Tracking
the Journey

  • 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

# Stephen Hackett, February 7th 2014

Fantastic news. Well done chaps. Heroic.

# kiera, February 7th 2014

Congratulations of the highest order! I’ve loved following each day of your amazing journey and I can’t wait to hear which of your food daydreams were the first to get checked off the list!
Such an amazing feat. Well done!

# Richard Dunwoody, February 7th 2014

Huge well done to you both!

# Theresa Bristow, February 7th 2014

Wonderful, wonderful. Congratulations

# Jon G, February 7th 2014

Gav was right yesterday: you’ve been standing on the shoulders of giants.
One thing to add: I’ve no doubt you’ll help others stand on yours.

Today feels like a day for all of us to commit to a 10 year dream.

# Richard Mills, February 7th 2014

In a world of news that is so often negative - there are acts of heroic quality that allow us all to share in the celebration. TOTALLY AWESOME!

Enjoy the rest and we all look forward to reading more.

# Gill Buckenham , February 7th 2014

Congratulations is too small a word for you two giants among men -I am in total awe of your amazing achievement. Met Ben at Campdowne 2008 and have been willing this day to come for a very long time. Ben and Tarka you are the supreme team. Thank you - we all need heroes. thethe supreme

# Michele P, February 7th 2014

Many many congratulations Ben and Tarka on your amazing and incredible achievement. I hope that your exhaustion allowed you to take in and enjoy the moment your dream came true. I would imagine that your emotions will continue to grow over the next days, may you enjoy every single moment of deeply understanding what you have achieved and recognising the place you now have in history. Thank you for sharing your journey will us, your blog was absolutely incredible and I will miss having it to read. Enjoy your next days and weeks as your life returns to being full of some of the most wonderful things in life: loved ones, family, friends, food and sleep!

# Philippe Francken, February 7th 2014

Congratulations Ben & Tarka!

This was an epic journey to follow and I am glad to have played a very small part in it myself. You both definitely deserved some R&R when you guys are back. Hope to shake both your hands and congratulate you both on this achievement.

So, what’s next in store? Just kidding! Enjoy the moment and the time you see your loved ones again.

# Nora Wolfe, February 7th 2014

Bravo my friends. I am honored to have followed you these past 3 months. May your bodies heal, your minds rest, and your loved ones surround you. I am blessed that I was along for the ride. Thank you so much.

# Paul Adams, February 7th 2014

Congratulations! Very impressive and you’ve set a new bar for polar expeditions

# Štěpán Hnyk, February 7th 2014

Super-magnificent-jumbo-mountainiously brfilliant! I am glad we don’t have to wait another century for this journey to be completed :-)) But I suspect it will take at least that long before anyone attempts at following your example. It seems that Antarctica actually might not be an ideal place for a walk…

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