Iceman Neil ‘conquers’ Antarctica

10:14am Wednesday 9th January 2008

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NEIL Standring, the son of former Packet editor Roy Standring, has just completed an amazing feat of endurance by taking part in the Antarctica Ice Marathon in aid of charity.

Neil, 41, whose parents Roy and Pam live in Mawnan Smith near Falmouth, undertook the project on behalf of the Greenhouse Schools Project. It is a charity that uses sports and arts programmes to teach 11-16 year olds life and social skills. It especially targets children who are experiencing difficulties with learning and behaviour or who are living with a disability.

The odds for the former Mawnan footballer, who now turns out for the famous Honourable Artillery Company FC in London, completing the event, were not great given that conditions were minus 20-30C with winds gusting to 45 knots, underfoot conditions of snow and ice, and all at an altitude of 3,00ft.

Even Neil, who was accompanied by two other employees of HSBC, Fredrik Nerbrand and James Heddle, and had prepared well with his training before he left the UK, was unsure of the outcome.

"I really didn't know if I could complete the race," said Neil, "because only 16 people had done so successfully to date."

But Neil, who is head of corporate finance for HSBC Private Bank, based in London, is if nothing else, resilient and added that unless struck by the real possibility of frostbite or hypothermia they would have had to drag him off the course.

Fortunately, that didn't prove necessary. Said Neil: "Now I know just a little how Scott and Shackleton mut have felt . . . a seven hours slog in a freezing whiteout but we did it, we are now Ice Marathon finishers."

However, it was far from straightforward. Days before the event Neil was taken ill with food poisoning, but luckily because the weather conditions were inappropriate and the event was delayed.

That gave Neil just enough time to recover and after three days of waiting a small hole appeared in the weather and they were ready for a 7 am start.

The course was groomed by snowmobiles the day before and left to freeze overnight.

"We woke early in our tents to a gloomy grey day but mercifully light winds," said Neil.

"Nineteen of us lined up for the start, and seven were planning to run the 100km race, but conditions worsened and only two finished the full 100km."

The race was run in -10c and the track was marked out by small orange flags every 250m or so. The first five miles to the initial aid station were up a gradual incline leading to a ridge, and with the effort of dragging each foot out of the soft snow both Neil's groins began to start to ache.

The next five miles were an undulating roll between the Patriot Hills and the Ellsworth mountains to the south. Neil managed to get up the hill to the camp which sits on 500m of solid ice. There's a small gathering of camp staff at the 15-mile point and Neil reached the base in about 3hrs 45m.

There was only few minutes to take on more hot drinks then it was back out into the unforgiving winds to the north. The temperature dropped to -20c with more wind chill and hands and feet starting to feel seriously cold.

The group walk most of the final 5km as quickly as possible, and suddenly on the crest of a ridge and through the swirling snow they can make out the blurred image of the camp. They manage to jog over the line together and the overwhelming feeling is one of relief, and a grudging realisation that the course had stretched them to the limit.

"We were timed at 7:01:58," said Neil, "slower than I had hoped for but in the conditions not too bad. I found out later that I am seventh equal out of 16, and came home ahead of some of the hardcore marathoners.

"So, on reflection I am quite pleased with the result. There are always areas where you feel you could have done better but having had time now to consider I think I was all out.

"This has been a major trial, the illnesses, the interminable delays, the intense cold, brutal winds and sapping marathon course - but it's been a fantastic experience.

"It's a very long way to go and a long time away for seven hours of hell, but we never asked for it to be easy. Antarctica, the continent, is stunning. As a race it is unique and surely one of the toughest standalone marathons on the planet.

"The support from home was very important, including friends and family back in Cornwall, and I am proud to have helped raise nearly £40,000 for the Greenhouse Schools Project.

"So, now back in the balmy UK, my trundle through the wastes of Antarctica seems a different world, and you know what . . . it really was."