Wendy Searle and Jenny Davis set off separately in November to attempt new solo speed records from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole. On January 5, both women have passed 39 days on the ice, ending any hope of besting Johanna Davidsson’s sub-39 day record set in 2016.
Today, day 40, Searle has 105km to go. Davis’s tracker for day 40 puts her slightly further back, with 129km remaining. Both very respectable attempts, but not quite up to Davidsson’s mark.
In other Antarctic news, after completing his own solo run to the Pole, Tanel Tuuleveski has summited Mount Vinson. Tuuleveski topped out on January 2, completing an Antarctic double and ticking off the last of his seven summits.
Update: It appears that Jenny Davis is now having problems finishing the last degree to the South Pole. A thigh injury or rash has split open, and her one stove is not working very well and she is unable to fix it. In the polar regions, a stove is vital to melt snow for drinking water. Most polar trekkers bring two stoves and at least two pumps for this reason.
