24 April 2007
ARMY TEAM OF THREE WIN FASTEST NORTH POLE MARATHON TEAM COMPETITION 2007
An Army team of three, Sgt Rob Greaves - Army Physical Training Corps, brother Major Sean Greaves – Royal Army Dental Corps, and WO2 Steve Boswell – Army Physical Training Corps embarked on the most northerly and most extreme marathon – the North Pole Marathon, completing a full 26.2 miles in Arctic temperatures as low as -25C in aid of The Royal Star & Garter Homes. Rob, Sean and Steve did tremendously well, coming 8th, 10th and 22nd respectively with Steve managing 22nd place despite having undergone two complete hip replacement operations. This extreme challenge raised a staggering £41,659 for the disabled ex-Service men and women cared for by the Charity.
After 24 hours of travelling to Spitzbergen in Norway, 700 miles from the North Pole, Rob, Sean and Steve prepared themselves for the race ahead. Commencing at 2.45am GMT on 7th April 2007, the race took place in continuous daylight in the early hours of the morning. Rob, Sean, and Steve were amongst 43 athletes from over 20 nations competing in the North Pole Marathon. The team of three, nicknamed the Slalom Globetrotters were the first ever Army team to take part in the marathon and the fastest team to win the race. Slalom Globetrotters, came first in the Team Competition with winning times of 4:44:14 (Rob Greaves), 4:54:15 (Sean Greaves) and 5:54:57 (Steve Boswell). Running 26.2 miles in sub-zero temperatures on Arctic ice was not enough for Rob, who volunteered for Race Organiser, Richard Donovan’s pilot race, the North Pole Bike Marathon straight after the first marathon ended! Though some participants dropped out due to sheer exhaustion and frostbite, Rob persevered completing his second North Pole Marathon by cycle in four hours, 44 minutes, finishing in 6th place. After completing both marathons, Rob remarks, “I should have remembered Army training; never volunteer for anything! I had thought to myself while back in the UK, how hard can cycling 26 miles be? The answer is simple; it was extremely hard and emotional but we are all proud of our achievements.”
The Royal Star & Garter Homes would like to thank all the team, Rob, Sean and Steve for their commitment to this challenge and the fantastic support they have shown for the disabled ex-Service men and women the Charity cares for.
If you would like to support this tremendous effort, please call 0845 370 7500 quoting North Pole Marathon, visit www.starandgarter.org to donate online or send donations to The North Pole Marathon Appeal, The Royal Star & Garter Homes, Richmond Hill, Richmond-upon-Thames, Surrey, TW10 6RR.
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About the Royal Star & Garter Homes - Founded in 1916.
The Royal Star & Garter Charity has been caring for disabled ex-Service personnel since 1916. The Charity offers the best in nursing and therapeutic care for anyone is physically disabled or incapacitated and has served in Her Majesty’s Forces. There are also a wide variety of leisure activities available for our residents to enjoy, both internally and at outside venues. The Royal Star & Garter Charity is embarking on an ambitious and wide reaching project to build new homes, in the South West London area and elsewhere, to provide specialist care for elderly disabled ex-Service people in the best modern surroundings and will include a specialist dementia wing. The first of these will open in Solihull in the summer of 2008.
About the North Pole Marathon
Guinness World Records recognises the North Pole Marathon as the most northerly marathon. It is unique in that the race is run entirely on the frozen waters of the Arctic Ocean. For further details about the North Pole Marathon, please see www.npmarathon.com or contact Richard Donovan, Race Organiser. TEL: +353 -91-566077 or EMAIL: rd@npmarathon.com
About Rob Greaves
Rob joined the British Army aged 16 and became a Physical Training Instructor three years later. He has worked with various regiments and now leads the Rehabilitation of Injured Service Personnel at his current unit in Cardiff. Rob is an avid sportsperson who has competed for Great Britain at the Junior Biathlon Championships, Finland. At 36, he has completed many marathons and ultra-distance events including four mountain marathons, the Biel 100km road race, the Cyprus Walk-A-Bout mountain race and two team events through Death Valley, USA.
About Sean Greaves
Sean joined the Royal Navy at 16 years of age as an apprentice, gaining an HNC in Electronics. During his career, Sean served on board HMS Intrepid, HMS Birmingham and HMS Somerset. Upon leaving the Royal Navy to study Dentistry, he rejoined the British Army as a Dental Officer Sean’s fitness and outdoor pursuits rival those of his brother, Rob. He has climbed Mount Kenya, Mount Kinanbalu, and completed the Inca Trail. He has completed various Charity runs along the Florida Keys and competes in cross-country skiing each year in Norway.
About Steve Boswell
Steve joined the British Army aged 16, qualifying as a Physical Training Instructor in 1989. He specialised as a Remedial Instructor in 1999 and provided Exercise Rehabilitation at the Defence Rehabilitation Unit, Headley Court for five years. He currently trains new recruits to the Royal Signals and Royal Engineers at the Army Training Regiment Lichfield. Naturally a keen sportsman, Steve was named Britain’s youngest black belt in Kyokushinkai karate aged 12. Since then, his interests include rugby, orienteering and cross-country running, and taking part in the London Marathon. In 2003, Steve completed the ‘Marathon des Sables’, running 151 miles in six days across the Sahara Desert, raising some £10,000 for charity.
FURTHER INFO: Rebecca Spencer, Marketing & Communications Co-ordinator, The Royal Star & Garter Homes.
TEL: 020 8439 8118 or EMAIL: rebecca.spencer@starandgarter.org