Darley Dan (Great Britain)

Darley Dan

Dan Darley succeeded in reaching the North Pole accompanied by his friend Amelia Russell in the spring of 2010. Despite terrible conditions of headway. He is an extraordinary sportsman who has already, in 2004, successfully taken part in the horrific Ironman of Hawaii ordeal.

Spring 2010 : accompanied by his friend Amelia Russell, Dan was put down at Cape Discovery on 26 February 2010. They are attempting the North Pole without external assistance. Just like the other teams that are on the same route this spring, the Dan/Amelia couple has had to face strong negative drifts. By and large, they lose at night the distance that they had won during the day. The end of their adventure was particularly trying because the conditions were horrendous. On 22 April, for example, when they were taking a well-deserved twelve-hour rest after having walked/skied for 18 hours non-stop, they found themselves exactly 5.5 kilometres from where they had stopped twelve hours earlier - in the wrong direction of course. On 25 April, after 57 days 19 hours and 50 minutes of suffering, the couple reached the North Pole. Out of the four expeditions that have tried the adventure without resupply this spring, the Darley/Russell couple is the only one to have made a success of that courageous formula.

Dan (33 in 2010)Â went to Trinity College where he too got involved in rowing both at a University and College level. Highlights there included representing the Cambridge University Lightweight Rowing Club in their annual race against their counterparts from Oxford, as well a number of strong performances at the British Indoor Rowing Championships which he finally won (Open Lightweight category) in 1998.

Since leaving college in 1999 Dan has worked in the City but still managed to hit the gym enough to stay in good shape. Over that time Dan has competed at many triathlons including representing GB at the age-group world tri champs in May 2004 and racing a number of marathons and other triathlons including 6 Ironman events which culminated in Dan qualifying for, and racing at, Ironman Hawaii in 2004 - coming 440th out of about 1700 competitors. At the end of 2005 he took part in the Atlantic Rowing Race with Rich Dewire where they finished as 4th pair after 58 days at sea. In 2007 Dan (with others) did the Raid Pyrenees and in 2008 the Route des Grandes Alpes, finishing 2008 with a 2:46 at the Berlin marathon, a frustrating 1 minute off his goal of 2:45.

Any holidays not used for racing or cycling are taken going backcountry somewhere with Amelia hiking, canoeing, kayaking, skiing or whatever else works..