Eg Arctic Angels wing their way home

The first all-women team to take part in the 290-mile Polar Challenge race to the Magnetic North Pole has returned home triumphant, despite being unable to reach the Pole

The first all-women team to take part in the 290-mile Polar Challenge race to the Magnetic North Pole has returned home triumphant, despite being unable to reach the Pole, having endured some of the harshest conditions in one of the world's most hazardous environments.

The eg Arctic Angels' participation in this year's Polar Challenge was made possible by the sponsorship of financial services operations management specialist, eg, who rescued their bid to enter the history books at the last minute.

The eg Arctic Angels, Philippa Thompson and Clare Kavanagh from Poole in Dorset and Jocie Robertson from Bristol, have a place in history as the only all-female team to enter the Challenge.

The race saw their physical and mental strength tested to new limits, but ultimately left them with an immense sense of satisfaction at what they had actually achieved.

With temperatures reaching as low as -60C and winds of up to 40mph as they pulled pulks weighing over 90kg, the eg Arctic Angels suffered a bitter blow when Jocie, struggling to cope with the extreme conditions, decided that she was no longer able to make a positive and safe contribution to the team.

Philippa and Clare, together with Russ Walton from Team Cotswold, continued on, battling the extreme weather conditions, treacherous terrain and even a close encounter with a polar bear for eleven more days, before race organisers pulled all but the leading two teams off the ice in order to ensure safety.

Clare Kavanagh explains: "The past few weeks have been fantastic".

"We have overcome extreme discomfort, cold temperatures and emotions which have made us stronger individuals".

"There have been moments when I have been scared and I know the others were too, but we pulled through together".

"But being pulled off the race due to a series of events beyond our control left us with feelings of both disappointment and sadness at not being able to achieve our goal".

"" Philippa added: " The race was an amazing experience and with our changing team certainly tested us at times! Along the way we have learnt, not only how to survive in such a harsh environment, but also work with new people in the team, try to remain competitive, and of course have some fun!" Elizabeth Gooch, managing director of eg, is extremely proud of the Angels' achievement: "The eg Arctic Angels have achieved what many would believe was unachievable".

"They showed a tremendous team spirit throughout all their training, which, as seen out on the ice, was a vital factor in being prepared and able to work together to face the challenges that lay ahead in the Arctic".

"This was an amazing experience for all three of them, and one that they will have learned so much from." Philippa Thompson added: "We would like to thank all those who have supported us in becoming the first all-women team to take part in the Polar Challenge and for helping us to raise vital funds for the RNLI.

Thanks especially to eg, without whose sponsorship we would never have been able to enter the race".

"A warning to you all, we've now been bitten by the bug, there may be no stopping us on our next quest!" You can read more of the eg Arctic Angels' experiences on their website.

The Polar Challenge Arctic race will be shown on BBC 2 later in the year, as part of its series, 'The Challenge'.

Back to top