A former opera singer took on a freezing challenge in the North Pole marathon.

Ted Jackson, 36, completed the coldest marathon on earth after running in temperatures as low as -36C.

He finished the 26 and a half mile run in nine and a half hours - finishing 26th out of 38 runners.

He prepared for it by training in the deep freeze of his local butcher.

Mr Jackson, from Rudgwick, near Horsham, was featured in The Argus in 2003.

The builder turned opera singer lost the chance to sing at the London Coliseum after failing to make the final six of the Channel Four reality television show Operatunity.

But his career took off after that and he performed with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.

His latest challenge pushed the competitors to the limits.

They had to wear three layers of bulky clothing to protect them from the Arctic wind and stop them from developing hypothermia or frostbite.

They also had to wear snow goggles to protect against snowblindness - a condition caused by the exposure of eyes to the ultraviolet rays in sunlight reflected from snow or ice.

Mr Jackson took up running after his father had a triple heart bypass operation and his brother had a heart attack at just 35.

He has completed the New York and London Marathons and the London Triathlon before having a “mad” idea of cycling the Tour de France.

He hopes to run a marathon on every continent, which would make him a member of the North Pole Marathon Grand Slam Club.

Russian athlete Evgeniy Gorvov won the race in four hours and 27 minutes.