Hannah McKeand about to set new polar world record

by Carrie-Anne Savage on 28 Dec 2006 Later today (28 December 2006) 33-year old Hannah McKeand from Newbury, Berkshire, is set to make polar history. She is just hours away from becoming the fastest person ever to reach the Geographic South Pole solo and unsupported. She is expected to reach the Pole this evening, having covered the 690-mile journey from Hercules Inlet in less than 40 days. The existing world record stands at 41 days and 8 hours.

Setting out on November 19, Hannah has spent the last five and a half weeks travelling across the Antarctic icecap alone and without any form of external assistance or support. She has braved minus 35 degree temperatures, thick fog and very demanding ice rubble and sastrugi - large frozen ridges of wind blown snow and ice - some as much as three or four metres in height. Attempting to drag a 100-kg/16-stone sledge for 12 hours a day through such terrain takes immense strength and stamina, a task made all the more difficult by the recent zero visibility conditions.

According to her website (www.adventurehannah.com), today she will start 17 miles from the South Pole and is now on her way to her pole station destination, that she hopes to reach this evening. She said, 'For the first time in the journey I think, there is a tiny part of me that doesn't want it to end. The little crazy part that got my into this in the first place, the part that could just go on and on, skiing into the white and into the blue.'

Two issues that make this accomplishment all the more significant are that Hannah chose to complete this journey unsupported and by herself. Her decision to complete an unsupported expedition means that she has had to carry everything needed for the full duration of the trip. Her sledge weighed up to 100kgs/16 stone in the earlier stages. Dragging such a load uphill to the Pole, whilst negotiating the ever-changing Antarctic terrain has meant that Hannah has burnt as much as 6,000-8,000 calories a day.

Furthermore, the decision to complete the journey solo has meant that Hannah has had no team mates to provide emotional or physical support during times of hardship. The psychological enormity of such a scenario is difficult to imagine. Hannah has had Harry Potter and Stephen Fry to spur her on most of the way, as she has been listening to music and audio books on her i-Pod player, which broke down before Christmas. She resorted to singing Carols to herself for hours on end instead.

A major motivation for Hannah during this trip has been one of her closest friends, Jill Fraser, the Artistic and Executive Director of the Watermill Theatre in Newbury, who died earlier this year of breast cancer. As well as embarking on this expedition as a homage to her dear friend, Hannah also aims to raise money and awareness for Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

On hearing of Hannah’s pending success, her father Ian McKeand commented, 'I am very proud of what Hannah has achieved. She has accomplished so much over the last few months. I find it so admirable that somebody can lose a close friend like Jill and still end the year on such a high.'

Although such an endeavour may seem a far cry from her theatre marketing background, Hannah is no stranger to expedition life. She has already spent time in Antarctica and reached the Pole as part of a team in 2004. She has also travelled extensively throughout the deserts of North Africa, visited isolated villages in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush mountain range and competed in the 2005 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

As soon as she returns from the Geographic South Pole, Hannah will sail from Tasmania to the South Magnetic Pole aboard her 20-metre, schooner-rigged sailing yacht Blizzard, accompanied by her partner David Pryce (a master mariner and naval architect). As part of their recently launched company, Blizzard Expeditions, Hannah and David focus on exploring the Southern Ocean regions by mounting expeditions to South Georgia, Antarctica and South America.

Anybody who feels inspired by Hannah’s story can still donate money by visiting her fundraising website www.justgiving.com/southpole.

www.adventurehannah.com
www.blizzardexpeditions.com
www.justgiving.com/southpole