Wendy’s solo South Pole trek
An adventurer has set off on her biggest challenge – skiing solo and unsupported to the South Pole.
Wendy Searle, 42, left Heathrow yesterday on the beginning of her journey to Antarctica
Wendy, a former Telford resident who was part of the Wrekin Road Runners while she lived in Shropshire, will need to ski for an average of 20 miles each day in the harshest conditions on Earth in order to reach 90 Degrees South before the short expedition season is over and the darkness of the Antarctic winter returns.
The mother of four has been juggling a day job and a busy family, fitting in training and fundraising when and where she could.
“I’ve done stretching sessions in airports, gone out in the dark and rain after working all day, feeding everyone and going to parents’ evening! It hasn’t been easy at times,” said Wendy.
During the 715-mile journey from Hercules Inlet to the Geographic South Pole, Wendy will be completely alone, unable to accept help or food resupplies if she’s to complete the journey under the rules of ‘unsupported and unassisted’.
Training since Christmas Eve on a twice-a-day, six-days-a-week schedule, Wendy will be only the twelfth woman to complete the journey since it was first achieved in the 1990s.
The training has been a mixture of pulling a tyre – to most closely resemble the pulling of the pulk – or sled – which will weigh around 75-80kg– strength training and cycling.
Wendy was inspired by a team of Army Reservists on the SPEAR17 expedition who crossed Antarctica in 2016/17.
She said: “I didn’t really know polar travel was something people still did.
"It wasn’t a childhood dream but when I started reading about polar history and this other-worldly continent of Antarctica, I was hooked. It’s taken me almost five years of planning and training to even get to the start point.”
The expedition aims to inspire others – especially women and girls – to set long-term goals – and to overcome challenges to achieve them.
As well as this, Wendy is working with Manchester University on collected psychological data as part of a project working with NASA, and with Coventry University on metabolic rates – spending time in a metabolic chamber before and after the journey.
Looking to highlight the fragile nature of the continent, Wendy has been working with the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust and hopes to continue to give talks about Antarctica to schools and companies on her return.
“Lots of people ask me how I’ve managed to plan everything with a full-time job. I can’t pretend it’s been a walk in the park, but I’ve been laser-focused on my goal.
"I could not have got this far without the support of my family, my coach Jon Fearne and my expedition manager Captain Louis Rudd MBE. My four children have been incredible – it’s been a real team effort.”
The expedition is raising money for ABF The Soldiers’ Charity and The Youth Adventure Trust.
The fundraising page has just launched at https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SouthPole2020
People can also follow the journey at www.southpole2020.com or betweensnowandsky on Instagram.
