hours.”

Mark expects to compete in more kayaking events and is continuing to train at Wild Water Kayak Club in Dublin.

Please click on the image below to view in full.

On 10th April 2004 , Mark and his team-mate John O'Regan completed the North Pole Arctic Marathon at the top of the world at the Geographic North Pole. Along with fourteen other competitors they raced an official marathon distance of 26.2 miles over hillocks of ice and energy sapping soft snow in the high Arctic Ocean .

There is no land at the North Pole and immediately below the icy course of between 6 and 12 feet lays 12,000 feet of Arctic Ocean . Temperatures plummeted to between –40C and –60C with the wind chill.

“It was strange before the race when I was attempting to compare this event with the Gobi March which was six times the distance. I know that I expected this to be relatively easy in comparison. But I don“t think I can even compare them – they are just different events difficult in their own ways. The conditions at the North Pole are savage and just being there was a learning experience never mind the challenge of doing a marathon with layers of arctic survival clothing on, snow shoes, face-masks goggles, balaclavas and a storm-grade hat. Hardcore? Yes. Difficult? Yes. Cold? Yes. Unforgettable? Yes!”

Please click on the image below to view in full.

Mark and his running partner Nick Wolfe completed the Gobi March 2003, known as the “Race of No Return,” alongside competitors from fifteen different countries.

the Gobi March, is a seven-day, six-marathon footrace in the Gobi Desert of China. During the race competitors must carry all their own food and personal gear for the entire week.

Race setter Keith Prowse told competitors that he intended to set the most difficult race ever run in China and he meant it.

“I expected to do a running event. The reality was we were wading up rivers, scrambling through canyons, crawling over cliff-tops and tabbing across rocky planes. It was without doubt the toughest, most humbling thing I have ever done – but the best!”

Please click on the image below to view in full.

“Rowing was the thing that defined me before I lost my sight yet it took me three years to get back in a boat and compete again. I suppose at the beginning it was less about the potential winning and more about proving to myself that I could do what I had done before I went blind. After the first session back on the water it was about competing.

Brendan Smyth got me back in a boat and was the one I did most of my training with. Without his help I may never have gone back to row. The reality was that with Brendan as training and racing partner, the other guys in the club, an incredibly understanding coach called Tim Levy and a lot of hard work I was able to get back to the sport I loved.”

Please click on the image below to view in full.