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The Polar Challenge is a competitive, 350 nautical mile (650 kilometer) team race taking place in the Arctic, to the 1996 location of the Magnetic North Pole. The race runs between mid-April and mid-May each year, taking teams approximately 4 weeks to complete, including the training time. This event should not be confused with the Polar Race, which is a different event taking a different route, and run by a different organisation.

Contents [hide] 1 Background 2 Race history 3 Route map 4 Previous Polar Challenges 5 2007 Polar Challenge Teams 6 Polar Challenge 2008 Teams 7 Polar Challenge 2010 8 External links

[edit]Background

Competitors race in teams of 3, many joining as individuals and forming teams when they meet other individuals during the training that leads up to the race. The competitors are from different walks of life (not necessarily explorers or people with mountaineering experience), sharing a quest for adventure and to achieve something that only a few others have done. The race takes place in one of the world's most extreme and hostile environments, with temperatures dropping as low as -35 °C, and where 80% of the world’s population of Polar Bears live. Competitors race on skis, pulling their supplies in 120 lb pulkas, stopping on route at 3 manned checkpoints to re-supply.

[edit]Race history