Dec. 27 (UPI) — Thirty-three-year-old American Colin O’Brady became the first person to complete an unaided, coast-to-coast trek across Antarctica on Wednesday.
He departed Nov. 3 from the Ronne Ice Shelf and arrived Wednesday afternoon at the Ross Ice Shelf, more than 900 miles away.
Previous explorers have completed the route, but with the aid of wind or with a support team. O’Brady was in grace against Louis Rudd, 49, who, as of Wednesday, was still on the ice.
O’Grady won the head-to-head after a marathon 77-mile push on his 53rd day on the ice. He completed that stretch in a 32-hour period without any sleep.
“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 wrote in a post on Instagram. “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.”
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