Thursday, January 5, 2012

  First blind person to trek to the South Pole: Alan Lock sets world record

 South Pole, Antarctica -- Alan Lock, 31, from Clevedon, North Somerset, a former Royal Navy sailor, was part of a team which battled temperatures as low as -35C to cover almost 1,000km in 39 days while raising funds for Sightsavers and the US charity Guide Dogs for the Blind - setting the new world record for the First blind person to trek to the South Pole, according to World Record Academy (www.worldrecordacademy.com).

  Photo: Alan Lock, 31, has become the first blind person to trek to the South Pole. During his 39-day ­expedition he suffered howling winds, temperatures of -35C and whiteout blizzards. Photo: Sightsavers ( enlarge photo )

The Guinness world record for the Oldest person to visit both Poles was set by Major Will Lacy of Whitby, North Yorkshire, England, who went to the North Pole at the age of 82 and the South Pole at the age of 84. On both trips he arrived and left by light aircraft.

Guinness World Records also recognized the world record for the First person to reach The South Pole, set on 14 December 1911 by a Norwegian party of five men led by Captain Roald Amundsen (Norway, 1872-1928), after a 53-day march with dog sledges from the Bay of Whales.

  Mr Lock undertook the challenge with two sighted team-mates, Andrew Jensen and Richard Smith, whom he met while studying for an MBA in the United States, and guide Hannah McKean.

  Mr Lock, who lost his sight to macular degeneration, dragged a 60kg sled during the challenge.

   Speaking from the South Pole, Mr Lock said: "It feels amazing to have made it to the South Pole, what an adventure.

 "The high point is having the opportunity to make this expedition in the first place.

 "Reaching the pole, having been only one of a handful of people to have ever walked here, is a fantastic experience.

  "There have been difficulties with the terrain but this has all been made possible for me by my great team members."

  Mr Lock lost his sight in six weeks while training as a Royal Navy officer nine years ago.
  Since then, he has undertaken challenges including 10 marathons, and set a Guinness World Record in 2008 when he became the first visually impaired person to row across the Atlantic Ocean.
  Mr Lock now works in telecommunications.

  The trip has raised £15,000 for the charity Sightsavers, which aids blind people in the developing world, and Guide Dogs for the Blind, based in San Francisco.

Related world records:  
Youngest to climb 7 summits: Jordan Romero (Video)

Longest taxi journey: Three British adventurers sets world record (Video)

Fastest overland journey to the South Pole: KNGS (Video)

Youngest person to ski to the South Pole: Amelia Hempleman-Adams sets world record (Video)

First person to visit all UN member countries and Antarctica: Yili Liu

Oldest man to climb Mount Kilimanjaro: Richard Byerley sets world record (Video)

Fastest solo global circumnavigation by bicycle: Bruce Gordon sets world record (Video)

Longest distance on a mountain bike: Dave Buchanan set world record

Fastest time bicycling across Canada: Kevin Robins (Video)

First person to visit all Independent States: Kashi Samaddar (Video)

Longest bumper car marathon: Laura Byng

Longest journey by fire engine: charity firefighters (HD Video)

Longest Journey by Motorcycle in a Single Country: Canadian Brothers (Video)

Fastest Crossing of the Sahara Desert by Bicycle: Reza Pakravan (Video)

First person to visit solo all 194 UN member countries: Yili Liu

Fastest Time to visit 245 countries: Benny Prasad

Greatest distance on a scooter in 24 hours: Jason Chalmers and Tamlyn Locke

Longest distance travelled on a single tank of fuel: Volkswagen Passat

Fastest circumnavigation by bicycle : Vin Cox

Longest rickshaw ride: Tim Moss

Fastest journey to the South Pole: Todd Carmichael

Greatest Distance on Motorcycle in 24 Hours: Omar Al Mamari

Most countries visited: Kashi Samaddar

Longest Distance Skated on the Road: Abhishek Navale

First Woman to Scale 14 Highest Peaks: Oh Eun-Sun

First to cycle the length of the Americas: Mark Beaumont

Fastest cyclist to cross Southern Australia: Guido Kunze

Fastest to cycle the Pan-American Highway: Scott Napier

Longest journey on mini-bikes: Ryan Galbraith and Chris Stinson

Longest tea run: Rebecca Wass

Fastest cyclist to circle the globe: James Bowthorpe

Longest rickshaw ride: Simon Etkind and Lianna Hulbert

Longest unsupported Arctic journey: Emirates NBD Greenland Quest

Bicycling across Canada: Cornel Dobrin

Longest distance travelled by train in 24 hours: Corey Pedersen and Mike Kim

Longest wheelbarrow journey: David Baird

Fastest team travel to the South Pole: team impossible2Possible

Longest Journey by Skateboard: Rob Thomson

Longest journey around the world: Rosie Swale Pope

Longest Journey on Skates: Khoo Swee Chiow

Longest Journey on Skates: Swee Chiow

Thursday, January 5, 2012