Endurance athlete Colin O'Brady has become the first person to cross Antarctica solo and without help.
Colin O'Brady, of Portland, Oregon, made history Wednesday, ending his 930-mile (1,500-kilometer), 54-day journey. The 33-year-old had decided to make a last-minute, final push to complete his journey, he wrote on Instagram.
"32 hours and 30 minutes after leaving my last camp early Christmas morning, I covered the remaining ~80 miles in one continuous 'Antarctica Ultramarathon' push to the finish line," O'Brady wrote.
O'Brady began his journey Nov. 3 at the Ronne Ice Shelf, then made his way to the South Pole, and crossed to the Ross Ice Shelf, he said. He documented his trek, which he called "The Impossible First," on Instagram.
The whole way, O'Brady had to lug 375 pounds (170 kilograms) of gear uphill and over sastrugi, wave-like ridges created by wind.
"Not only am I pulling my ... sled all day, but I'm pulling it up and over thousands of these sastrugi speed bumps created by the violent wind," O'Brady wrote in a Nov. 12 Instagram post. "It's a frustrating process at times to say the least."
O'Brady couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday evening, as he was getting some well-deserved sleep by the finish line.
Others have crossed Antarctica, but they either had assistance with reinforced supplies or kites that helped propel them forward, The Associated Press reported.
In 2016, British explorer Henry Worsley attempted to cross Antarctica unaided but had to be rescued and later died of an infection. Fellow explorer Louis Rudd is currently attempting to finish the journey in Worsley's honor. O'Brady plans to stay in Antarctica until Rudd finishes, O'Brady's wife, Jenna Besaw, told the Associated Press.
“His intention is to wait for Louis and have kind of a celebratory moment with the only other person on the planet to have accomplished this same thing," she said.
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