On Thin Ice

After days of Antarctic blizzards, the weather finally clears and adventurer Ben Fogle, Olympian James Cracknell and doctor Ed Coats, along with the other five teams taking part in the Amundsen South Pole Race, can make it to the start line. The race starts on the 4th January 2009, with all six teams facing over 750km of Antarctic wilderness ahead of them. They now have to manhaul all they need for the race, skiing the entire distance, racing for up to 16 hours a day and facing one of the harshest environments on earth. The race begins well for Ben, James and Ed as they get off to a flying start and quickly take the lead. Over the next nine days, they ski on, but gradually fall apart, suffering severe blisters, extreme cold, exhaustion and eventually even pneumonia. On their last legs, they reach the halfway checkpoint, only to find that they have lost the lead they have held until the last few hours. Nearly broken, they undergo medical checks, only to find that James is so exhausted he may not be allowed to continue the race...