The Polar Race

Rob MacAlister

I was born in 1973. I am married to my fantastic wife Helen and have two wonderful daughters Enid, aged 2 and Dulcie born early this year! I work for services and solutions provider, Computacenter and specialize City Banks realize best business benefit from IT. I have been at Computacenter for 10 years and will return there after the sabbatical.

I enjoy adventures having kayaked around uninhabited islands in Mexico and dog-sledding in Sweden. I was brought up in the Northeast (Newcastle fan) and Lymington, Harts and spend a lot of time on the water. I love all sports including Rugby and Golf, I love eating and cooking and my idea of a good night is food and wine with friends and family.

If my life was to be made into a film, Brian Blessed would play me well! 

Lucy Maizels

I just qualified as a doctor from the University of Bristol and I am currently working in St. George's Hospital in South London, which has an enormous learning curve but extremely rewarding. In fact it was during a quiet period on a night shift about 3 am that I discovered and applied for this race!

Most of my family have a wonderful spirit of adventure so travel has always been a part of my life. My grandmother, an inspiration to us all as she still skis and walks the dog daily, introduced me to trekking on an expedition in Nepal several years ago. I have subsequently undertaken several other challenging expeditions, including a memorable one with my younger brother in Tiber a couple of years ago.

I am privileged to be a part of this race and am raising money for Marie Curie Cancer Care, an excellent charity that is sadly extremely close to my heart. 

Ryan Malfara

I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada and I am proudly part of the first and so far only all Canadian team. Currently 25, I am a very determined young man. I choose to challenge myself whenever and wherever possible. I have completed in a wide variety of sports and events including swimming, rowing, running, etc. I love the challenge of pushing myself to news levels daily. I hope that my actions will help inspire and empower others to succeed.

Robert Platt

I come from Sheffield, UK. I run an Internet company that sells professional audio equipment. I love my job but I love exercising and being outdoors more. My interests include cycling, hiking, rowing and red wine. I have always enjoyed physically demanding challenges, so for me the Polar Race will push the boundaries of what I can achieve.

Jo Winchcombe

Having focused the last 15 years on my family (John, my ever supportive husband and fabulous kids, Annie -14, Sam - 13 and simon - 11) and my business (Simply Stuck - producing personalised labels for everybody else's kids) I needed some different challenges to stretch me physically and mentally and prove I can still reach great achievements - even in my mid-forties! The Polar Race will take me to the limits and allow me to experience a landscape and environment that few people have had the opportunity to explore.

Lee Swan

My name is Lee Swan, I am a 30 year old South African, based in Johannesburg. My life’s goal is to live an exceptional life, not an ordinary one. I consistently seek out opportunities which align with this goal. I am participating in the Polar Race 2011 in order to experience something truly exceptional, and to be the first African-born woman to complete the Race.

I am raising money for South African charities which are dedicated to supporting the development of maths and science skills in our school children. I believe that maths and science skills are fundamentally important to enabling the ability for future generations to solve Africa’s major problems, particularly poverty, unemployment, disease (malaria and HIV Aids) and mitigation and adaptation to the impacts of global climate change.