The Trans-Pole

From Reach

The Trans-Pole is a race of epic proportions attempted in the middle of winter. Contestants gather at Satan's Workshop, the northernmost colony. Starting at midnight of the winter solstice, contestants race to the southern pole in whatever fashion they can. The only requirements for the race are:

• No jet or electromagnetic propulsion (effectively excluding flying vehicles)
• Wear the camera rig (showing front view, overhead view, and cab view for each contestant)
• No munitions higher than .70 caliber

On average, there are 50 contestants. Each is required to donate 10 Tanks of material, or 1000 Tins. 10% is absorbed as administrative costs by the colonies along the route, but the remaining supply is given to the winner as the prize. Considering the enormous amount of money this represents, and the danger of the route, few contestants ever attempt it twice in their life. One notable exception was Mike "Crazy" Kwiyowski who not only ran in but won the race 3 times.

The dangers of this run are enormous. Contestants must cross every region on the planet (Equitorial Desert, Tropical Belts), facing sleets of acid, temperatures that melt metal, and everything inbetween. While no specific route is necessary, there is a well traveled one that most contestants run called the Devil's Path, in reference to Satan's Workshop. While this path is the fastest currently discovered, it runs the risk of combat from the other contestants, as guns are not specifically outlawed on the race.

The race generally lasts for 8 days, and many factories will outright shut down, taking this as the closest thing they have to a holiday. Ion Pulse Communicators will be continuously firing all over the planet in an attempt to maintain the feed from the Colony ships orbiting the planet. One of the small mercies is that the race is relatively self policing, as people are guaranteed to be watching the feed 30 hours a day, meaning that any rule breaking (as difficult as that is) is impossible.