A Richmond runner is aiming to join the seven continents marathon club, by conquering the southernmost marathon in Antarctica.

Tom Dilrew, founder of Richmond Running Club, is hoping to raise money to run the Antarctica Ice Marathon. This is arguably one of the toughest marathons, with underfoot conditions comprising of snow and ice throughout and an average windchill temperature of -20C. To make things a little more challenging the event takes place at an altitude of 700 metres.

Tom has completed marathons in Rome, Sydney, Rio, Toronto, Singapore and Cape Town, so completing the marathon in Antarctica would be his final milestone.

Even before running the event itself Tom faces a challenge of getting there, he said: “I have funded all of the previous marathons in my challenge so far. I felt that in taking on seven marathons, asking the same people for money each time was not sustainable, so decided to wait for the final marathon challenge. For this race, I will again be paying for my flights and hotel costs to get me as far as Chile.

"However the costs of flying on to the Union Glacier of Antarctica and participating in the race are just out of my reach. I am hoping that friends, family and anyone interested in supporting me on the final step of this challenge will help contribute to the entry costs. Once I have my race entry confirmed, I hope to raise as much money as possible for some wonderful charities including Richmond's Poppy Factory.”

Tom is also known as thisladruns on Instagram where he documents his training and marathon adventures. Despite all of his travels, his favourite place to run remains Richmond Park, where he is often seen running in his red and gold club vest. You can read more about Tom’s challenge and donate to his race entry costs at www.gofundme.com/thisladrunsantarctica