Camila Benouali is set to ski to the North Pole in 2017 to raise money for Action Medical Research.
CAMILLA BENOUALI has been sporty and adventurous from a young age. Her experiences have included trekking in Borneo and also a trip to Belize on a jungle conservation.
As a mother Camilla has always encouraged her children to enjoy the outdoors and discover nature and all the wonders it has to offer. In order to set them an example for life she’s decided to embark on a challenge which will see her ski to the North Pole in 2017.
In this exclusive interview Camilla talks to us about what inspired her to set herself the challenge and the charity she will be raising money for. Read on to find out about her training schedule and what she’s looking forward to and fears the most on the adventure which will take place in 2017.
To find out more about the challenge and to get behind Camila and donate to the cause visit www.action.org.uk/sponsor/thenorthpolemama.
Have you always been an active person and could you tell us about some of the previous adventures you’ve been on?
Yes. I was a fairly typical little girl and started doing tap and ballet classes from about the age of five, but then turned into a tomboy from then onwards! I did karate until I was in secondary school and then played the usual school sports – netball, hockey, tennis. I played all three sports until university. My parents were also keen walkers so we were out in the countryside from a young age walking the dogs and learning how to shoo away cows!
At university I started enjoying different sports – I climbed for a year or two. Then I discovered capoeira which is a Brazilian martial art and I did that for many, many years.
Nowadays, I’m more of a gym goer and I recently started doing crossfit, but walking in mountains is my number one happy place. I had a GAP year before university and I went to Belize on a jungle conservation trip. I loved it so much that I went to Borneo the next year and about once a year through medical school I found ways to have adventures. I went to the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee to do a Wilderness Medicine Elective and then went with the WMS to Nepal in my final year of medical school to help in the clinic in Pheriche and take part in research.
Since I started working and had my children things have tailed off a bit and hence why I chose a huge challenge to get me back into things.
What inspired you to take on the challenge of the The Last Degree to the North Pole in 2017 and have you had any experience in the sport of skiing previous to this?
I wanted to push way out of my comfort zone to really get back into doing adventurous things. I have always wanted to go to the North Pole since I read The Northern Lights by Philip Pullman as a young girl. I wanted something really huge to inspire myself and others around me, especially my children, that even when you think the challenge is too difficult, if you have a passion to do it, you commit and you are consistent, you can achieve it. I have had ZERO experience skiing- literally never put my feet into ski boots!
Camila has always been an active person but her skiing challenge to the North Pole will be her biggest adventure to date.
Who are you raising money and why is the charity so important to you?
I’m raising money for Action Medical Research for Children. It is a crucial charity because it funds medical research into childhood disease and prematurity. Funding for medical research is not subsidised by the government for children whereas it is for adult diseases. I am hoping to become a neonatologist (specialist paediatrician in newborn and premature infants.) The outcomes for premature babies are improving every year. This is because research has been done into how to best care for these babies. I want those outcomes to continue improving. I want to feel that, as a paediatrician, I am doing everything I can for my patients and this is one of the ways I feel I can help.
Camila pictured in Norway in 2009.
How hard are you currently training and what does your daily routine involve?
I am currently training around four to five times per week – mainly at the gym but also at home. I have two young children and I work part time. My husband works full time so the training fits in around the family schedule. I usually go to the gym after the kids are in bed or if I’m doing a 12-hour shift at work I try to do a home workout before or after that shift.
Most evenings after I workout I am sending and responding to emails, tweets and Instagram messages and trying to fundraise the £36k that I have pledged to raise for the charity.
About four months before the expedition leaves I will start hauling tyres with a harness as my main method of preparation. Every day has to be planned in advance to make sure I am taking care of my family and my patients and then have productive time left over to train and fundraise. It’s pretty busy but it’s a great feeling when you make progress.
Camila pictured in Malawi in 2006.
How hard is it fitting in the training and preparation for the challenge with work and family commitments?
It can be difficult to fit it all in but I’m really enjoying it and that keeps me motivated. You have ebbs and flows – you can’t always be 100 per cent on top of everything but as long as all aspects are inching forward, I’m happy. The family and work take priority, but my husband is massively supportive so he takes his fair share of family commitments which means I usually have something left in the tank to dedicate to the expedition.
Camila in Borneo, 2002.
What are you most excited about when it comes to getting out there are starting the challenge in 2017 and what are your biggest worries?
I just can’t wait to be in that landscape! I crave open spaces and quiet, so I think I’m going to love it. I’m really excited about the enormous physicality of the challenge as well- to achieve something so unique and difficult will be such a great feeling. My biggest worries are centred around my children. My biggest fear is that something will happen to one of them and I won’t be there. As a mum it makes me feel pretty guilty but my husband and I are complete equals when it comes to the kids so I know they’ll get everything they need when I’m away.
Camila pictured on Mount Toubkal in 2010.
What’s the best way for our readers to donate and find out more about the challenge?
You can find out more about the charity and donate on its website by searching for the North Pole Mama or clicking on the following link www.action.org.uk/sponsor/thenorthpolemama.
I have a video which was produced by the incredible Matchclip which people can watch her: https://vimeo.com/174016595.
To get more details about the expedition check out the Charity Challenges expedition details here: https://www.charitychallenge.com/expedition/2496/North-Pole-Challenge
