A British adventurer is close to becoming the second person to traverse Antarctica completely unassisted.

Louis Rudd’s expedition blog shows he has only has about 50 miles left on the journey across the continent and is expected to finish Saturday.

If the Hereford, England, resident completes the journey, he’ll become the second man to do so after Colin O’Brady of Portland, Oregon, became the first Wednesday.

The more than 900-mile (1448-kilometre) trek took O’Brady 54 days. O’Brady and Rudd were competing to become the first to travel across Antarctica without getting new supplies or help from the wind.

Rudd’s solo is in honour of his close friend and fellow British explorer Henry Worsley, who died near the end of his attempt at an unassisted solo trek across Antarctica in 2016. </s> A British adventurer is close to becoming the second person to traverse Antarctica completely unassisted.

Louis Rudd's expedition blog shows he has only has about 50 miles left on the journey across the continent and is expected to finish Saturday.

If the Hereford, England, resident completes the journey, he'll become the second man to do so after Colin O'Brady of Portland, Oregon, became the first Wednesday.

The more than 900-mile (1448-kilometer) trek took O'Brady 54 days. O'Brady and Rudd were competing to become the first to travel across Antarctica without getting new supplies or help from the wind.

Rudd's solo is in honor of his close friend and fellow British explorer Henry Worsley, who died near the end of his attempt at an unassisted solo trek across Antarctica in 2016. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Capt Rudd: 'It's been pretty brutal at times'

An Army officer has become the first Briton in history to trek unaided across Antarctica.

Capt Lou Rudd, 49, finished the solo 921-mile (1,482km) journey at 19:21 GMT on Friday after 56 days.

He was just two days behind the American explorer Colin O'Brady, who became the first person to complete the feat on Wednesday.

Capt Rudd, from Hereford, said it was a "minor miracle" both had done it and he was delighted.

He said he did the trek in memory of his friend, explorer Henry Worsley, who died in 2016 attempting the trek.

Capt Rudd added: "What matters most to me is that I've completed my expedition and honoured Henry's memory by carrying his family crest across Antarctica.

"I know he would have appreciated that. That's what is really important to me."

Image caption Lou Rudd said it was a "huge relief" to finish after enduring some "pretty brutal" conditions

Capt Rudd and Mr O'Brady, 33, both set out from the Ronne Ice Shelf on 3 November after poor weather delayed their start.

The trek saw Capt Rudd haul a 140kg (308lb) sled without a rest day and endure gales up to 60mph and temperatures of minus 30C.

The father of three documented his "Spirit of Endurance" expedition in blog posts where he said things that helped him through included a Winston Churchill audio book, an 1980s music playlist and a "grazing bag" including chocolate, nuts, cheese and salami.

Capt Rudd, a motor transport officer based at the Infantry Battle School in Brecon, Mid Wales, said he had completed his main objective of "skiing solo, unsupported and unassisted right across the continent".

He said it was "absolutely fantastic" that both he had completed the journey in the same season as endurance athlete Mr O'Brady.

"To be honest it's a minor miracle that both of us have completed a journey that's been attempted before, but nobody's ever managed it and then, lo and behold, in one season two of us attempting it," he added.

Image copyright Peaks and Poles Image caption Capt Lou Rudd (right) said it was "absolutely fantastic" he and Colin O'Brady (left) had both completed the trek

Image caption Capt Rudd, who lost 15kg (2st 5lb) during the trek, now plans to spend time with his family

Capt Rudd said he decided early in the journey not to try and race Mr O'Brady, who he only met days before they set off at a hotel bar in Chile.

"The minute you get drawn into a sort of race scenario, then everything you do is dictated by the other person and you have to react to [it] and it changes the whole nature of the expedition, so you put yourself under a lot of pressure," he said.

"And we've both done it really fast. Incredibly fast. I've finished it within a couple of days of a professional athlete, and I'm delighted with that." </s> A British adventurer is close to becoming the second person to traverse Antarctica completely unassisted.

Louis Rudd's expedition blog shows he has only has about 50 miles left on the journey across the continent and is expected to finish Saturday.

If the Hereford, England, resident completes the journey, he'll become the second man to do so after Colin O'Brady of Portland, Oregon, became the first Wednesday.

The more than 900-mile (1448-kilometre) trek took O'Brady 54 days. O'Brady and Rudd were competing to become the first to travel across Antarctica without getting new supplies or help from the wind. </s> A British adventurer was close to becoming the second person to traverse Antarctica completely unassisted just a few days after an American became the first to conquer the feat, which was previously said to be impossible.

Louis Rudd's expedition blog on Thursday showed that the 49-year-old has only has about 50 miles (80 kilometers) left on the journey across the continent and is expected to finish Saturday.

If Rudd — a Hereford, England, resident and captain in the British Army — completes the journey, he'll become the second man to do so after Colin O'Brady of Portland, Oregon, became the first on Wednesday.

The more than 900-mile (1448-kilometer) trek took O'Brady 54 days. O'Brady and Rudd were competing to become the first to travel across Antarctica without getting new supplies or help from the wind.

O'Brady won after he covered the last roughly 80 miles (129 kilometers) in one big, impromptu final push to the finish line that took well over an entire day.

"While the last 32 hours were some of the most challenging hours of my life, they have quite honestly been some of the best moments I have ever experienced," O'Brady posted on Instagram, where he has been documenting the arduous journey.

"I've just heard that the American Colin's finished," he wrote. "Fantastic, well done to him. He'd pushed really hard all the way across and done extremely well, so congratulations to him."

Rudd wrote that he never felt like he was in a race and that "it's always been about completing the journey."

It's been an emotional trek for Rudd, who decided to do the solo in honor of his close friend and fellow British explorer Henry Worsley, who died near the end of his attempt at an unassisted solo trek across Antarctica in 2016.

Though others have traversed Antarctica, they either had assistance with reinforced supplies or kites that helped propel them forward.

O'Brady plans to stay on Antarctica until Rudd finishes his trek, said O'Brady's wife, Jenna Besaw.

"It's a small club," she joked. "His intention is to wait for Louis and have kind of a celebratory moment with the only other person on the planet to have accomplished this same thing."

O'Brady finished his trek as friends, family and fans tracked the endurance athlete's progress in real time online.

"I did it!" a tearful O'Brady said on a call to his family gathered in Portland for the holidays, according to Besaw.

O'Brady, who had been told he may never walk again after an accident burned his legs in 2008, described in detail the ups and downs along the way since he began his Antarctic trek on Nov. 3.

In the beginning, he had to haul 375 pounds (170 kilograms) of gear uphill and over sastrugi, wave-like ridges created by wind. By the end of the journey, his gear weighed roughly 140 pounds (64 kilograms).

On Nov. 18, he wrote that he awoke to find his sled completely buried from an all-night blasting of wind and snow. That day he battled a 30 mph (48 kph) headwind for eight hours as he trudged along.

"I wanted so badly to quit today as I was feeling exhausted and alone, but remembering all of the positivity that so many people have been sending, I took a deep breath and focused on maintaining forward progress one step at a time and managed to finish a full day," he wrote.

On Day 37, Dec. 9, O'Brady posted about how much he's changed, along with a selfie in which he looks almost in pain, snow gathered around his furry hat.

"I'm no longer the same person I was when I left on the journey, can you see it in my face?" he wrote. "I've suffered, been deathly afraid, cold and alone. I've laughed and danced, cried tears of joy and been awestruck with love and inspiration."

Though O'Brady had initially thought he'd want a cheeseburger at the end of his nearly impossible journey, Besaw said her husband has been fantasizing about fresh fish and salad because he has mostly been eating freeze-dried foods.

As for what's next for O'Brady, who also has summited Mount Everest, Besaw said she's not entirely sure.

"We are just so in the moment celebrating this right now," she said. "Then we'll see what's next on the horizon." </s> Sign up for one of our email newsletters.

A British adventurer was close to becoming the second person to traverse Antarctica completely unassisted just a few days after an American became the first to conquer the feat, which was previously said to be impossible.

Louis Rudd’s expedition blog on Thursday showed that the 49-year-old has only has about 50 miles left on the journey across the continent and is expected to finish Saturday.

If Rudd — a Hereford, England, resident and captain in the British Army — completes the journey, he’ll become the second man to do so after Colin O’Brady of Portland, Oregon, became the first on Wednesday.

The more than 900-mile trek took O’Brady 54 days. O’Brady and Rudd were competing to become the first to travel across Antarctica without getting new supplies or help from the wind.

O’Brady won after he covered the last roughly 80 miles in one big, impromptu final push to the finish line that took well over an entire day.

“While the last 32 hours were some of the most challenging hours of my life, they have quite honestly been some of the best moments I have ever experienced,” O’Brady posted on Instagram, where he has been documenting the arduous journey.

“I’ve just heard that the American Colin’s finished,” he wrote. “Fantastic, well done to him. He’d pushed really hard all the way across and done extremely well, so congratulations to him.”

Rudd wrote that he never felt like he was in a race and that “it’s always been about completing the journey.”

It’s been an emotional trek for Rudd, who decided to do the solo in honor of his close friend and fellow British explorer Henry Worsley, who died near the end of his attempt at an unassisted solo trek across Antarctica in 2016.

Though others have traversed Antarctica, they either had assistance with reinforced supplies or kites that helped propel them forward.

O’Brady plans to stay on Antarctica until Rudd finishes his trek, said O’Brady’s wife, Jenna Besaw.

“It’s a small club,” she joked. “His intention is to wait for Louis and have kind of a celebratory moment with the only other person on the planet to have accomplished this same thing.”

O’Brady finished his trek as friends, family and fans tracked the endurance athlete’s progress in real time online.

“I did it!” a tearful O’Brady said on a call to his family gathered in Portland for the holidays, according to Besaw.

O’Brady, who had been told he may never walk again after an accident burned his legs in 2008, described in detail the ups and downs along the way since he began his Antarctic trek on Nov. 3.

In the beginning, he had to haul 375 pounds of gear uphill and over sastrugi, wave-like ridges created by wind. By the end of the journey, his gear weighed roughly 140 pounds.

On Nov. 18, he wrote that he awoke to find his sled completely buried from an all-night blasting of wind and snow. That day he battled a 30 mph headwind for eight hours as he trudged along.

“I wanted so badly to quit today as I was feeling exhausted and alone, but remembering all of the positivity that so many people have been sending, I took a deep breath and focused on maintaining forward progress one step at a time and managed to finish a full day,” he wrote.

On Day 37, Dec. 9, O’Brady posted about how much he’s changed, along with a selfie in which he looks almost in pain, snow gathered around his furry hat.

“I’m no longer the same person I was when I left on the journey, can you see it in my face?” he wrote. “I’ve suffered, been deathly afraid, cold and alone. I’ve laughed and danced, cried tears of joy and been awestruck with love and inspiration.”

Though O’Brady had initially thought he’d want a cheeseburger at the end of his nearly impossible journey, Besaw said her husband has been fantasizing about fresh fish and salad because he has mostly been eating freeze-dried foods.

As for what’s next for O’Brady, who also has summited Mount Everest, Besaw said she’s not entirely sure.

“We are just so in the moment celebrating this right now,” she said. “Then we’ll see what’s next on the horizon.” </s> American endurance athlete Colin O’Brady became the first person to cross Antarctica solo without help after 54 days traversing the barren, frigid continent, he said in an Instagram post.

O’Brady revealed Wednesday that he covered the final 80 miles in one continuous push to the finish line that lasted more than 32 hours.

A wooden post in the background of the photo O’Brady shared on Instagram, he said, is the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf, which marked the end of his trip.

“As I pulled my sled over this invisible line, I accomplished my goal: to become the first person in history to traverse the continent of Antarctica coast to coast solo, unsupported and unaided,” he wrote.

“While the last 32 hours were some of the most challenging hours of my life, they have quite honestly been some of the best moments I have ever experienced. I was locked in a deep flow state the entire time, equally focused on the end goal, while allowing my mind to recount the profound lessons of this journey.”

O’Brady began his trek at the Ronne Ice Shelf, traveled from there to the South Pole, and then crossed to the Ross Ice Shelf, he said. He documented much of the trip on his Instagram page, even as he fought fierce wind storms, subzero temperatures and whiteout conditions.

To complete the trip, he needed to cross several mountainous areas and travel over miles of sastrugi, which are hard wavelike ridges in the snow and ice formed by wind.

O’Brady is not the first to attempt the trip. British explorer Henry Worsley tried a solo trek of Antarctica in 2016, but he had to be rescued 30 miles from the finish and later died of an infection. He had traveled for 71 days unaided before that point.

Worsley launched the attempt a century after Ernest Shackleton, the famed Antarctic explorer, survived a failed attempt to cross the continent.

Another explorer, Lou Rudd, began a solo trek of Antarctica without help on the same day as O’Brady did. Rudd reached the South Pole on December 13 and is about 90% done with the trip, according to a Shackleton brand webpage set up to track his expedition. </s> An Oregon man became the first person to traverse Antarctica alone without any assistance on Wednesday, trekking across the polar continent in an epic 54-day journey that was previously deemed impossible.

Colin O’Brady, of Portland, finished the bone-chilling, 930-mile journey as friends, family and fans tracked the endurance athlete’s progress in real time online.

“I did it!” a tearful Brady said on a call to his family gathered in Portland for the holidays, according to his wife, Jenna Besaw.

“It was an emotional call,” she said. “He seemed overwhelmed by love and gratitude, and he really wanted to say ‘Thank you’ to all of us.”

O’Brady was sleeping near the finish line in Antarctica late Wednesday and could not immediately be reached for comment.

The 33-year-old O’Brady documented his nearly entirely uphill journey – which he called The Impossible First – on his Instagram page. He wrote Wednesday that he covered the last roughly 80 miles in one big, impromptu final push to the finish line that took well over an entire day.

“While the last 32 hours were some of the most challenging hours of my life, they have quite honestly been some of the best moments I have ever experienced,” O’Brady posted. The day before, he posted that he was “in the zone” and thought he could make it to the end in one go.

“I’m listening to my body and taking care of the details to keep myself safe,” he wrote. “I called home and talked to my mom, sister and wife – I promised them I will stop when I need to.”

Though others have traversed Antarctica, they either had assistance with reinforced supplies or kites that helped propel them forward.

In 2016, British explorer Henry Worsley died attempting an unassisted solo trip across Antarctica, collapsing from exhaustion toward the end of the trek. Worsley’s friend and fellow English adventurer Louis Rudd is currently attempting an unaided solo in Worsley’s honor and was competing against O’Brady to be the first to do it.

Besaw said O’Brady plans to stay on Antarctica until Rudd finishes his trek, hopefully in the next few days.

“It’s a small club,” she joked. “His intention is to wait for Louis and have kind of a celebratory moment with the only other person on the planet to have accomplished this same thing.”

O’Brady described in detail the ups and downs along the way since he began the trek on Nov. 3. He had to haul 375 pounds of gear largely uphill and over sastrugi, wave-like ridges created by wind.

“Not only am I pulling my … sled all day, but I’m pulling it up and over thousands of these sastrugi speed bumps created by the violent wind,” he wrote in an Instagram post on Nov. 12. “It’s a frustrating process at times to say the least.”

On Nov. 18, he wrote that he awoke to find his sled completely buried from an all-night blasting of wind and snow. That day he battled a 30 mph (48 kph) headwind for eight hours as he trudged along.

“There were several times I considered stopping, putting my tent back up and calling it a day,” he wrote. “I wanted so badly to quit today as I was feeling exhausted and alone, but remembering all of the positivity that so many people have been sending, I took a deep breath and focused on maintaining forward progress one step at a time and managed to finish a full day.”

On Day 37, or Dec. 9, O’Brady wrote about how much he’s changed, along with a selfie in which he looks almost in pain, snow gathered around his furry hat.

“I’m no longer the same person I was when I left on the journey, can you see it in my face?” he wrote. “I’ve suffered, been deathly afraid, cold and alone. I’ve laughed and danced, cried tears of joy and been awestruck with love and inspiration.”

Though O’Brady had initially thought he’d want a cheeseburger at the end of his nearly impossible journey, Besaw said her husband has been fantasizing about fresh fish and salad because he has mostly been eating freeze-dried foods.

As for what’s next for O’Brady, who also has summited Mount Everest, Besaw said she’s not entirely sure.

“We are just so in the moment celebrating this right now,” she said. “Then we’ll see what’s next on the horizon.” </s> An Oregon man became the first person to traverse Antarctica alone without any assistance on Wednesday, trekking across the polar continent in an epic 54-day journey that was previously deemed impossible.

Colin O'Brady, of Portland, finished the bone-chilling, 930-mile journey as friends, family and fans tracked the endurance athlete's progress in real time online.

"I did it!" a tearful O'Brady said on a call to his family gathered in Portland for the holidays, according to his wife, Jenna Besaw.

"It was an emotional call," she said. "He seemed overwhelmed by love and gratitude, and he really wanted to say 'Thank you' to all of us."

O'Brady was sleeping near the finish line in Antarctica late Wednesday and could not immediately be reached for comment.

The 33-year-old O'Brady documented his nearly entirely uphill journey — which he called The Impossible First — on his Instagram page . He wrote Wednesday that he covered the last roughly 80 miles in one big, impromptu final push to the finish line that took well over an entire day.

"While the last 32 hours were some of the most challenging hours of my life, they have quite honestly been some of the best moments I have ever experienced," O'Brady posted.

The day before, he posted that he was "in the zone" and thought he could make it to the end in one go.

"I'm listening to my body and taking care of the details to keep myself safe," he wrote. "I called home and talked to my mom, sister and wife — I promised them I will stop when I need to."

Though others have traversed Antarctica, they either had assistance with reinforced supplies or kites that helped propel them forward.

In 2016, British explorer Henry Worsley died attempting an unassisted solo trip across Antarctica, collapsing from exhaustion toward the end of the trek. Worsley's friend and fellow English adventurer Louis Rudd is currently attempting an unaided solo in Worsley's honor and was competing against O'Brady to be the first to do it.

Besaw said O'Brady plans to stay on Antarctica until Rudd finishes his trek, hopefully in the next few days.

"It's a small club," she joked. "His intention is to wait for Louis and have kind of a celebratory moment with the only other person on the planet to have accomplished this same thing."

O'Brady described in detail the ups and downs along the way since he began the trek on Nov. 3. He had to haul 375 pounds of gear largely uphill and over sastrugi, wave-like ridges created by wind.

"Not only am I pulling my ... sled all day, but I'm pulling it up and over thousands of these sastrugi speed bumps created by the violent wind," he wrote in an Instagram post on Nov. 12. "It's a frustrating process at times to say the least."

On Nov. 18, he wrote that he awoke to find his sled completely buried from an all-night blasting of wind and snow. That day he battled a 30 mph headwind for eight hours as he trudged along.

"There were several times I considered stopping, putting my tent back up and calling it a day," he wrote. "I wanted so badly to quit today as I was feeling exhausted and alone, but remembering all of the positivity that so many people have been sending, I took a deep breath and focused on maintaining forward progress one step at a time and managed to finish a full day."

On Day 37, or Dec. 9, O'Brady wrote about how much he's changed, along with a selfie in which he looks almost in pain, snow gathered around his furry hat.

"I'm no longer the same person I was when I left on the journey, can you see it in my face?" he wrote. "I've suffered, been deathly afraid, cold and alone. I've laughed and danced, cried tears of joy and been awestruck with love and inspiration."

Though O'Brady had initially thought he'd want a cheeseburger at the end of his nearly impossible journey, Besaw said her husband has been fantasizing about fresh fish and salad because he has mostly been eating freeze-dried foods.

As for what's next for O'Brady, who also has summited Mount Everest, Besaw said she's not entirely sure.

"We are just so in the moment celebrating this right now," she said. "Then we'll see what's next on the horizon."

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After a 56-day trek, British Army captain Lou Rudd becomes the second person to cross Antarctica alone and unaided, over two decades after the first solo crossing by Norwegian Børge Ousland.