British Adventurer Richard Parks sets a new British Record in Antarctica
British adventurer and former Wales rugby international, Richard Parks has set a new British record of 28 days, 21 hours and 59 minutes taking almost a day off the previous record.
“I've just arrived at the South Pole. We did it! Thank you"
Parks arrived at the South Pole at 06.22am local time (09.22 GMT) Wednesday morning. Hungry and tired, he has been battling the elements for 28 days in Antarctica skiing through snow blizzards, freezing-cold temperatures and worsening weather conditions.
“It was genuine happiness to get here... I'm in good spirits. I'm in pretty good shape, I've got some cold damage to my face but I've been outside now for 4 weeks on my own so it's to be expected. Fingers, toes, are all good.”
Parks had been eating partial rations for days before reaching the pole, eking out the 25 days’ worth of food he was carrying with him in his sled. On Sunday, Day 26, he decided against a food re-supply and backed himself to get to the pole. If he had accepted a food re-supply to survive, his journey would no longer have been ‘unsupported’ and so he would not have been eligible for the record.
In the last 24 hours, this became a test of will and a test of spirit. Success depended on how much pain, hunger and fatigue he could endure.
"I went from 7000 calories a day to around 2000 calories a day for the last few days."
Parks has skied more miles solo, unsupported and unassisted in Antarctica than any other person in history. He is the now first person to have completed the coast to pole journey solo, unassisted, unsupported more than once.
Following his 2014 expedition, Parks remains the first Welshman and, we believe, the first person of colour to complete the coast to pole journey in Antarctica solo, unassisted and unsupported.
Whilst skiing 1130 km from the coast, Parks has also climbed from sea level (0m attitude) to an altitude of over 2,800 m currently. Roughly twice the height of Ben Nevis or almost three times the height of Snowdon. The air on the polar plateau is thinner, so Parks had to work even harder in those last kilometres to keep going.
Richard has history with world record attempts. In 2011, he successfully became the first person to climb the highest mountain on each of the seven continents and stand on the North and South pole in the same calendar year, recognised by Guinness World Records. In 2014 he set the current British record for skiing coast to pole in Antarctica, solo, unsupported, unassisted.
His official start time was 17 December 2019, 11.23am British time. His now-broken British record stood at 29 days, 19 hours and 24 minutes.
