Tracking
the Journey
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Distance to go:
0 Mi
Distance
Ben and Tarka will cover 1800 miles starting from Scott's Terra Nova Hut at the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole and back to the coast again. That's equivalent to 69 back-to-back marathons hauling up to 200kg each (the weight of roughly two adult men) of kit and supplies necessary to survive.
Distances here are shown in statute miles.
Ben and Tarka Make History (Official Announcement)
S77° 50' 53.88", E166° 46' 15.96"
Duration: 5 Hr
Daily distance: 11.1 Mi
Distance to go: 0 Mi
Altitude: 26 Ft
On Friday 7th February at 01.15am Ben and Tarka have re-written history as they completed, for the first time ever, the ill-fated journey of Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s iconic Terra Nova expedition.
Having trekked 1,795 miles across the inhospitable landscape of Antarctica on a return journey to the South Pole and back, Ben and Tarka have achieved the world record for the longest polar journey on foot in history.
The journey, which has taken a total of 105 days (just over ¼ of a year), has pushed the limits of physical and mental fortitude and reset the bar for polar expeditions of the future. Ben and Tarka hauled sleds with a starting weight of almost 200kg each and walked on average 17 miles daily in temperatures as low as -46oC wind chill.
Ben Saunders said, “It is almost impossible to comprehend what we have achieved. Completing Scott’s Terra Nova expedition has been a life-long dream and I’m overcome to be standing here at the finish. The journey has been a mammoth undertaking that has tested the bounds of our bodies and minds each and every day.”
“At times we found ourselves in dire straits in the intense cold, wind and altitude of the high plateau, weakened by half-rations and closer to the brink of survival than I had ever anticipated this journey taking us. In that light, both Tarka and I feel a combination of awe and profound respect for the endurance, tenacity and fortitude of Captain Scott and his team, a century ago.”
Captain Scott and his men died having covered almost 1,600 miles and this feat has never been surpassed in over 100 years, until today.
Land Rover and Intel are co-presenting partners of the Scott Expedition and have both played an important role in facilitating the expedition. Land Rover having assisted Ben in his training which has taken him to many inaccessible places across the UK, Europe and Greenland; and Intel provided Ultrabooks powered by its latest 4th generation Intel® CoreTM processor technology allowing Ben and Tarka to share their journey with the world along the way in their daily blog (www.scottexpedition.com/blog). Intel put the technology through its paces over several weeks prior to Ben and Tarka’s departure by freezing the Ultrabooks at temperatures of -40C.
Mark Cameron Jaguar Land Rover Director, Brand Experience “ It has been a true privilege for Land Rover to have played a part in this incredible expedition. I have followed Ben and Tarka each day, trying in some small way to live the experience so vividly and eloquently described through Ben’s blog. To complete this journey has taken the very highest levels of physical and mental fortitude as well as a sheer determination to succeed.”
“We all need heroes, incredible individuals or teams to provide inspiration to spur us on to achieve better for ourselves and the people around us. There are few feats of any description that exemplify more appropriately the Land Rover mantra of going ‘Above and Beyond’. Congratulations Ben and Tarka.”
Commenting on Intel’s support of the Scott Expedition, Patrick Bliemer, Regional Manager for Intel Northern Europe, said: “We are honoured to have played a small part in this record-breaking Scott Expedition by Ben and Tarka. We are incredibly proud that Intel technology has helped him share his experiences with audiences around the world – this unprecedented access is the first of its kind and one which will change the future of expeditions to come.”
Ben will be in touch shortly with the full low down and pictures from this historic moment. In the meantime - a massive thank you to all of you, our amazing followers. World - let's celebrate!
Comments
# Christy, Indiana, U.S., February 7th 2014
“Spell oh” Scott would cry. The Southern Party has returned, now all 7 can rest. Well done lads!
# Mary S, February 7th 2014
Amazing epic journey….many congratulations! We are delighted that you came through it all safe and sound, and will soon be off the ice. We are in awe of your strength, determination and courage.
# Hesta, February 7th 2014
Congratulations Ben and Tarka! What an incredible and amazing achievement! I’m chuffed to bits for you both. It’s nearly 4am here in England but I’m going to get up and have a beer to toast you both! Cheers!
# Shelly, February 7th 2014
Congratulations from the Caribbean. Have a long rest and safe trip home.
Hope you at least get to eat some of the things you’ve been daydreaming of for the last months.
# Dave in Michigan, February 7th 2014
Welcome back to civilization Ben and Tarka. Glad you made it safely to the finish. Wow. What an epic journey. You planned and executed a perfect adventure and set a new bar for mankind. Thanks so much for bringing us along for the ride. I celebrate with you on this historic day.
# Allison & Mark, February 7th 2014
Absolutely fantastic. WELL DONE . So proud of both of you.
Now what am I going to read every morning?
# Jennifer, February 7th 2014
Mazel tov!! What a fantastic feat! You’ve accomplished the impossible by enduring extreme physical limits with pure grace and humility. (Your detractors and critics are no doubtedly scowling as fiercely as the elements treated you.)
Incredibly spectacular job, gentlemen.
# Dan, February 7th 2014
Awesome!
# P. Sproehnle, February 7th 2014
Wow…after following the entire trip - I’m compelled to make my first post.
First and foremost, Congratulations to Ben and Tarka!
Second, Congratulations to the entire team that have and continue to support them.
This journey and candid blog have been a daily inspiration. At times I would dream what it would be like to follow their tracks, head up the Beardmore, slip on the icy surface, make camp, see the slights only a few have seen, get to the pole and back…and other times I worried would they make it, doubted I ever could, and just hoped they would.
So gents - congrats! I think you earned a vacation, please make it a warm spot!
# Eamon M, February 7th 2014
What an incredible achievement. Congratulations!
# marc, February 7th 2014
Ben and Tarka and the team, congratulations. Enjoy your success. A monumental effort. Enjoy those home comforts you’ve missed for so long boys!
# John and Chris Smith, February 7th 2014
Well done guys. Proud of you.
Have followed your journey every day. Admire your courage and tenacity under frequently adverse conditions, in achieving a remarkable goal.
Your journey will undoubtedly go down in history - and rightly so.
We look forward to reading the book which we hope will follow in time.
Kia Kaha
John and Chris, Christchurch, New Zealand.