In November of 2019 Jenny will ski to the South Pole. She begins at Hercules Inlet in Antarctica, the recognised start point on the geographical coastline, and will attempt to ski 715 miles to the South Pole. The attempt will be solo, unsupported and unassisted meaning Jenny will receive no outside assistance during the attempt and will be hauling a 80kgs pulk carrying her tent, food and equipment. As ever, she’s in a hurry to get there, and is determined to continue to inspire thousands of individuals across the globe by doing so.
Jenny is a proud Ambassador of the charities Children In Need and Women in Sport and a Polar Ambassador for the STEM initiative.
Jenny is contacted by women all over the world who’ve been inspired by her racing endeavours and career to date. “Inspired” is the common thread running through all these messages of support, however for some time Jenny has wanted to take this further and encourage individuals to turn that inspiration into something tangible.
This is Jenny’s second attempt to reach the South Pole. Last year she was medically evacuated 22 days into her attempt with a bowel infection and peritonitis, she has returned even stronger and has been hard at work this past year to prepare herself for a second attempt.
We’re looking for mass participation whereby individuals and schoolchildren across the UK and US pledge to take on a new challenge or goal in the same amount of time it takes Jenny to reach the South Pole. This doesn’t have to be an athletic achievement but will lean towards it and can include anything from running a 10k race, mastering a fear of public speaking or learning how to code.
“If there’s one thing I want to achieve it is to inspire schoolchildren to realise they’re capable of more than they ever dreamed of. I’d like nothing more than a child to be following my attempt and to realise it’s something they themselves could tackle one day”
Recent research by Women in Sport sought to determine when and why women become disengaged with sport. More importantly, they also looked into how “influencers” can positively impact girls’ belief systems around what they can achieve. It is clear from the research that children lack female role models and inspirational sports women’s stories. Therefore to inspire change, children must be presented with stories of women in sport overcoming adversity to achieve their sporting-goals.
To encourage young children to continue to engage in sport and to enthuse them on Antarctica she will embark on a UK and US school tour to talk about her expedition. Education is a paramount outcome for this expedition and the desire to achieve a new world record is to ensure maximum publicity on both Jenny’s fundraising efforts and her desire to inspire individuals to take on new challenges.
Jenny has been in training for this solo attempt for the last three years and has participated in the world’s most renowned and toughest races as preparation.
Scientific Research and Data Collection
Jenny is excited to again be working with the University of Coventry as part of their research into endurance athletes performing in extreme conditions such as Antarctica. She will again spend 48hours in their metabolic chamber and undergo baseline assessments that will be repeated on her return.
