On Thin Ice

S01E05

Episode 5

After an extreme start to the race, TV presenter Ben Fogle, Olympian James Cracknell and doctor Ed Coats recover at the halfway checkpoint after arriving in second place, just behind their race rivals the Norwegians. They're checked over by the race doctor and given the all-clear to start again after 24 hours' enforced rest. The team heads out hot on the heels of the Norwegians. They start well, racing hard in the face of temperatures that drop to -40 deg C and below. Within days the extreme conditions take a dangerous toll on the team, with both Ben and James succumbing to frostbite. On a particularly hard and cold day they break down completely. James is almost at the point of no return, and the team stops early and takes a serious review of the situation. They depart again, but only to find themselves in every polar explorer's worst nightmare: a crevasse field. With each step they risk falling through the thin snow bridges that conceal hidden danger beneath. They have no choice but to carry on - their only escape route is to reach the South Pole as quickly as possible. After another nine days of brutal and unrelenting man-hauling they reach the finish line, exhausted and on their last legs. They've achieved their dream - to race to the South Pole as a team of three.