Original subtitles

(intense music)

- [Narrator] The Arctic ocean.

Five and a half million square miles of sea and ice.

One of the most dangerous places on earth.

But every year an extraordinary team

of sky divers carve out an airport

just 20 miles from the North Pole.

Beside it, an oasis springs up in this frozen desert.

Ice Camp Barneo.

- Five star Arctic hotel. (laughs)

- [Narrator] The camp is a magnet

for people with big dreams.

- I've just been dipping me boots

in the end of the runway.

- [Narrator] Marathon runners.

- [Woman] You're so tired you don't know

where you are you don't know who you are,

but you want to die.

- [Narrator] Champagne tourists.

- It's a long drive contest apparently.

- [Narrator] And international scientists.

- It's sort of like God made you a

laboratory right out in the perfect spot.

- [Narrator] Amateur adventurers go in search

of the ultimate experience.

- It's just like walking into a different world,

that you never would have dreamed or prepared for.

- We could be going to absolute carnage.

(man yells)

- [Narrator] They have just three weeks

to pursue their Arctic dreams,

before Barneo melts into the sea.

This is one season in the world's most extreme outpost.

(dogs barking)

- Welcome to the Arctic ocean.

(airplane taking off)

- [Narrator] It's early April.

And 20 miles from the North Pole,

the heated tents of Ice Camp Barneo

are full to bursting.

(people chatting)

An ice runway little more than a meter thick

brings a steady flow of visitors from the mainland.

- Cal five from North Pole.

- [Narrator] The man in charge

is Misha Malakoff, a Polar veteran.

His expeditions in the Arctic earned him

the title "Hero of the Russian Federation".

- Yeah I like Arctic just because

it's always changing.

All the time it says to you, be careful.

You should work hard, then you will be safe.

But at the same time,

it creates such great feelings.

You are a man, you are alive,

and it keeps your body alive all the time.

- [Narrator] One of the highlights of the season

is the North Pole Marathon.

The coldest race on earth is the brainchild

of 46-year-old Richard Donovan,

an extreme runner from Galway in Ireland.

- Well this place is lovely you know

and it's perfect for a running race.

It almost feels a little bit like home to me now.

It being the tenth year coming up here.

- [Narrator] Richard entered the record books

as the first person to complete marathons

at both the North and South Poles.

- It actually came about when I ran

a South Pole marathon myself in 2002,

and it seemed obvious to me that I had to go

to the North Pole and run one up there.

And I did and then I realized I should

turn this into a race,

and that other people might like it as well.

- [Narrator] Although there's no shortage

of space in the Arctic,

the athletes have to stick close to camp.

There's a real danger of death if cracks

suddenly open in the ice.

Richard must choose the race route with caution.

- I think I'm gonna target a 4.2 kilometer loop today.

And they will have to do that ten times.

One of the other issues of course is

the remote possibility of a polar bear.

And that's another reason not to

head off into the distance for too long.

- [Narrator] The course will soon be ready,

but the runners are a long way from the start line.

600 miles south of Barneo is the Norwegian

island of Spitsbergen.

It's largest town Longyearbyen serves

as a staging post to Barneo and the ice.

Marathon runners from around the world have

flown here for the big event.

(upbeat folksy acoustic music)

Becky Newman from London is getting in

some last minute training.

- [Becky] Today at the North Pole its only -25.

It's actually ideally running temperatures.

But looking at the temperature change over the last week,

it was -40 three days ago, you know,

we're going to a crazy place.

- [Narrator] Running on ice is a new experience for Becky.

- It's so hard.

I've only just run a mile, if that.

And I'm completely shattered.

This is like nothing else.

I really hope I can do it.

I just so hope I can do it I'm absolutely bricking it now.

(footsteps crunching on ice)

- [Narrator] Single mum Becky runs a pub back home.

The challenge ahead holds a special significance.

I'm trying to raise 10,000 pounds

for a local charity called Headway.

Because back in 2005 my sister died

of a brain hemorrhage,

and it was very sudden she was only 43 years old,

so I can think of no greater or better motivation

than doing the North Pole marathon.

(intense music)

- [Narrator] The Arctic offers many challenges.

Some are physical, others mental.

Mark Wood, a full time explorer from Coventry,

is attempting to travel to the pole alone.

- I quite enjoy guided teams,

but it is quite nice being responsible for yourself.

And sometimes its good to see who you are really.

You don't get many chances in life to

find out who you are really.

- [Narrator] Rather than sleep in a hotel,

Mark pitches his tent away from the crowds,

on the edge of town.

Just a few weeks ago,

he was standing at the other end of the planet.

- And it was near nine when I arrived in Antarctica

I was really scared.

Didn't know what was going to happen,

whether I could cope.

You know its freezing cold,

all the usual suspects are there,

the ice the snow the cold the loneliness,

and it's how you make the best of that

is what I enjoy.

I spent 50 days in here. (laughs)

- [Narrator] Mark settles in for the night.

Tomorrow he'll head to Barneo to face

the Arctic wilderness.

(intense music, airplane landing)

Barneo's first flight of the day touches down safely.

Onboard are a group of athletes come

to test themselves in the coldest race on earth,

the North Pole marathon.

- Amazing, just, I can't believe I'm here.

Trying to take it all in.

- [Narrator] The race attracts an international crowd.

Each paying 10,000 pounds to challenge themselves

in the subzero temperatures.

- And to run a marathon on the top of the world,

how amazing is that.

- [Narrator] Rhoda is an ER doctor from New Orleans.

She's aiming to become the first African American

woman to complete a marathon at both poles.

- I'm so excited about it, you know.

This is a childhood dream of mine

to come to the North Pole.

- [Narrator] Charity manager Demelza has been

training at home in Australia.

- Running in the heat, in my singlet and shorts,

and my massive big woolen socks for months

and now suddenly, and being ridiculously hot and sweaty,

and now, I'm not hot and sweaty at all.

I love it though I love pushing myself,

I love trying new things, but this is extreme.

- Oh look at that husky!

(dog barking)

- [Narrator] After a two hour flight from the mainland,

the athletes are in need of a quick comfort break.

- Queue for the loo at the North Pole, brilliant.

- [Narrator] But Becky is in for a nasty surprise.

She has a choice between two portable loos.

An ice urinal, or an oil drum chamber pot.

- Oh cool it's pretty stinky,

I thought it wouldn't stink

in the North Pole for some reason.

Think of Glastonbury on day three,

you get in a North Pole toilet okay.

And it is cold.

I took my glove off and held onto

the lock and I just stuck to the lock.

- [Narrator] Springtime at the pole means

24 hours of daylight.

The sun never rises or sets,

moving in a straight line across

the horizon each day.

It's 10pm but there's no time for

the runners to acclimatize,

the race is about to start.

Marathon organizer Richard wants to take

advantage of the good weather.

- I guess it's strange thinking I'm not gonna sleep

but I think the adrenaline's going.

So yeah I think I just wanna go for it.

- And I think everybody has all this nervous energy,

and we want to get it out,

everybody's ready to rock and roll here.

(dramatic music)

- Okay go back to the line,

behind the line there please.

- [Narrator] 41 competitors from 18 countries

line up for the most extreme race on earth.

- Good luck team, good luck today.

- Bye, good luck.

- Okay is everybody ready?

- [Group] Yes!

- Okay three, two, one, go.

(cheering, intense music)

- [Narrator] The athletes now face

26 miles of ice and snow,

in bone chilling temperatures of 21 degrees below zero.

(footsteps crunching on ice)

(plane landing)

With the marathon underway,

Barneo's airport welcomes yet more adventurers.

- Hello!

- [Narrator] Solo explorer Mark,

attempting back to back treks

to both poles is in his element.

- Beautiful, a frozen moon. (laughs)

And I'm smiling this is the first time

I've smiled in about ten days,

I'm just like woohoo!

Oh man!

The plan is to get some coordinates,

get the fuel, and then find a time when

I can start the expedition and head off.

- [Narrator] But Mark is about

to find out this is Misha's kingdom.

He'll have to convince the boss of Barneo

he's up to the task ahead.

- You know my journey is solo,

and that's what I'm gonna take it as.

And I will find, you know, when things come up,

I'll deal with it, if I need to call you guys in,

I'll call you guys in.

- [Narrator] There's never been a death at Barneo.

Misha is determined that record will stay intact.

- He's turned around and said, you know,

join this other team.

And I'm like, no this is solo

so he's trying to tell me to join another team

and I'm like no.

It's my life at the end of the day, so.

- [Narrator] Misha knows just how

dangerous this place could be.

The camp is built on sheets of drifting sea ice.

The environment can change in an instant.

Two years ago, this happened.

- It was like Venice here.

Really, I'm not kidding.

The runway was, cracks along the runway,

and cracks all around the camp so

different tents were drifting away

on different pieces of ice and

the big tent, the one with the mess room,

the water was just straight under the door.

One guys opening the door, water closed it.

- [Narrator] The Arctic ocean

is two and a half miles deep.

Cracks are caused by wind and sea currents,

which push and pull the ice.

- We are all superstitious here.

The Russian polar guys are thinking,

if you need to keep your piece of ice solid,

don't shave your beard.

That's why I'm not shaving my beard for months.

- [Narrator] Finally Mark is given the all clear

to start his solo trek to the pole.

He'll be doing what's known as the Last Degree,

a 17 mile journey, from 89 to 90 degrees north.

(helicopter propeller spinning)

Once the helicopter has dropped him on the ice,

Mark's only link to the outside world

will be a satellite phone.

He'll be completely alone,

with nothing but 500 miles of ice in every direction.

He's rigged his kit with cameras

to record his journey.

- And the helicopter disappeared and went away,

and bang I'm alone.

And it doesn't matter how long or short the journey is,

it's that experience of being alone,

and you know it's you against

the environment at that point.

- [Narrator] The Arctic is so cold

because up to 90% of the sun's rays

are reflected back by the ice.

But on the marathon course,

the freezing temperatures aren't slowing down

British pub owner Becky.

- It's wonderful, it is so lovely.

Slipping hard though.

The first part of the course is okay,

but when you get to this bit,

it's really soft, it's really deep.

So you've got 50% to rest your legs a bit,

50% to kill yourself.

- [Narrator] American doctor Rhoda

is falling behind.

- Oh I'm keeping moving.

I walk a little bit, I run a little bit,

but keep moving, I'll keep plugging away until I finish.

- [Narrator] The polar weather is unforgiving.

It's now -25 degrees centigrade.

So cold that unprotected skin

can be damaged in a matter of minutes.

Race organizer Richard is on the look out

for signs of frost bite and hypothermia.

- As they become fatigued there's more

of a chance of something happening to them.

And you often see white patches on the face,

which can be frost damage.

And you take those guys aside,

you deal with it just by putting skin on skin.

That's the only way to heal it up.

- [Narrator] Fortunately the runners are in safe hands.

Misha, the boss of Barneo,

is not only a celebrated Arctic explorer,

but also a qualified surgeon.

- No pain, no gain. (all laugh)

- [Narrator] Barneo is not just for thrill seekers,

it's also a unique research base.

The morning flight sees the return

of some old friends.

World leading experts in polar science.

- Today we received our incredible

Antonov 34 plane,

in really good weather,

and the plane brought the American scientists.

Every year they're bringing lots of

heavy equipment and they will study here.

- We see each other every year,

so it's a lot of fun to rendezvous

with your old friends again.

- [Narrator] Chief scientist Jamie Morrison

leads a group of 15 U.S. researchers and engineers.

They've been coming to Barneo for the last ten years.

- It's sort of like God made you

a laboratory out in the perfect spot.

- [Narrator] The team are here

to conduct experiments to see

if the polar ice cap is shrinking.

Some scientists believe that a reduction

of Arctic ice could cause massive climate change.

- We know that the region's changing

and so we wanna connect the dots

between chemistry and snow and sea ice.

We wanna understand that field

so that we can determine how things

will change in the future.

- [Narrator] The scientists have come armed

with some heavy duty instruments

to gather their data.

- This is a buoy that will be measuring

a lot of atmospheric chemistry.

- [Narrator] The team will bury a total of

18 devices in the ice sheet which

floats on top of the ocean.

- These buoys are part of a bigger network.

We're trying to gain a foothold in

making measurements across the broad Arctic.

(laughing)

(upbeat dramatic music)

- [Narrator] Alone and heading to the North Pole,

Mark is making his own discoveries.

This frozen sea can be perilous.

Without warning the ice sheets separate,

creating temporary areas of open water known as leads.

- So standing in this hard open lead here,

It's quite hard here and then you can see

it gets softer and softer and then

there's actually water down there.

- [Narrator] If Mark should fall through the ice,

he has no one to drag him to safety.

(ski pool splashing in water)

- You know Antarctica is very flat and open

and kind of boring in a way.

This place is very different.

It's a fairyland.

It's incredible.

At night you can hear the scenery being changed.

You can hear the ice cracking and breaking,

and the ocean moving below you,

and forming these ridges that you see the next day.

Beautiful sculptured pure blocks of ice,

and some of them are the size of cars.

- [Narrator] But Mark's perfect solitude

is about to be shattered.

(dramatic music)

The North Pole marathon runners have been

out in the punishing subzero conditions

for more than four hours.

Single mum Becky still has three laps

of the two and a half mile circuit to go.

- I'm just doing the final push.

I am knackered, it's so hard.

(clapping, cheering)

- [Narrator] It's tradition for one Barneo

team member to enter the race.

Defending the camp's honor this year is Yuri.

- They that there were around just a last minute.

(speaking Russian)

Skydiver.

- [Narrator] All the runners will make regular

stops in the heated food tent.

- Oh good tea, thank you.

- [Narrator] The breaks are essential

to survive the punishing conditions.

- I worked down in the Sahara desert

and various other places,

but I don't think that anywhere actually

beats the North Pole just for savagery,

and the whiteness of the environment.

- [Narrator] Charity manager Demelza

is running with her long term boyfriend James.

- My body's beginning to go,

what are you doing?

- [James] Well why are you doing it?

- Cause not very many people can.

And I'm going to.

And it's beautiful.

- It's the most incredible experience,

the sound on the ice as you're running,

the midnight sun coming through the clouds,

the way that the sun hits the ice particles

in the air as you're running along,

it's unbelievable.

We always train together, we always run together,

the shared experience just makes it all that more special.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] Scottish doctor Andrew Murray

has kept an incredible pace.

He comes home first in a time of

four hours and 17 minutes.

(clapping, cheering)

But it's taken it's toll.

(coughing, gagging)

- It doesn't get much more surreal

than finishing a race at 2:30 in the morning

at the North Pole.

It was some feeling just actually finishing the thing.

And it'll be really nice just to get

the chance to cheer everyone else in.

- [Man] Come on Becky!

- One more to go Rebecca!

(drum beats)

- [Narrator] The home team

are looking for a big finish.

Yuri isn't going to disappoint them.

- Our skydiver Dr. Black,

is going to finish the race.

(Yuri yelling)

- [Narrator] Yuri is one of the skydivers

who built the runway.

Clearly, he's not afraid of the cold.

- It is my first marathon.

- [Narrator] Australian Demelza takes

the crown as the fastest woman,

with a time of six hours and six minutes.

(clapping)

- Oh my god.

- [Narrator] And boyfriend James

has an unexpected prize for her.

- Hey.

Will you marry me?

I've got a ring and everything.

Will you marry me?

Yes would be good.

- (crying) Yeah.

Oh my God.

- She did say yes.

- [Crowd] Yay! (clapping)

- He nailed it, he nailed it.

Running around and seeing Demelza

and watching her work I was so proud of her,

and I thought, yeah,

I've really got to put the icing on the cake here and,

absolutely at the right moment.

- Honestly I had no idea.

I thought you never wanted to get married.

- Thanks guys, thank you.

- I cannot believe this. (laughs)

- [Narrator] A few minutes later,

an exhausted Becky collapses over the line.

- Oh my word.

- [Man] Becky?

- Yeah, hey hey.

- [Man] Second place, second lady home.

- Did I get second again. (crying)

- [Man] Here's Julie behind you.

- [Becky] Come on Julie!

(crowd clapping, cheering)

- Yes!

- [Narrator] One by one,

the shattered runners struggle to the finish line.

Some with more style than others.

- Well done.

- Wow, that is easily the toughest marathon in the world.

- [Narrator] It's been an experience they will never forget.

- That last two laps weren't good though.

Because it's, you're so tired you don't know

where you are you don't know who you are,

you don't know, you want to die.

What time is it?

- [Cameraman] Half four in the morning.

- Oh. (crying)

- There are no injuries and no serious frostbite,

very well prepared people, very good.

- [Narrator] But doctor Rhoda

is still out on the course.

- Yay, North Pole, yay.

Oh I feel like I could keep going indefinitely.

I got my little shuffle going on,

and I'm gonna shuffle right to the finish line.

- [Narrator] It's more than seven hours

into the marathon,

and Rhoda still has another ten miles to go.

(dramatic music)

The sun never sets on Barneo.

The runway works day and night.

A new flight has brought in more scientists.

- We are a French polar scientist expedition.

And we are two guys,

and we will spend three weeks on the sea ice.

We try to better understand this place, this crazy place.

- [Narrator] Parisians Julien and Alan

are here to collect plankton,

which is thought to behave differently in the Arctic.

But they're worried that pollution from

the ice camp will affect their samples.

- Well the plan is now just to leave east from here,

so to be outside of the main pollution of Barneo,

far from the camp from the generator, from the helicopter.

Just to stay in a polluted area it's

no point to come here so that's why we need to leave.

- [Narrator] But their plans are about to hit a snag.

They can't do their study in Barneo,

but they can't leave unless camp boss Misha says so.

- You don't have the experience to thermal

or drift of edge of Arctic ocean, am I right?

- Well we have done a bit,

we've done a bit of it.

- Where at.

- East coast of Gwenoro.

- That is not Arctic ocean.

And you should not cross any open water

my point of view.

Alan do you understand what I mean?

- [Alan] Yeah, yeah.

- It means that the chances of this ice will be broken,

and you can be lost, not so much.

- No no, definitely.

- [Narrator] Still concerned by their lack of

polar experience, Misha insists on checking their kit.

- Most important is your brain.

If you have even very good equipment

but your brain not ready for it,

it's useless, everything is useless.

- [Narrator] Finally, Misha agrees to allow

the French team onto the ice.

But there's a condition.

They must stay close to the camp,

so he can keep an eye on them.

- Arctic ocean is basically a flat area,

you need to ski as straight as possible.

Too many pressure ranges and obstacles.

You can see a trail from the skiers,

and you answer,

is it experienced person or a not experienced person.

Usually experienced person goes straight

straight straight straight even through pressure changes.

- [Narrator] All the runners in the North Pole

marathon have finished, apart from one.

Rhoda from New Orleans has been out on the ice

for over 11 hours,

and she's starting to get confused.

- Okay where's the flags.

I just wanted to make sure I was on this right path,

cause after you do ten of these,

things get kinda fuzzy you know.

This is my last lap.

- [Narrator] Her perseverance has

won her an admirer, Barneo's doctor Stanislaus.

- She's useful.

(people clapping, cheering)

- [Narrator] After 11 hours and 52 minutes,

Rhoda makes it to the finish.

- I can't tell you how happy I am right now.

- [Woman] Rhoda, Rhoda!

- No matter how hard it is I stick with it,

and whatever I start, I finish.

No matter what.

- We've got a special present from Barneo team

For really bravest job.

- Thank you.

- Yeah for finish.

- Alright, thank you.

- Yes, this hero.

- Thank you.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] Mark Wood is alone

in the midst of five and a half

million square miles of ice.

At the end of his first day,

he's 11 miles closer to the North Pole.

- And now, 50%, out in the open,

but it's nice being back out again

the area's beautiful.

Take a look around now.

(wind blowing)

But the weird thing about being here is the noise.

You know you get silence all the way

through the day then you hear a crack

or a boom or something like that

and it's just the sea moving underneath the ice

and it's quite scary really.

- [Narrator] Mark will consume up to

8,000 calories a day during his trip.

All of his hot food is prepared

by melting snow over a small stove.

- So, let me just show you this.

This is my pudding,

basically it's apple and custard,

porridge and raisins.

You can even taste the meal from last night in it.

Which was like a meaty stew.

So you've got that added extra custard

and sort of the meat effect.

It's good.

- [Narrator] In Barneo thoughts also turn to food.

Though in slightly larger quantities.

The 48 staff are winding down for the day

but the marathon runners are keen

to enjoy the spoils of the race.

- It's happening tonight.

We gonna get the drink on and have a party.

- Woohoo!

- Party time.

(people chattering)

- We're all very happy,

we've had some really nice vodka tonics with Arctic ice.

Yeah we're having a great time.

This is the place to be on the North Pole right now.

(all cheer)

- I love measuring around the world

where I've been drunk,

there's some great places but

this has gotta be one of the better ones so far.

Cheers my dear, fantastic. - Cheers.

It's been my dream to do the North Pole marathon

for some time (talking in silly voice)

I reckon we could fix it for you

to go to the North Pole and do the marathon.

- She doesn't actually need to drink anything

but when you add alcohol it's just,

it's quite scary really.

(all laughing)

(upbeat acoustic music)

- [Narrator] The camp of French Alan and Julien

is as far from Barneo as Misha will allow.

They're here to collect plankton samples.

To reach these microscopic beasts,

they must cut a hole in the ice.

But it refreezes after just a few hours.

- With the ice becoming like this and

even less than 24 hours after.

That's why we get it twice a day.

- We can see directly the life under the sea ice.

Because we can't imagine that

some things can live in this place.

Because it's a very hard place.

When you wake up every morning

you are in a warm sleeping bag

in the tent the temperature is minus 20,

it's really not comfortable place.

- [Narrator] Even though they're

just a few miles from Barneo,

They must still take precautions.

- So this is our bedroom, our tent,

so we protect it against polar bear

with this trip wire.

They will hit this wire and then the trigger here

will go out and then this flare will go up and explode.

So maybe it will afraid the polar bear,

otherwise at least it will wake up us

and we'll be aware that there is a polar bear.

This place is one of the most dangerous

place in the world.

Everything can happen.

Polar bears, the sea ice can broken,

you can die very fast.

(dog barking)

- [Narrator] Two days later,

the weather has changed dramatically.

Areas of open water in the ice create fog.

Even the rescue choppers are grounded,

leaving anyone out on the ice completely cut off.

Solo explorer Mark is still over 30 miles from the pole,

in an environment that grows more hostile by the minute.

- This is tough work man,

this is tough work.

Very slow progress.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] At Ice Camp Barneo,

the American scientists are ready

to deploy their giant buoy.

The probe will take vital ice and atmospheric measurements.

It weighs the best part of a ton,

so the team need the help of the Russians.

- Next step will be the helicopter.

Digging this buoy up and basically

inserting it in that hole.

- [Narrator] The camp is running flat out

and the helicopters are in big demand.

To make sure his team gets one,

Andy resorts to a little lighthearted bribery.

- The management came into our tent the other day

and needed something but there was a can of nuts

on the, and he just, before he said anything helped himself.

So I said okay you took your nuts now

we want something in return,

and after that the nuts have become a joke.

- [Narrator] Having discovered the real

currency of Barneo,

Andy heads off to see operations director Misha.

- Oh that's the word, your weather, I see it.

- This is not a gift, it's a bribe.

- You can't, bad man!

Listen I'm not accepting that,

for camera I'm not accepting.

- Because it's a bribe.

It's a gift bag.

- It's a gift, thank you very much. (laughs)

But sorry I need to answer to another.

- Once you get far enough north, you help each other.

Money doesn't mean anything you need

to help each other out

and that's the beauty of the Arctic I think.

- [Narrator] With access to their helicopter sorted,

the buoys hurry to the deployment site.

The helicopter crew normally based in Siberia

must now show their unique skill.

(speaking Russian)

The pilot can't see beneath them.

He must hold the helicopter perfectly steady.

The buoy, which cost 100,000 pounds,

must be placed into a hole just 50 centimeters wide.

(dramatic music)

They've done it.

With the buoy in place, the team can celebrate.

- That's pretty good flying,

that was a nice job they did.

This is gonna end up in the north Atlantic.

It takes about a year to get from here

down to the entrance to the Greenland sea

and open water.

- [Narrator] As the ice sheet drifts on the ocean,

the buoy will drift with it.

Scientists worldwide will study the data it beams back,

to better understand the ice cap and its effect

on the earth's climate.

(drum line music)

Over at the skydivers tent,

the marathon runners are discovering

the polar cure for a hangover.

- Ready?

(all talking)

- Oh my gosh look at them all.

(screaming, grunting)

- That is bloody freezing.

- There's icicles on my nipples. (laughs)

- It's on my nipples and more.

- Where I'm from,

they say those men have balls.

(splashing, talking)

- Oh my gosh, he's very brave.

I would never do it.

- Oh, it's just numb, my body is totally numb.

- I'm never doing it again.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] Away from camp,

Mark has been battling the ice alone for six days.

This is one situation I didn't really wanna get into.

I've just gotta get it out haven't I.

It's strange to believe that

just a few weeks ago I was standing at

the geographic South Pole

and now I'm heading to the North Pole itself.

This is awesome I'm gonna arrive at the North Pole

the top of the world solo, completely isolated,

and this is how I want it to be.

- [Narrator] As Mark finally reaches the pole,

his week of solitude is shattered.

(firework noises)

(laughing)

- Fireworks at the North Pole man.

I don't know what's going on there.

I'll go and have a look.

But you'd think you'd be alone, eh? (laughs)

Oh well.

- [Narrator] Mark will have to share the pole

with a wedding party.

But there's a silver lining to this unwelcome intrusion.

The groom, Borge Ousland,

is one of Norway's most highly celebrated explorers,

and a hero to Mark.

- It's incredible I feel like I'm dreaming.

It's amazing.

He's the man, he's the man you know.

Got Borge Ousland at the end,

it's emotional.

- You're invited you just came in.

- Yeah I'm sorry I'm late I should

have dressed better as well

I should have worn a tie.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] At Barneo there's one last

treat in store for the marathon runners.

- Really really excited.

We were going to go to bed in about

10 or 15 minutes, and now we're on a helicopter

headed to the North Pole.

It's just ridiculous.

- [Narrator] The 30 minute chopper ride over

the perilous ice is an easy way to reach the pole.

But safety is still an issue.

- What I said, eh?

- I like the chopper ride a lot,

it's my favorite part of the trip I have to say.

And when everybody gets here

you know you've kind of delivered

what you were supposed to do,

and you can see everybody's delighted.

- I'm about to jump one, two, ah!

- It's beautiful.

- Yeah it's amazing.

I feel like David Attenborough should

appear any minute now,

talking to me about ice floes.

It is very beautiful.

- [Narrator] No trip to the pole

would be complete without the traditional

jog around the world.

- Some kind of pilgrim ceremony going on now.

We're going around a maypole.

(all cheering)

- Well you can see happy faces of people.

We are happy also.

It's actually a good job to make people happy.

Just to give them something very emotional

and very good memory.

- [Narrator] A team of huskies race to the top of the world.

- Hup hup hup!

- [Narrator] A 17-year-old school boy

juggles adventure and revision.

- I actually have my first A-level

three days after I fly back to London.

- [Narrator] And tension flares for Barneo's boss.

- You are happy, I don't arrive at the pole, why?

(dramatic orchestral music)