Early summer training update from Jonny Huntington

SRG is proud to be a key sponsor for Jonny Huntington, a disabled polar explorer, endurance athlete and sport scientist as he attempts to become the first disabled person to trek solo and unsupported from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole in 2024. A true example of difficult done well!

Jonny’s journey has been nothing short of inspirational. In 2014, Jonny suffered a stroke that left him completely paralysed on his left side, leading to extensive rehabilitation and discharge from his position as an Officer with the British Army. Despite this immense challenge, Jonny’s determination led him to compete for Great Britain as a para-Cross Country Skier and work as an Intelligence and Operations Officer for the British Government.

As summer takes hold, Jonny Huntington’s training intensifies. Amidst this, he has a busy schedule of community contributions, aligning with the goals of his South Pole expedition. With preparations for Chile in November ramping up, the pressure is on. In our recent update; Jonny shares what he has been up to over the last couple of months:

Now that the winter season has finished, and the summer is well and truly set in, it’s into a much more standard block of training for me. Eight sessions per week, comprising of strength and conditioning in the gym, as well as some climbing, running, weighted marching and tyre dragging. Meaning that things are still very busy, but smooth progress is always a good thing!

It’s also been a great time to do other things, and really be able to contribute back to communities and charities as part of the project, which has been a huge ambition of mine with this whole process from inception. Events such as the Armed Forces Para Snowsport Team’s gala dinner, where SRG had a table led by Chris Lennon, and generously donated several raffle prizes, as well as a outdoor learning area opening at the North Heath Community Primary School in Horsham, facilitated by Amy Green. Both have been great examples of being able use the South Pole expedition to promote some positive messaging and get involved with really meaningful causes.

It’s also been a really interesting period for me – although everything is progressing smoothly, there is still a huge amount of work to be done before heading to Chile in November. This includes more fundraising, preparation of all of the expedition equipment and food, as well as putting the final touches on the training package and expedition details. Time seems to be escaping at an increasing rate of knots, so getting everything organised has not been without its stresses, and every day that the expedition approaches, nerves increase with the fear of the unknown.

As something which I speak about a lot, and a common theme with those trying to improve their own performance and operate outside of their comfort zone, controlling and moderating all of these feelings is hard. But as we all know with training, practice and focused execution, difficult can be done well – I just need to knuckle down for the next few months, trust the process, and hope that the Antarctic weather plays in my favour!

SRG is proud to be a key sponsor for Jonny as he attempts to become the first disabled person to trek solo and unsupported from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole in 2024. A true example of difficult done well!

He will continue to keep us up to date with his training and preparation in the lead up to his expedition in November. In the meantime, we wish him the best of luck and can’t wait for the next update from him.

You can also connect with Jonny on LinkedIn to stay up to date with his training and preparation.