Plymouth man set for race to the North Pole

A DARING dad is bidding to break a world record – in a race to the magnetic North Pole.

Brave Andy Sacker is risking life and limb in the incredible feat.

But he insists he and his teammates will reach the point on earth that only 300 people have ever managed to get to.

The intrepid trekker will push his body and mind to the limit enduring temperatures as low as -52C and walk for eight hours a day for 30 days.

He said: "I want my children to grow up thinking that nothing is impossible and they can achieve anything in their life that they want to."

Marketing man Andy – who has trained in using a gun, reacting to the threat of polar bears, dealing with a snow blizzard and frostbite – leaves the UK at the end of the month to embark on his once in a lifetime adventure.

The extraordinary six week trip is not only an epic personal challenge for Andy and his team, he is bidding to raise a whopping £100,000 for charity Make-A-Wish foundation.

The 42-year-old from Plympton said: "When you see young children fighting for their life and the strength they show us, we really have nothing to complain about do we?"

In total the trip, including his training and kit, has cost him close to £25,000 but he will give every penny he raises to the charity.

He added: "If every person in Plymouth gave me a quid we'd be well over the target. I'm hoping to get some businesses on board to back the project."

Andy flies to Ottowa, Canada on March 31 with his team mates, martial arts experts David Maddox, 45, and 44-year-old Andrew Cameron, then onto Resolute Bay where the race starts.

They will do some last minute training before they hit the ice on April 5.

Although, the record stands at 41 days, Andy is aiming to reach the magnetic North Pole in 30 days.

But it won't be a walk in the park.

Andy explained: "I'd be a fool to say I'm not nervous because there is a lot of danger involved. But I have the right training so if something happens, I know how to deal with it.

"If something goes wrong out there, it'll happen really quickly. For example, you can't allow yourself to sweat. If you sweat, it'll immediately turn to ice and you'll get hypothermia. You have loads of zips to let air in and cool yourself down.

"We'll definitely get frost nip, the early stages of frost bite, but as long as we look after it we'll be fine."

Even the most simple tasks can put Andy in a life or death situation.

He said: "When it gets severely cold your hands won't work as well as they normally would and you can hallucinate so you have to make sure you have plenty to drink and nutrition.

"One of the things I'm not looking forward to is going to the toilet. It's dangerous having to expose yourself."

He added: "Other people have done it though, so why can't I? That's my attitude to most things."

Andy's main concerns are beating the world record and leaving his family – wife Julie and children Harrison, seven, Elliot, five, Lily, four, and Logan, one.

He continued: "I've never been away from my family as long as this.

"I'll have no communication with the outside world for at least five weeks. But they say I'll be so focussed on surviving that I won't think about home.

"At first Julie was very apprehensive and thought a lot about the dangers, which is understandable.

"But she's an incredible woman. She's so supportive and is behind me every step of the way."

To sponsor Andy email him at andysacker@gmail.com or find him on Twitter or Facebook.