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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Race to the Pole,
This review is from: Race to the Pole (Paperback)
`Race to the Pole' is Fogles and Cracknells account of their race to the south pole and if you have seen the BBC series then you will have a good idea what the race and their experiences entailed. This book goes through their preparation, training, pre race illness' and the race itself. Fogle had to fight off a tropical illness before the race, as well as his wife having a miscarriage on the eve of departure and yet he still managed to finish the race as one of the strongest team members, much kudos is due. One aspect of the story that will keep you hooked is the friendly rivalry with a Norwegian team which mirrors the original expedition in the early 1900's when Amundsen and Scott also raced to the pole. In the series Cracknell comes across as arrogant and obnoxious and he put the team in danger at many points with his attitude and whilst this also comes across in the book, you also see the reasoning behind his behaviour (rather than just the actual behaviour itself) and you soon realise he was behaving the way he did due to extreme fatigue and race injuries. For a gold medal winning, hyper competitive Olympian it must have been very hard to take being the weakest member of the team and this explains some of his outbursts and attitude. The third team member, Ed Coats, isn't involved in the writing of the book but does get adequate mention and even though he seemed to be bullied by Cracknel in the TV series, their obvious admiration for each other comes through in the pages of the book. There are also two colour plates showing various aspects of the race, including Cracknells seriously worn and wrecked feet! This is a gripping and well written story and their strength and determination in hostile conditions is inspirational and I got choked up at the end when they finally achieved their goal. Well worth a look for fans of the series or of real life adventure books.Feel free to check out my blog which can be found on my profile page.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Qreat book, but a question remains,
By
This review is from: Race to the Pole (Paperback)
A great tale for any fan of adventure travel - the book is well-written, and is a compelling read. However, a question lingers....There were three members of the UK team that raced to the South Pole - James Cracknell, Ben Fogle, and Ed Coats. Ed Coats was clearly an integral part of the team, and his presence is recounted by Fogle and Cracknell throughout the book, yet his photo is not on the cover, and the epilogue and acknowledgements do not contain any words from Dr. Coats. The publisher's review doesn't even mention him. This may all be according to Ed Coats' wishes, but it leaves a thread hanging in the minds of readers. I would like to know, at the least, that he made it home safely.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Race to the Pole,
By
This review is from: Race to the Pole (Paperback)
You have to admire these guys for getting the job done.A bit disappointing the third member of the team didn't feature as much but they got the book out in record breaking time. I always in joy challenge type of books and it makes an easy read but you have to wonder how people like this keep motivated in extremely challenging and freezing conditions
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