Gary Martin, the School’s Designer behind The Greyhound, The Carthusian, our performing arts programmes and posters, and much more, completed a 200km race ending on the Equator.
Designer, Gary, has completed one of the world’s most demanding endurance challenges: the GlobalLimits São Tomé – The Hemisphere Crossing: a six‑day, 200km race through the jungles, plantations, and coastlines of São Tomé.
From the moment he set off, Gary was plunged into a landscape unlike any other — forgotten cocoa and coffee plantations, colonial‑era villages, dense jungle alive with colour, and beaches so untouched that five species of marine turtles still nest there. The route wound beneath the dramatic Pico Cão Grande and through the heart of the archipelago, offering both beauty and brutality in equal measure. Across the full course, Gary climbed roughly 6,000m and descended another 6,000m – a staggering elevation profile that added an extra layer of challenge to every kilometre.
It was such an amazing running adventure in brutal, high humidity, but in the most spectacular untouched paradise, surrounded by wonderfully friendly locals.
gary martin, designer
The conditions were relentless. Slippery jungle trails, rolling thunderstorms, and daily downpours turned every kilometre into a test of balance and grit. Nights were spent camping on remote beaches, where exhaustion met camaraderie and new bonds formed under pressure. Through it all, Gary pushed on – a testament to determination, resilience, and a willingness to take on the extraordinary.
The race culminated on Rolas Island, where Gary crossed the Equator Line four times in the final 5km, finishing at the closest point on earth to 0°N, 0°E. It was a fitting end to a challenge defined by extremes.
Gary’s achievement reflects the determination and quiet strength we value across the Charterhouse community – a reminder of what’s possible when you commit to a goal and see it through. |
 |
