SINGAPORE – South African banker Jethro de Decker, who is currently based in Singapore, talks about his attempt to make history by becoming the fastest person to ever complete an unassisted solo trek across the Antarctica to the South Pole as part of our Why We Run series on people who run for a meaningful cause.

The current record holder is Welsh adventurer Maria Leijerstam, who completed the trek in 10 days, 14hrs and 56 minutes.

De Decker, 33, a self-confessed adventure-seeker, decided that he would attempt this 650km-long trek only late last year.

Apart from enjoying the challenge of taking on this feat, which he hopes to complete by the end of next year, De Decker also be raising funds for Conservacion Patagonica, an organisation that works to save and restore wildlands and wildlife.

His next challenge however, will be to drag a 10kg tyre for 42.195km at the upcoming Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore (SCMS) next month, which he says will go a long way to preparing him for his trek to the South Pole.

Q: It’s the burning question that everyone will be asking: Why are you doing this trek?

I ask myself that a lot too. I’m attracted to the uncertainty of what will happen and the uncertainty of getting ready for it. It’s the challenge of doing something new. There isn’t already a procedure or a way of how you do it. I’m attracted to challenges like this, where you have to solve for yourself how to get ready for it, how to implement it and how to achieve it. The challenge of it all - be it physical or mentally is what I enjoy about it. I also want to inspire others and prove that you don’t need to be a hardcore athlete or anyone exceptional. You can be just a normal person working in a bank and do this, you just need to decide to start somewhere.

Q: What’s been the most difficult part of preparing for this trek so far?

I think the most difficult part of it is signing up for it and deciding to do it in the first place. Taking the first step and making a commitment to it is the hardest. Once you start the process, it’s actually all adventure. It’s exciting from day one and it’s been exciting for the last few months, and it’s going to be exciting till I finish it.

Q: What stage are you at in your preparations now?

I think I’m somewhere in the middle. It’s probably been just under a year since I started preparing. The first part was to research different ways of how to get from the Antarctica to the South Pole, and there are a few different ways of doing it with different routes. So I’ve been looking at all the different variables that each route offers. Since then, I’ve run a 170km ultramarathon, and participated in the Baikal Ice Marathon in Siberia to experience running in extremely cold temperatures. Now the next steps would be to increase how long I can be in the cold, increase how far I can run and get stronger at pulling weights, because I’ll need to carry all my gear and food during the trek.

Q: How do you train for the physical aspect of the race?

Now I’m starting with dragging a 10kg tyre, which I’ve named Denzil, and I’ve got him attached to a harness system set up around my waist. Most of my training now when I’m running will see me dragging the tyre. So far the longest I’ve travelled while dragging a tyre is 30km, but I need to make that distance longer. So the next run I’ll be taking part in is next month’s Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore, where I’ll be dragging the tyre for the full marathon (42.195km). I’m aiming to complete that in about seven hours.

Q: As you’re based in Singapore, how will you be training yourself to be accustomed to the cold?

You’re right, I can’t train for the cold in Singapore. But even if I’m somewhere cold, I can’t train for this unless is minus 30 or 40 degrees, and that’s difficult to train for nearly everywhere. But I can train my body, my mind and my nutrition to be 100 per cent, so the only variable I’ll have to worry about is the cold. Dealing with that will require some research too, as well as some hands-on experience. Surprisingly though, the cold is not the biggest worry. The challenge is actually not getting too warm during the trek, because then you start sweating, and sweat freezes up very quickly. So your inner clothes get damp, it freezes quickly and as the ice is then against your body, you get hypothermia very quickly or get frostbitten. So you have to walk that fine line between being too cold and being too warm.

Q: What are the targets you’ve set for yourself in this trek?

I’ve got three main targets. In order of importance, target one is to come home alive with all my fingers and toes attached. Target two is to get to the South Pole, and target three is to do it as fast as possible - I hope to complete this within 10 days. If I get to a point where I have to decide to drop one of those, then I’ll drop target three, and if needed drop target two, and hopefully I’ll never need to drop target one. The objective is always to get home. Getting to the South Pole is only half way, getting back home is the other half and you got to make sure that happens.

Q: There have been people who’ve died attempting this, does that worry you at all?

The first guy that attempted this, about 104 years ago, he died. He got to the South Pole and he died just before getting back to the coast. Last year, a British man (Henry Worsley) died - he tried to coast to coast across the South Pole, and he died very close, within a day or two off the far coast. But I think, 100 years ago, I can understand why people die because they don’t have the technology and they’re the first people to try this.

These days, I think it’s possible to do these things in a very responsible way. So unless you’ve got your objectives and priorities straight - that you’re coming home no matter what - and you’ve got the right safety nets in place, it can be quite safe.

So, for example, you always need to have spot beacon or a tracking device so people can see where you are at all times, and if you push the button to call for help, people will know where to come and get you. It’ll be really expensive help, but you’ll get out.

But the difficult part is pushing the button when you’re in that situation...when you’re a day away from your goal, and you’ve invested so much time and money. Do you wait and attempt to see if you can recover, and potentially die, or you push the button and go home? It won’t be an easy decision, but if you stick to your priorities, you’ll know what to do.