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This is Colin O'Brady, and he's pretty amazing. Yesterday he set a world record in crossing Antarctica solo and unaided. Here he is calling his fiance' after pushing through the final 77-mile stretch, which took over 30 hours, and arriving at the opposite coast. He spent 54 days pulling a sled that weighed well over 300 pounds across 921 miles of ice and snow!
He is a former professional triathlete and raced in 25 countries on six continents from 2009–2015. He also set world records for conquering the Explorers Grand Slam, an adventurer's challenge to climb the highest mountain on each of the seven continents and complete expeditions to both the North and South Poles in world record time. He did all of this after being severely burned in a fire in 2008. His injuries covered nearly 25% of his body, mostly damaging his legs and feet. Doctors had told him he might never walk normally again. What an amazing dude! This is a great Christmas for his family.
UnbelievablyAverage
Graduated in ‘08 from Yale, and a fellow SigEp brother. DAMN Proud Colin. Damn Proud.
alkynesofthings
Honest question: why does he have KT tape on his face? Is it to deal with the glare? Or am I missing something?
AngryOtters
The giant Antarctic ants just let him skate on by? Wow, I lost many family members. Not from the giant ants but I just can't find them.
YourMomsNewBoyfriend
He reminds me of Alex Hannold for sheer send it attitude.
AlmightyDiapahbetusGarlicGerbil
Don't let the Yeti eatchoo.
youcancallmeflowerifyouwantto
Do it in August. Hard mode.
OrnamentalTurtle
Antarctica is over 3000 miles across. Not sure you should call this a crossing. It was a N-S race with a 900 mile course.
OrnamentalTurtle
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/12/18/sports/antarctica-race-tracker-map.html
ObliqueRay
Does he know you can just get on a plane?
Nu4an
Awesome! Rich or sponsored, doesn’t take away from the achievement.
StillNotYouTube
Based on my research...rich AND sponsored.
Nu4an
Not like they walked it for him. Sure, I’d love to be rich and sponsored too so that I could go do cool feats of endurance. Would I do them?
ilovereubensandwiches
Colin is cute!
MegaDeuce
Took "apply ice to the burn" to a whole new level.
thefunkthatbleeds10
Idiot couldn't even build a penguin sleigh
AmariaChan
Legend
wongtonpoop
I didn't walk anywhere, I'm lying in filth, I'd take a selfie but can't be bothered. Well done your friend.
Vyrro
Oh yea...well i needed a new lathe bit at work and walked all the way to the storeroom instead of stealing my colleague's. It was pretty far
Grumposstuff
Just read about it. Covered 132 KM in 32 hours for the last stretch. Stopped for lunch.
Lizaderp
How does one sleep in that weather anyway?
NS83
Woot, a guy from my town made the news. No one will remember
jdyoder
"My friends son" yep
Rememba6
I wonder if he saw any secrets there...
MadCDeeJay
The edge of the world. Flatearthers were right after all
IHateYouMyselfAndEveryone
"I recently *did a basic thing* to my *not distant place* this morning." -top comment on these posts 100% of the time.
storysails
K!
tesseract4d2
it's awesome how accurate you are. Top comment right now is "I walked to the kitchen for a sandwich"
nignog360
Doing justice to your username.
tinman80
That's impossible... You can't walk across Antarctica. It circles the Earth, keeping all the water in. Fake news.
kalabash
I really wish flat earthers would put their money where their mouth is and crowdfund a prominent FEer to go. Someone whose word they trust
eggmuffin
That wouldn't change anything. No one can maintain a velief in a flat Earth in the face of evidence to the contrary. So it doesn't exist.
eggmuffin
Any evidence provided will be ignored. Or twisted beyond recognition.
kalabash
For most of them, definitely. Probably why it hasn’t happened yet.
iboughtanewhouse
But why?
barnwolf
Midlife crisis, and the burn scars made it tough to pick up chicks.
MajesticGiant
Why has humanity done anything? Bragging rights
plymouthvaliant
God, gold, but most importantly, glory.
Racistpenguin
Thats how the wheel was invented, 2 neighboring cavemen trying to out-do one another.
iboughtanewhouse
Ok I hope something good comes out of this.
BangBangLuckyLuke
The truly astonishing thing to me is that people can actually make a living doing this. Wish I could.
Lizaderp
Right? Where do I send my resume cause I wanna live my life like this guy.
ObliqueRay
You wish you could risk life and limb endlessly walking through a frozen, desolate hell for weeks on end?
BangBangLuckyLuke
*looks around at soul crushing office and life. Yep!!
MajesticGiant
You could! All you need is motivation. Which most of us lack...
Racistpenguin
Ill fully admit I lack any sort of motivation or willpower to accomplish even the simplest of goals.
BangBangLuckyLuke
And training, and raw physical ability, and the ability to be charismatic enough to attract sponsees...the list goes on.
MajesticGiant
Nah. With a few exceptions, most people could do this with enough training. Training comes from motivation!
YourMomsNewBoyfriend
This is way beyond motivation. Most people would die attempting this
MajesticGiant
Nah. Most people would die training for this
DewyVan
Sells snow shoes in California, travel budget $500k/year.
chanjSpacePilot
Lmao
LovelyLadyLumps
He’s sponsored by Sleep Number & Nike. Heard it on NPR tonight!
crazydaisy13
Just like on House Hunters...
ZircZZ
I tip my hat to this man, that is quite an achievement!
youknowthatiknow
I tip my hat to the cel service provider he called his gf on
Noahy503
Yeah. No way I could go without showering for 54days.
PotatOSLament
Don’t forget that to preserve the snow he had to cart his shit out, so it’s not like his pack ever got lighter.
TheUglyGuy
I walked to the kitchen for a sandwich.
BonerJamz2000
Barely.
709FoxtrotGolf
I got a sandwich AND some chocolate from my Christmas stocking. Exhausting!
dogsarebetterthanhuman
I got halfway to the kitchen for a sandwich b4 I said, 'not worth it. I gotta make it still' then I sat on the floor and pouted
Headcase444
I got half way to the kitchen and forgot why I was headed there in the first place.
Technocratic
I came back for this +1
nathan2323
Who are we kidding, I ordered a sandwich from jimmy johns just so I wouldn’t have to walk to the kitchen to make a sandwich
usernametakenisthestoryofmylife
Yeah, I tried but had to stop for a rest in the living room.
hockeyham
I burnt 25% of my tongue on hot chocolate
SmartyMcgenius
I nearly fell over getting off the bed
counterintel
I left my bed approximately 4 times today.
nateglen350
I had a wife bring me one from the kitchen
AniceModernGentleman
KangLi53
... but did you do it in record time?
dogsarebetterthanhuman
Yes, I played a record in time
GeorgieThumbs
Yeah? Well I reached level 100 in Fallout 4
NoGreaterTaleOfDoh
Bless you.
jimmsheridan1
Could you grab me one, I don't feel like getting up.
tzk132
I woke up this morning.
Aerialslayer
The real hero here.
vondruke
Oh to be rich
FlyingDorito
You do realize that there are fair number of rich people in the world, right?
bripi
There is never a fair number of rich people in the world. If there is *one* rich person, that's already unfair! Heh thought that was funny.
0penname
There are a surprising number of options to get costs covered by other people for a lot of opportunities in life. Often call for digging tho
LovelyLadyLumps
He was sponsored by Sleep Number, Nike & a protein bar company. Heard about it in NPR on my drive home.
BigFatUglyBugFaceBabyEatingOBrian
Adventure, discovery, love. These things are not for the poor.
ThatOneFriendWhoTriesTooHard
Something tells me he also has sponsors, though.
maincarrot
Oh to be sponsored
vondruke
Sponsors tend to want their names out there, I see nothing.
ericdidit
Sponsors... once he’s done a few at his own expense and sponsors see what he can do, they will jump at the opportunity because he’s the best
BarkingHard
what do the sponsors get in return?
randomitguy
Screen time. Internet time. Etc. Like a Nascar driver for snow equipment.
ericdidit
People buying their stuff, because “the best” use it. So people want to be like the best
7thor8thcaw
This was my first thought. I'm still impressed with what he did, but to be able to have the time to train and do these things!!
isitinteresting
You’re only keeping yourself down, man.
vondruke
That's what the rich want you to believe, you can be the hardest working man, but without opportunity, it doesn't matter a single bit.
isitinteresting
Make your own opportunities. When you believe the world is your master, you achieve nothing.
vondruke
rainyrivers
The races themselves are pricey. I do 5 and 10k's and the avg price is $40 a race
Intelletc
Just like this comment
rainyrivers
My 2 year old screamed PINKIE PIE