New South Pole Speed Record Confirmed!

Yesterday I posted a story about Todd Carmichael, and his expedition to the South Pole. I mentioned that he had set out to break the solo and unsupported speed record from Patriot Hill, along the Antarctic coast, to the Pole itself, but as of that writing, it was unclear as to whether or not he had actually done so. An update on Todd’s website this morning confirms that he did indeed break the record.

The previous speed record, held by British adventurer Hannah McKeand, was 39 days, 9 hours, 33 minutes, set back in 2006. Hannah was also solo and unsupported. The new record, set by Todd, is 39 days, 7 hours, and 49 minutes. That difference of 1 hour and 44 minutes comes up to a difference of less than .2% of their time out on the ice, or as ExplorersWeb put its: “If the same difference was applied to a 100 meter dash, it would equal less than 0.02 seconds”.

Congratulations to Todd on this impressive achievement. He as become the first American to reach the South Pole solo and unassisted, and did it faster than anyone else. He is reportedly resting and recovering at the research station at the South Pole, and awaiting extraction to warmer climes.