THE Simon Trust is over the moon after receiving £8,000 from an adventurous couple, Caroline and Nick Bark, who embarked on the 26.2 mile Polar Circle Marathon in aid of the trust, which is raising money to house severely autistic young adults in Surrey.

The marathon took Caroline and Nick over to Kangerlussuaq in Greenland, where they experienced low temperatures of minus 20 degrees and the challenges of running on ice caps.

Caroline was the first British woman to compete in both the full and half-marathons, and secured ninth place out of 50 other women from across the world – she highlighted that there were quite a lot of “very fit” and much younger people there than herself.

“It was amazing. The most beautiful place I have ever been. It was surreal running on a frozen sea of waves of ice, with thick snow between the waves and sitting on top of the flatter areas,” said Caroline.

“Luckily we had blue sky both days and as we ran up on to the ice cap both days the sun was just coming up, so the whole thing was bathed in a pink light for a bit and then brilliant sunshine.

“The running on the ice cap was very challenging. Then we came off the ice cap and you run on a track which is covered in snow, going through arctic tundra, past the end of the Russell Glacier and past frozen lakes, hilly all the way.”

The pair were covered in blisters and their legs were suffering by the end of day one, which Caroline part blames on the ice spikes which runners have to wear over their shoes, so getting up the next day and doing it again needed a bit of will power from the both of them.

Caroline continues: “I did struggle, very much to the point of tears. Luckily I had Nick who literally took my hand and pulled me up some of the last hills.

“But having said all that I would do it again tomorrow, we felt so privileged to be there and we met an incredible group of people, which was also very special. We raised £8,000, we were very pleased but they still have a long way to go.”

Sally Lawrence, chairman of The Simon Trust, said that Caroline and Nick went far beyond their comfort zones in tackling this mammoth challenge, making their previous marathons look easy.

She said: “They trained harder than ever and gave it their all, and I was so touched when Caroline told me they would like to run it in aid of The Simon Trust.

“Their sponsors have been incredibly generous and I had never imagined they would raise over £8,000. I am extremely grateful for their support to The Simon Trust and would personally like to thank them wholeheartedly.

“What’s more, despite Caroline’s fear of the cold and the incredibly tough conditions, she managed to come ninth out of the 50 women competing in the marathon.”

Sally would also like to thank Bill’s of Farnham who donated a £50 gift voucher for Nick and Caroline to have a celebratory meal in their restaurant.