Arctic Rugby Challenger tackles giant sand dunes in training for polar trek!
Andrew Walker from Lakehead, Closeburn, is taking on the challenge of his life in fewer than 100 days time. He’s heading to the Arctic to trek 100 miles before playing the ‘northernmost rugby match in history’…at the 1996 Magnetic North Pole.
He has been telling DGWGO, the hard work’s certainly already begun.
Awe, you’d never imagine a weekend at the seaside would be tough. But I was wrong. A place called Ogmore in south Wales in January proved to be a real test of fitness for me as I prepare for the Wooden Spoon Arctic Rugby Challenge.
Jock Wishart, born at Shawhead, may be a friendly guy, but make no mistake, he’s also a hard man. As a polar adventurer he knows how to prepare us all for the bitter winds and icy conditions of the Arctic. So, when he organised a ‘Boot Camp’ I should have realised what was ahead.
On our first day we were crossing rivers in our bare feet, trekking for 15 kilometre using only our GPS trackers to navigate and running up and down what can only be described as mountainous sand dunes…several times. Never in my life have I seen sand dunes that size! With some of my team mates strapped together to make a groups of 4, we raced three times up and back down the sand dunes.
It’s at times like this, the tough days, which really brings out team spirit. We pulled together as challengers, working out problems in groups. That’s certainly going to be pivotal to our success in the Arctic.
Our second day at the Boot Camp proved to be every bit as harsh. The wind was brutal and it was cold: all good preparation for the temperatures in the Arctic – which will never get above minus 15 and could even dip to minus 40.
It was a sledge training day, which made you think about the reality of life in Arctic. We were each given a sledge to pull behind us –to get used to dragging them. On our Polar trek we’ll be carrying everything we need to survive: tent, cooking equipment, sleeping bags, skis, poles, food…you name it. To simulate the weight we’ll be hauling, I spent a large part of the day dragging a full sand bag around, pulling it up the mountainous sand dunes and along the beach while navigating with our GPS trackers around 6 check points. This was two exhausting days.
When I am in the Arctic, I will be eating massive amounts of calories – about 5-6,000 each day, yet burning that amount – and more! After our boot Camp training, I can see I’ll need every last calorie I can get.
As the days tick on towards our April departure, I’m really concentrating on raising the £25,000 I have promised Wooden Spoon. And it has been great when old friends like the Dumfries Saints offer their help. I just need to inspire as much support as I can to reach my target.
Watch out for my next report for DGWGO – I might have a Royal connection to boast!
Donate to help Andrew raise £25,000 for Wooden Spoon, the children’s charity of rugby https://www.justgiving.com/Andrew-Walker87/
