Colin O’Brady became the First Person to Cross Antarctica on a Solo Trek

An American adventurer has become the first individual to finish a solo trek crosswise over Antarctica with no help of any sort. Colin O’Brady 33, took 54 days to finish about 1,600 km crossing of the frozen mainland across the nation.

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Day 55: STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS. I slept in this morning for the first time, camped right at the final waypoint. Wow…that was the deepest and most satisfying sleep of my life. I'm going to sit tight here at the finish and wait for Lou to complete his crossing. Captain Louis Rudd is one of the most accomplished polar explorers to ever live and a distinguished member of the British Armed Forces. It has been an honor to strive for the same goal – the first to complete a solo, unsupported, unaided crossing of Antarctica. I'm looking forward to greeting him here at the finish line and congratulating him on his extraordinary accomplishment. We will step into the history books together as the only two people to have completed such a crossing. There is a lineage of explorers who have come before me that gave me great inspiration to complete my quest. The Impossible First project is simply me standing on their shoulders. Without them paving the way for what was possible, I never could have done this. It’s too long of a list to name everyone, but I want to acknowledge some folks who have personally inspired me: Ernest Shackleton, Felicity Aston, Ryan Waters @ryanwatersphoto , Cecilie Skog @skogcecilie , Ben Saunders @polarben, Henry Worsely, and Børge Ousland @borgeousland. A special acknowledgement goes to Dixie Dansercoer @dixie.dansercoer who is not only a great pioneer in the polar regions and a huge inspiration, but also mentored me throughout my preparation. Hopefully my project inspires others to push the envelope even further. I’m looking forward to cheering others on as we continue to push the limits of human potential in the polar regions and beyond. #TheImpossibleFirst #BePossible

A post shared by Colin O'Brady (@colinobrady) on Dec 27, 2018 at 5:01pm PST

Companions, family and other individuals supported his journey through messages and images he left via social media.

He had called his trek “the impossible first”

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ANTARCTICA HERE I COME!!! The journey begins in a few hours as a Russian cargo plane will fly me onto the frozen continent. I’ve got 400lbs of gear with me that will be loaded into my sled and pulled behind me step by step as I aim to become the first person in history to cross the continent of Antarctica 🇦🇶 coast to coast via the South Pole, solo, unsupported (no resupply), and unaided (no kites or dogs). Years of dreaming and planning have all culminated in this moment as the journey finally comes to life. Without the brilliance of my loving wife @jennabesaw this project would have remained just a dream. Though I will be walking alone through the ice your heartbeat and spirit will be with me every step of the way. #TheImpossibleFirst #BePossible

A post shared by Colin O'Brady (@colinobrady) on Oct 30, 2018 at 8:59pm PDT

In an Instagram post, he clarified his voyage finished after intersection the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf: the point where Antartica land mass ends. It lies at the head of Ross Sea, a profound narrows of the southern sea.

“I achieved my goal: to become the first individual in history to cross the continent of Antartica coast to coast solo, unsupported and unaided,” Colin O’Brady composed on his Instagram.

He had gone through 54 days in conditions that pushed his body as far as possible, battling starvation, freezing and isolation, regularly trekking relatively daze through driving snow, battling over the slippery landscape and pulling weeks of supplies on a sledge.

O’Brady stated, “While the most recent 32 hours were probably the most difficult hours of my life, they have sincerely been the absolute best minutes I have ever experienced.”

Colin O’Brady (born March 16, 1985) is an American trained strength athlete and mountain climber. He is a retired professional triathlete and represented the United States on the ITU Triathlon World Cup circuit, running in 25 countries on six continents from 2009–2015.