Running a marathon across an ice cap in little more than a week would prove a challenge to anyone.

It is a good job then, that former Guiseley AFC footballer, Ben Thackwray, 26, has the experience of a six-day endurance footrace across the Sahara Desert behind him ahead of his latest quest.

Mr Thackwray, from Yeadon, is preparing for a 550-kilometres, unsupported speed crossing of the Greenland ice cap.

By running 35 miles a day, he plans to finish the trek in ten days in spring next year. A Norwegian skier set an eight day record across the ice cap in 1995.

Mr Thackwray said: "Crossing the Greenland ice cap is a major undertaking and is regarded as one of the three classic polar adventures.

"I'm trying to adopt a modern day lightweight' approach born out of experience of ultra distance marathons and aim to cross the ice cap as fast as possible. I hope to essentially run and be unsupported."

Mr Thackwray will be dragging a sled containing fuel and food to last him 12 days, just in case he finds himself pinned down by more extreme weather conditions.

"I'm going to have to gamble with the amount of food and fuel I take and have specialist lightweight equipment which means losing out on extra added warmth. I will have to totally cut out any luxuries and may go pretty cold, but I like the idea of trying something new."

With months of training behind him, Mr Thackwray is now heading to Alaska where he will go sled-pulling and climbing up Mount McKinley to get a taste of the cold conditions.

"I've been training since my desert run. I do a lot of running, up to 40 miles a week with a rucksack on my back, I run to work and back and train at the gym. By April next year I'll probably have doubled the number of miles I cover a week."

Mr Thackwray's desert pursuit raised £2,000 for Noma treatment and prevention charity, Facing Africa, and he intends to use the Greenland challenge as a way of raise more money for charity.

It will cost of him around £8,000 to make the journey and he hopes corporate sponsors will come forward to back him.