A British adventurer was close to becoming the second person to traverse Antarctica completely unassisted just a few days after an American became the first to conquer the feat, which was previously said to be impossible.

Louis Rudd's expedition blog on Thursday showed that the 49-year-old has only has about 50 miles (80 kilometers) left on the journey across the continent and is expected to finish Saturday.

If Rudd — a Hereford, England, resident and captain in the British Army — completes the journey, he'll become the second man to do so after Colin O'Brady of Portland, Oregon, became the first on Wednesday.

The more than 900-mile (1448-kilometer) trek took O'Brady 54 days. O'Brady and Rudd were competing to become the first to travel across Antarctica without getting new supplies or help from the wind.

O'Brady won after he covered the last roughly 80 miles (129 kilometers) in one big, impromptu final push to the finish line that took well over an entire day.

"While the last 32 hours were some of the most challenging hours of my life, they have quite honestly been some of the best moments I have ever experienced," O'Brady posted on Instagram, where he has been documenting the arduous journey.

"I've just heard that the American Colin's finished," he wrote. "Fantastic, well done to him. He'd pushed really hard all the way across and done extremely well, so congratulations to him."

Rudd wrote that he never felt like he was in a race and that "it's always been about completing the journey."

It's been an emotional trek for Rudd, who decided to do the solo in honor of his close friend and fellow British explorer Henry Worsley, who died near the end of his attempt at an unassisted solo trek across Antarctica in 2016.

Though others have traversed Antarctica, they either had assistance with reinforced supplies or kites that helped propel them forward.

O'Brady plans to stay on Antarctica until Rudd finishes his trek, said O'Brady's wife, Jenna Besaw.

"It's a small club," she joked. "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."

O'Brady finished his trek as friends, family and fans tracked the endurance athlete's progress in real time online.

"I did it!" a tearful O'Brady said on a call to his family gathered in Portland for the holidays, according to Besaw.

O'Brady, who had been told he may never walk again after an accident burned his legs in 2008, described in detail the ups and downs along the way since he began his Antarctic trek on Nov. 3.

In the beginning, he had to haul 375 pounds (170 kilograms) of gear uphill and over sastrugi, wave-like ridges created by wind. By the end of the journey, his gear weighed roughly 140 pounds (64 kilograms).

On Nov. 18, he wrote that he awoke to find his sled completely buried from an all-night blasting of wind and snow. That day he battled a 30 mph (48 kph) headwind for eight hours as he trudged along.

"I wanted so badly to quit today as I was feeling exhausted and alone, but remembering all of the positivity that so many people have been sending, I took a deep breath and focused on maintaining forward progress one step at a time and managed to finish a full day," he wrote.

On Day 37, Dec. 9, O'Brady posted about how much he's changed, along with a selfie in which he looks almost in pain, snow gathered around his furry hat.

"I'm no longer the same person I was when I left on the journey, can you see it in my face?" he wrote. "I've suffered, been deathly afraid, cold and alone. I've laughed and danced, cried tears of joy and been awestruck with love and inspiration."

Though O'Brady had initially thought he'd want a cheeseburger at the end of his nearly impossible journey, Besaw said her husband has been fantasizing about fresh fish and salad because he has mostly been eating freeze-dried foods.

As for what's next for O'Brady, who also has summited Mount Everest, Besaw said she's not entirely sure.

"We are just so in the moment celebrating this right now," she said. "Then we'll see what's next on the horizon."</s>A British adventurer is close to becoming the second person to traverse Antarctica completely unassisted.

Louis Rudd's expedition blog shows he has only has about 50 miles left on the journey across the continent and is expected to finish Saturday.

If the Hereford, England, resident completes the journey, he'll become the second man to do so after Colin O'Brady of Portland, Oregon, became the first Wednesday.

The more than 900-mile (1448-kilometre) trek took O'Brady 54 days. O'Brady and Rudd were competing to become the first to travel across Antarctica without getting new supplies or help from the wind.</s>An American adventurer, Colin O’Brady has become the first person to complete a solo trek across Antarctica without assistance of any kind.

O’Brady, 33, took 54 days to complete the nearly 1,000-mile (1,600-kilometer) crossing of the frozen continent from north to south.

“I accomplished my goal: to become the first person in history to traverse the continent of Antarctica coast to coast solo, unsupported and unaided,” O’Brady wrote in an Instagram post after covering the final 77.5 miles in 32 hours.

“While the last 32 hours were some of the most challenging hours of my life, they have quite honestly been some of the best moments I have ever experienced,” he wrote.

“I was locked in a deep flow state the entire time, equally focused on the end goal, while allowing my mind to recount the profound lessons of this journey. I’m delirious writing this as I haven’t slept yet.”

His voyage was tracked by GPS, and live updates of the trip were provided daily on his website colinobrady.com.

O’Brady and an Englishman, Army Captain Louis Rudd, 49, set off individually on November 3 from Union Glacier in a bid to be the first to complete a solo, unassisted crossing of Antarctica.

In 1996-97, a Norwegian polar explorer, Borge Ousland, made the first solo crossing of Antarctica but he was wind-aided by kites on his voyage.

O’Brady and Rudd set off on cross-country skis dragging sleds called pulks which weighed nearly 400 pounds (180 kilograms).

O’Brady reached the South Pole on December 12, the 40th day of his journey.

He arrived at the finish point on the Ross Ice Shelf on the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday after covering a total of 921 miles.

Rudd is about a day or two behind.

O’Brady said he made the decision over breakfast to finish his journey in one continuous push.

“As I was boiling water for my morning oatmeal, a seemingly impossible question popped into my head,” O’Brady wrote on Instagram. “I wonder, would (it) be possible to do one straight continuous push all the way to the end?

“By the time I was lacing up my boots the impossible plan had become a solidified goal,” he said. “I’m going to push on and try to finish all 80 miles to the end in one go.”

The New York Times described O’Brady’s effort as among the “most remarkable feats in polar history,” ranking alongside the 1911 “Race to the South Pole” between Norway’s Roald Amundsen and England’s Robert Falcon Scott.

“To complete the final 77.54 miles in one shot — essentially tacking an ultra marathon onto the 53rd day of an already unprecedented journey — set an even higher bar for anyone who tries to surpass it,” the Times wrote.

In 2016, an English army officer, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Worsley, died while trying to complete an unassisted solo crossing of Antarctica.</s>Sign up for one of our email newsletters.

A British adventurer was close to becoming the second person to traverse Antarctica completely unassisted just a few days after an American became the first to conquer the feat, which was previously said to be impossible.

Louis Rudd’s expedition blog on Thursday showed that the 49-year-old has only has about 50 miles left on the journey across the continent and is expected to finish Saturday.

If Rudd — a Hereford, England, resident and captain in the British Army — completes the journey, he’ll become the second man to do so after Colin O’Brady of Portland, Oregon, became the first on Wednesday.

The more than 900-mile trek took O’Brady 54 days. O’Brady and Rudd were competing to become the first to travel across Antarctica without getting new supplies or help from the wind.

O’Brady won after he covered the last roughly 80 miles in one big, impromptu final push to the finish line that took well over an entire day.

“While the last 32 hours were some of the most challenging hours of my life, they have quite honestly been some of the best moments I have ever experienced,” O’Brady posted on Instagram, where he has been documenting the arduous journey.

“I’ve just heard that the American Colin’s finished,” he wrote. “Fantastic, well done to him. He’d pushed really hard all the way across and done extremely well, so congratulations to him.”

Rudd wrote that he never felt like he was in a race and that “it’s always been about completing the journey.”

It’s been an emotional trek for Rudd, who decided to do the solo in honor of his close friend and fellow British explorer Henry Worsley, who died near the end of his attempt at an unassisted solo trek across Antarctica in 2016.

Though others have traversed Antarctica, they either had assistance with reinforced supplies or kites that helped propel them forward.

O’Brady plans to stay on Antarctica until Rudd finishes his trek, said O’Brady’s wife, Jenna Besaw.

“It’s a small club,” she joked. “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.”

O’Brady finished his trek as friends, family and fans tracked the endurance athlete’s progress in real time online.

“I did it!” a tearful O’Brady said on a call to his family gathered in Portland for the holidays, according to Besaw.

O’Brady, who had been told he may never walk again after an accident burned his legs in 2008, described in detail the ups and downs along the way since he began his Antarctic trek on Nov. 3.

In the beginning, he had to haul 375 pounds of gear uphill and over sastrugi, wave-like ridges created by wind. By the end of the journey, his gear weighed roughly 140 pounds.

On Nov. 18, he wrote that he awoke to find his sled completely buried from an all-night blasting of wind and snow. That day he battled a 30 mph headwind for eight hours as he trudged along.

“I wanted so badly to quit today as I was feeling exhausted and alone, but remembering all of the positivity that so many people have been sending, I took a deep breath and focused on maintaining forward progress one step at a time and managed to finish a full day,” he wrote.

On Day 37, Dec. 9, O’Brady posted about how much he’s changed, along with a selfie in which he looks almost in pain, snow gathered around his furry hat.

“I’m no longer the same person I was when I left on the journey, can you see it in my face?” he wrote. “I’ve suffered, been deathly afraid, cold and alone. I’ve laughed and danced, cried tears of joy and been awestruck with love and inspiration.”

Though O’Brady had initially thought he’d want a cheeseburger at the end of his nearly impossible journey, Besaw said her husband has been fantasizing about fresh fish and salad because he has mostly been eating freeze-dried foods.

As for what’s next for O’Brady, who also has summited Mount Everest, Besaw said she’s not entirely sure.

“We are just so in the moment celebrating this right now,” she said. “Then we’ll see what’s next on the horizon.”</s>An Oregon man has completed the first successful, unsupported solo journey across Antarctica, making the ‘impossible’ 930 mile trek across the icy continent entirely unaided.

Colin O’Brady successfully finished the 54-day extreme hike on Wednesday, and documented his grueling journey on Instagram, where he shared a triumphant selfie at the wooden post marking the end of the Ross Ice Shelf, where the landmass ends.

“As I pulled my sled over this invisible line, I accomplished my goal: to become the first person in history to traverse the continent of Antarctica coast to coast solo, unsupported and unaided.” O’Brady wrote. “While the last 32 hours were some of the most challenging hours of my life, they have quite honestly been some of the best moments I have ever experienced.”

The endurance athlete decided at the last minute to attempt to complete the last 80 miles in one final push over 32 hours, starting on Christmas Day.

Before now, the only people to cross Antarctica did so with assistance, such as using dogs or kites to propel them along, and receiving food drops along the way.

Throughout the challenge that saw him pass the South Pole, O’Brady was competing with another walker, Louis Rudd, who was attempting the same trek in honor of Henry Worsley, an adventurer who died attempting the crossing in 2016.

O’Brady’s wife Jenna Besaw told the AP he will wait for Rudd to complete the challenge so that they can celebrate their achievement together.

O’Brady has completed a number of breathtaking endurance exercises, including breaking the record for the “Explorers Grand Slam” in 2016, which saw him ski to the South Pole before climbing the ‘Seven Summits,’ the tallest mountains on each of the seven continents.

The Oregon man’s thirst for extreme endurance challenges was sparked after he was badly burned in Thailand in 2008 and was told he may never walk properly again. O’Brady, who had planned a career in finance before his accident, went on to prove his doctors wrong by completing a triathlon 18 months later.

Like this story? Share it with a friend!</s>A British adventurer is close to becoming the second person to traverse Antarctica completely unassisted.

Louis Rudd's expedition blog shows he has only has about 50 miles left on the journey across the continent and is expected to finish Saturday.

If the Hereford, England, resident completes the journey, he'll become the second man to do so after Colin O'Brady of Portland, Oregon, became the first Wednesday.

The more than 900-mile (1448-kilometer) trek took O'Brady 54 days. O'Brady and Rudd were competing to become the first to travel across Antarctica without getting new supplies or help from the wind.

Rudd's solo is in honor of his close friend and fellow British explorer Henry Worsley, who died near the end of his attempt at an unassisted solo trek across Antarctica in 2016.</s>A British adventurer is close to becoming the second person to traverse Antarctica completely unassisted.

Louis Rudd’s expedition blog shows he has only has about 50 miles left on the journey across the continent and is expected to finish Saturday.

If the Hereford, England, resident completes the journey, he’ll become the second man to do so after Colin O’Brady of Portland, Oregon, became the first Wednesday.

The more than 900-mile (1448-kilometre) trek took O’Brady 54 days. O’Brady and Rudd were competing to become the first to travel across Antarctica without getting new supplies or help from the wind.

Rudd’s solo is in honour of his close friend and fellow British explorer Henry Worsley, who died near the end of his attempt at an unassisted solo trek across Antarctica in 2016.</s>A British adventurer was close to becoming the second person to traverse Antarctica completely unassisted just a few days after an American became the first to conquer the feat, which was previously said to be impossible.

Louis Rudd's expedition blog on Thursday showed that the 49-year-old has only has about 50 miles (80 kilometers) left on the journey across the continent and is expected to finish Saturday.

If Rudd — a Hereford, England, resident and captain in the British Army — completes the journey, he'll become the second man to do so after Colin O'Brady of Portland, Oregon, became the first on Wednesday.

The more than 900-mile (1448-kilometer) trek took O'Brady 54 days. O'Brady and Rudd were competing to become the first to travel across Antarctica without getting new supplies or help from the wind.

O'Brady won after he covered the last roughly 80 miles (129 kilometers) in one big, impromptu final push to the finish line that took well over an entire day.

"While the last 32 hours were some of the most challenging hours of my life, they have quite honestly been some of the best moments I have ever experienced," O'Brady posted on Instagram, where he has been documenting the arduous journey.

"I've just heard that the American Colin's finished," he wrote. "Fantastic, well done to him. He'd pushed really hard all the way across and done extremely well, so congratulations to him."

Rudd wrote that he never felt like he was in a race and that "it's always been about completing the journey."

It's been an emotional trek for Rudd, who decided to do the solo in honor of his close friend and fellow British explorer Henry Worsley, who died near the end of his attempt at an unassisted solo trek across Antarctica in 2016.

Though others have traversed Antarctica, they either had assistance with reinforced supplies or kites that helped propel them forward.

O'Brady plans to stay on Antarctica until Rudd finishes his trek, said O'Brady's wife, Jenna Besaw.

"It's a small club," she joked. "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."

O'Brady finished his trek as friends, family and fans tracked the endurance athlete's progress in real time online.

"I did it!" a tearful O'Brady said on a call to his family gathered in Portland for the holidays, according to Besaw.

O'Brady, who had been told he may never walk again after an accident burned his legs in 2008, described in detail the ups and downs along the way since he began his Antarctic trek on Nov. 3.

In the beginning, he had to haul 375 pounds (170 kilograms) of gear uphill and over sastrugi, wave-like ridges created by wind. By the end of the journey, his gear weighed roughly 140 pounds (64 kilograms).

On Nov. 18, he wrote that he awoke to find his sled completely buried from an all-night blasting of wind and snow. That day he battled a 30 mph (48 kph) headwind for eight hours as he trudged along.

"I wanted so badly to quit today as I was feeling exhausted and alone, but remembering all of the positivity that so many people have been sending, I took a deep breath and focused on maintaining forward progress one step at a time and managed to finish a full day," he wrote.

On Day 37, Dec. 9, O'Brady posted about how much he's changed, along with a selfie in which he looks almost in pain, snow gathered around his furry hat.

"I'm no longer the same person I was when I left on the journey, can you see it in my face?" he wrote. "I've suffered, been deathly afraid, cold and alone. I've laughed and danced, cried tears of joy and been awestruck with love and inspiration."

Though O'Brady had initially thought he'd want a cheeseburger at the end of his nearly impossible journey, Besaw said her husband has been fantasizing about fresh fish and salad because he has mostly been eating freeze-dried foods.

As for what's next for O'Brady, who also has summited Mount Everest, Besaw said she's not entirely sure.

"We are just so in the moment celebrating this right now," she said. "Then we'll see what's next on the horizon."</s>A British adventurer is close to becoming the second person to traverse Antarctica completely unassisted.

Louis Rudd's expedition blog shows he has only has about 50 miles left on the journey across the continent and is expected to finish Saturday.

If the Hereford, England, resident completes the journey, he'll become the second man to do so after Colin O'Brady of Portland, Oregon, became the first Wednesday.

The more than 900-mile (1448-kilometer) trek took O'Brady 54 days. O'Brady and Rudd were competing to become the first to travel across Antarctica without getting new supplies or help from the wind.

Rudd's solo is in honor of his close friend and fellow British explorer Henry Worsley, who died near the end of his attempt at an unassisted solo trek across Antarctica in 2016.</s>Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Capt Rudd: 'It's been pretty brutal at times'

An Army officer has become the first Briton in history to trek unaided across Antarctica.

Capt Lou Rudd, 49, finished the solo 921-mile (1,482km) journey at 19:21 GMT on Friday after 56 days.

He was just two days behind the American explorer Colin O'Brady, who became the first person to complete the feat on Wednesday.

Capt Rudd, from Hereford, said it was a "minor miracle" both had done it and he was delighted.

He said he did the trek in memory of his friend, explorer Henry Worsley, who died in 2016 attempting the trek.

Capt Rudd added: "What matters most to me is that I've completed my expedition and honoured Henry's memory by carrying his family crest across Antarctica.

"I know he would have appreciated that. That's what is really important to me."

Image caption Lou Rudd said it was a "huge relief" to finish after enduring some "pretty brutal" conditions

Capt Rudd and Mr O'Brady, 33, both set out from the Ronne Ice Shelf on 3 November after poor weather delayed their start.

The trek saw Capt Rudd haul a 140kg (308lb) sled without a rest day and endure gales up to 60mph and temperatures of minus 30C.

The father of three documented his "Spirit of Endurance" expedition in blog posts where he said things that helped him through included a Winston Churchill audio book, an 1980s music playlist and a "grazing bag" including chocolate, nuts, cheese and salami.

Capt Rudd, a motor transport officer based at the Infantry Battle School in Brecon, Mid Wales, said he had completed his main objective of "skiing solo, unsupported and unassisted right across the continent".

He said it was "absolutely fantastic" that both he had completed the journey in the same season as endurance athlete Mr O'Brady.

"To be honest it's a minor miracle that both of us have completed a journey that's been attempted before, but nobody's ever managed it and then, lo and behold, in one season two of us attempting it," he added.

Image copyright Peaks and Poles Image caption Capt Lou Rudd (right) said it was "absolutely fantastic" he and Colin O'Brady (left) had both completed the trek

Image caption Capt Rudd, who lost 15kg (2st 5lb) during the trek, now plans to spend time with his family

Capt Rudd said he decided early in the journey not to try and race Mr O'Brady, who he only met days before they set off at a hotel bar in Chile.

"The minute you get drawn into a sort of race scenario, then everything you do is dictated by the other person and you have to react to [it] and it changes the whole nature of the expedition, so you put yourself under a lot of pressure," he said.

"And we've both done it really fast. Incredibly fast. I've finished it within a couple of days of a professional athlete, and I'm delighted with that."
After a 56-day trek, British Army captain Lou Rudd becomes the second person to cross Antarctica alone and unaided, over two decades after the first solo crossing by Norwegian Børge Ousland.