Colin O’Brady has just achieved something incredible. He has become the 29th person ever to ski from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole.
The 33-year-old American completed the mammoth expedition from the western edge of the frozen land mass to the earth’s southern-most point solo, unaided and unsupported in just 40 days. He is the third person ever to follow his specific route.
O’Brady shared his achievement Thursday via his Instagram account, which he has been regularly updating via a satellite phone to document his mission.
“SOUTH POLE!!! I made it!!! What a day. I expected to be happy reaching the South Pole, but today has quite honestly been one of the best days of my entire life,” he wrote.
But O’Brady didn’t stop long to celebrate. After “soaking in the moment” and taking a few photographs, he carried on his way.
He is just halfway through his mission to become the first person ever to cross the Antarctic coast-to-coast unaided. Several others have died making the attempt.
It’s a challenge O’Brady has been working toward for several years after turning to extreme sports to recover from a freak accident which left his legs so severely burned that doctors questioned whether he would ever walk normally again.
The ex-financier quit his job in 2008 to pursue sports full-time, reaching Olympic triathlon level and breaking the “Seven Summits” world record. But this is his toughest challenge to date.
O’Brady, who calls his mission “The Impossible First,” set out on Nov. 3 and will continue on until he reaches the opposite coast. The full expedition is set to take up to 65 days.
The journey requires courage, stamina and sheer determination. CNBC Make It took a look at how he is keeping himself motivated on this most challenging of missions and how those steps can be applied to other — less frosty — walks of life.
O’Brady’s challenge sees him away from not only his wife and family but other human support for more than two months.
Even after reaching the South Pole, he had to avoid the hospitality of researchers stationed there in order to stay true to his mission of an unsupported crossing.
That takes strength of character and the ability to embrace loneliness, even in times of difficulty.
“I’m still just all alone camped out in this white nothingness … It will be very strange after all this solitude to see signs of life tomorrow,” O’Brady wrote on Day 39, three miles away from the South Pole.
“I can’t go inside, of course … I must maintain my full atoning despite my proximity to civilization.”
As O’Brady has battled with his greatest challenge so far, he has looked to others’ great accomplishments as a guide.
That includes drawing inspiration from his idol, singer-songwriter Paul Simon, and listening to his Grammy Award-winning album “Graceland” on repeat.
O’Brady considers the album a life’s achievement, so he was delighted on Day 35 when Simon called him for a chat.
“We talked about many things, but setting aside celebrity and fame, what struck me most was talking to him about his process of creativity and bringing a masterpiece like Graceland into the world,” O’Brady wrote.
“I’m always so fascinated to talk to people who have worked their whole lives and put their heart and soul into striving for their highest performance, no matter the craft or canvas. Though his expression is music and mine endurance sport, we both could relate so much on the mindset required to attempt to perform at that level.”
O’Brady’s mission requires long days and often monotonous tasks to reach the finish. On Day 34, he wrote that the experience reminds him of a saying he would draw on during his pro triathlon days: “Chop wood, carry water.”
“It refers to the daily consistency required for success,” O’Brady wrote. “It’s nonstop work out here from the second I wake up in the morning, packing up, then pulling for 12 hours, just to get to camp and have to set it all up again to get ready for the next day.”
After all the training is done, it comes down to putting the motions into action, he noted. “Consistency is king and the key to success.”
On Thanksgiving, O’Brady wrote of the power of gratitude and its ability to provide perspective in hard times.
Though he spent this Thanksgiving away from home, he continued an old family tradition from the depths of the South Pole — highlighting the things he was most thankful for.
On Day 20 that was his wife, Jenna, his health, and a clean pair of socks — the first item of clothing he had changed since setting out.
O’Brady’s expedition is being closely watched not only by his more than 60,000 Instagram followers but also teachers who have developed a curriculum around it. Some 30,000 students across six continents will use his data to learn about the science of weather, climate, math, history, geography, fitness, health and more.
O’Brady says the knowledge that others will be inspired by his work has given him great inspiration when he has struggled most.
“One of my greatest joys is sharing my expeditions with the next generation in hopes of inspiring them to set goals, live active and healthy lives and pursue their biggest dreams,” O’Brady wrote in a post on Day 38 of his expedition.
“Hopefully this project shows the importance of protecting our planet and that nothing is impossible when you set your mind to it.”
The explorer plans to share his experience during a series of school visits once he completes the mission.
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