Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Scott’s pushing it to the extremes
egraftonwilliams@thekmgroup.co.uk A father of triplets will move from the freezing winds of the Arctic to the sweltering heat of the Sahara as he takes on two daunting challenges just weeks apart.
Ex-special forces soldier Scott Smith will start a 430-mile trek across the desolate icy plains of Canada on Sunday, in temperatures as low as minus 50 celsius.
But he won’t have any problem warming down, as seven weeks later it’ll be 100 degrees hotter as he tackles the famous Marathon de Sables with his wife Michelle – a 156-mile race on the sands of Morocco.
Scott, of Riverside Road, Canterbury, served in the Parachute Regiment and Special Forces for 24 years and is no stranger to testing challenges.
The 48-year-old teaches climbing and mountaineering with his wife and says his 21-year-old sons take after him with their adventurous nature.
To prepare for the Yukon Arctic Ultra he took on a shorter 100mile race in the same place last year – but soon found himself hallucinating.
“My brain started doing some really crazy things,” he said.
“I was stood there at one point for several minutes and I was seeing weird stuff.
“There was a lady in a summer dress and I was thinking ‘What is that woman doing standing there?’ It was so lifelike.
“I think the secret to the race is not to break.”
Scott hopes to cover 43 miles a day in Canada, completing the trek three days quicker than the 13 days suggested.
“There’s lots of things that could potentially go wrong,” he said.
“The idea is to keep moving, keep generating heat.
“Your whole body must be covered.
“Not one piece of skin can be exposed – your eyeballs can also start to freeze.”
The Yukon race finishes on February 18, with the next challenge, the Marathon Des Sables, starting on April 7.
Branded the “toughest footrace on Earth”, it will see Scott and his wife run for six days through the Sahara Desert.
Scott is raising money for the Hope for Children Charity and aims to reach £10,000.
“My wife and I both do some work with kids who haven’t had a great start in life,” he said.
“We do a lot of work with schools and help to give children a better start.
“Hope for Children is fantastic. It gives kids a chance they might not have otherwise had.” To donate to their page go to bit.ly/2kj74k6