Current position:

70° 14' 10 S

97° 58' 27 E

Daily Progress: 104 km

Distance Total: 4829,4 km   -  A new world record!

"Sat down on a rock.  Rolled up a cigarette.  Lit it up and sat overlooking the bay and the Campbell Glacier.  I quietly sat there, enjoying the sight of life on the beach, the sea, the sound of the waves and mighty nature.

'I'm there!' I said loudly.  And again: 'You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?'

Felt proud as I could answer the question:  'Yes, I can! '

-  Rune Gjeldnes, 03 February 2006, upon his record-breaking completion of 4804 kilometers in 90 days across Antarctica

What does one say?  What does one do after setting a world record, especially when no one is around to witness it?

Dixie Dansercoer and Sam Deltour have re-written a piece of Antarctic history.

As of today, Day 70 of the Antarctic ICE Expedition, Dixie & Sam have broken the previous world record for unsupported and non-motorized distance travelled in Antarctica.  The previous record was held by Norwegian polar explorer Rune Gjeldnes, who in February 2006 completed 4804 km in 90 days.

Dixie and Sam have achieved 4829,4 km in 70 days … and they are still going strong!

Today is a day to celebrate a new world record … and that is exactly what Dixie and Sam are doing.  How did they celebrate?  Well neither Dixie nor Sam smoke.  They have no more alcohol.  Dixie did what any middle-aged man about-to-turn-50 would do:  he called his much younger about-to-turn 48 year old wife and said with all of the testosterone he could muster:  "Would you like to sleep with a world record holder?"  For those of you who know us, this totally inappropriate question is of no surprise.  And then the laughter mixed with tears followed.  Tears of relief, tears of joy, tears of life.

Sam, who normally voices comments in the background, sat stunned and silent.  What must be going through his head?  27 years old, never before on a polar expedition, hasn't bathed since early November 2011, listening to his equally stinking expedition partner speak of long-forgotten carnal knowledge ... trying to grasp the fact that his name will be in a record book for an accomplishment so daunting that most people wouldn't spend a nano-second considering to embark upon it.

And then, that was it.  The celebration was over.  Time to eat.  Time to sleep.

And tonight they will get back up and go back out there.  There are more kilometers to travel and the final goal to achieve:  a safe expedition completion and a safe return to a place where loved ones, supporters, partners, fans, and followers hope to welcome them and finally, in an appropriate manner, celebrate this world record accomplishment (among other things).

- posted by Julie Brown, Polar Circles