It is now or never for Murray.
“It’s time for me to do it and turn the page one way or another,” Martin said. “I’ve been planning it for a long time. It has taken up a lot of time. I have unfinished business. It’s a strong feeling I have to accomplish this. If it doesn’t work out this time, well it doesn’t, and I will put it behind me. I will move onto another challenge. I’m not getting any younger and there are other adventures I want to try.”
Murray is an extreme adventurer. He enjoys challenging himself to the utmost of his endurance and capabilities, both mentally and physically. He has enjoyed the outdoors since he was a child, laying on the grass at night and watching the stars high above his head. He enjoys skiing, hiking and swimming. He has a heady list of accomplished expeditions, including solo crossing a frozen Lake Winnipeg and Great Slave Lake. He does a hefty amount of training, year round, in tough, cold conditions to keep his mind and body prepared for the ultimate test of going to the North Pole. He also spends as much time as he can in the gym.
It isn’t just to keep his body and mind in top form. Murray quit smoking in 2001. He fought hard against withdrawal. He had smoked for more than 10 years. It hit him hard. Murray admits there was a point he couldn’t even run - the cigarettes had that much power over him. Murray realized he had to lead a better, healthier life and not just quit smoking but take the next step and better his body with exercise and challenges. This brought out his adventurous side full force. He went on to cross Lake Abitibi as his first test. Murray has continued to grow his outdoors resume by crossing Lake Winnipeg (winter of 2005-06) and Great Slave Lake and having camping experiences in James Bay and in the Arctic, among other notable extreme outdoors adventures.
“Crossing Abitibi really started it for me,” Murray said. “I started dreaming of bigger and bigger trips. I did 388-kilometres across Lake Winnipeg over 20 days in some cold conditions. It just gave me a taste for even bigger adventure. I am the type of person who does something and then I want to do another, harder challenge. I crossed Great Slave Lake and did 237-km in 11 days. I have found I can handle these situations and I have good skills and abilities outdoors. I do all this because good health is like money in the bank. It is important at all times, both mental and physical.”
Murray has put an invite out to some other explorers to join his 2017 expedition. If they don’t make it, Murray will go solo. He plans on having one re-supply, and might be assisted by a dog, but he is not sure. He will travel around 700-km over the course of 50 days or so from Ward Hunt Island to the North Pole.
Murray knows there will be plenty of unknowns along the way - except for one thing.
“This will be one of the toughest challenges I will ever do if it happens,” he said.
Family and friends understand Martin’s desire to push himself to his limits. Martin is driven, determined and calculated when it comes to his big adventures. He has some key characteristics that help him achieve his goals.
“Martin pays attention to details,” Justin Murray, his twin brother said. “It is all about details with him. It is the small things that can end up being a big thing on the kind of trips he does. He does what he does because he loves it. It is a personal challenge for him and he has to succeed at it. He trains for it and prepares for it and has back up plans.”
Martin is the type of person who isn’t easily persuaded to give up on his expectations for life.
“He is like everybody and has big dreams and he goes after them,” Justin said. “He doesn’t give up either. He keeps doing it.”