Edward Chapman, aged 54, from Bude, and Phillip Howells, aged 61, from Ledbury in Herefordshire, will travel to Yukon, Canada on Sunday to tackle a 350 mile marathon.
Edward and Phillip, two very experienced long distance runners and business partners in 'Ed & Phil', a health, fitness and wellbeing company, will take part in the '6633ultra' — a 350 mile ultra-marathon, tackled over eight days, along the famous 'Ice Road Truckers' road, facing temperatures of up to minus 40C along the way.
The race is the first part of the 'Ed & Phil minus2plus40 challenge in 2009' — three long distance events including the 6633ultra in the Arctic Circle, and the Augrabies Extreme Marathon — 150 miles in six days in the Kalahari Desert in South Africa and to temperatures of +40C, in October.
The third event will be RAW Britain in August — 200 miles in six days through the Scottish Highlands.
Ed and Phil's aims are to promote their business and those of their business partners, to raise money for charity and to satisfy their own drive to keep fit and healthy through tackling demanding and extreme events at anything from the traditional marathon distance upwards.
The 6633ultra starts just 23 miles south of the Arctic Circle at a remote hotel called Eagle Plains, Yukon Territory, at 8am on Friday, March 13 local time, and competitors in the 350 mile race have just seven days and 23 hours in which to complete the distance.
After reaching the Arctic Circle, the race crosses into Canada's equally renowned remoteness of the Northwest Territories (and losing an hour in crossing a time zone, which is why the time allowed is one hour less than a full eight days, just to make it that bit tougher!). It then takes in isolated communities Fort McPherson and Inuvik, before entering the famous ice-road along the frozen river and finishing 120 miles later at Tuktoyatuk on the shore of the frozen Arctic Ocean.
Runners (which is a bit of a euphemism, because it is vital not to get too hot since sweat will freeze the body and mean almost certain withdrawal from the event) have to be totally self-sufficient, apart from two locations where a re-stock of food and fresh clothing is allowed, and carry all their equipment in a specially adapted sled that is towed behind them.
Equipment includes a sleeping bag and sleeping gear to allow competitors to 'camp-out' on the ice when rest is needed during the eight days.
Interested followers can catch up with the progress of Ed and Phil via their website http://www.minus2plus40.com">www.minus2plus40.com (a newer and more interactive version will be launched just before the 6633 start). Readers can also comment on Ed's blog at http://minus2plus40">http://minus2plus40. blogspot.com and they can email the pair during the event to the6633ultra@hot mail.co.uk.
Ed and Phil will also be raising money for their favourite charity COCO — Comrades of Children Overseas — and donations can be made on-line to http://www.justgiving.com/minus2plus40">www.justgiving.com/minus2plus40.
Starting as 'Ed & Phil Publishing' in 2005, the pair, now trading as simply 'Ed & Phil', have three books in publication and sell these, together with a range of complementary products, through a growing number of running, triathlon, cycling, outdoor and winter sports retail customers throughout the UK.
They also promote and deliver running and fitness related workshops with their retailers and offer a 'Wellbeing' seminar programme to businesses to help them improve the health and wellbeing of their employees.
Ed and Phil are delighted to be supported by their business partners and other organisations in their 'minus2plus40' challenge and wished to thank them for their backing.