475 miles extreme iceman challenge

A Planning manager from food manufacturing giant 2 Sisters Food Group is attempting to break the Official Guinness World Record for the fastest land crossing of Iceland.

Glen Baddeley, who works at Site D in West Bromwich, will have to travel across 475 miles of tough terrain in extreme weather conditions.

The current official Guinness world record for crossing Iceland from the most northern lighthouse to the most southern lighthouse is currently ten and a half days. Glen is looking to do at least two marathons a day to complete the record attempt within his target of ten days.

Glen has embarked on a gruelling training plan in preparation for the attempt. He knows from his previous fundraising experience that he needs to take it to the next level to raise much needed funds for The Boparan Charitable Trust, which has received almost no income throughout the pandemic. 

He will be navigating volcanos and glaciers along the route and camping in the elements to complete the challenge. He will be fully tracked by GPS and his progress can be tracked on the internet for all his supporters and sponsors. Glen will also have to conform to a set of strict criteria for tracking, filming and obtaining witness statements along the route to be able to verify the attempt to Guinness World Records.

It is important for Glen to raise maximum funds and awareness for the charity as they have not been able to hold any fundraising events for two years due to the pandemic. The demand for the charity’s services has increased during this period, as the children’s treatments and therapies they support have been put on hold while the NHS reacted to the pandemic. It has also meant that many families struggling with extreme poverty throughout the UK have been unable to get hold of household essentials, so the charity has had increase demand for these items.

Glen said: “I have completed many challenges and marathons in the past, including trekking across the Oman desert, to raise money for charity, so I wanted to ensure that this challenge was bigger and better than anything I’ve ever done.’’

Charity Trustee, Baljinder Boparan said: "For most people, completing a single marathon would be an extreme challenge, but what Glen is attempting seems truly impossible and unimaginable. We are so grateful that Glen is not only taking on this challenge for us in September, but for all the training and fundraising that he is already doing. As a charity still recovering from the pandemic, we are reliant on fundraisers like Glen to ensure we can continue to support the children that need our help.’’

If you would like to sponsor Glen go to: theboparancharitabletrust.enthuse.com/pf/project-iceman