He scaled the ‘roof of the world', has been to the ‘top of the world' and has just returned after conquering the ‘bottom of the world', becoming the fastest person on the planet to have done so.
Dubai-based Adrian Hayes, a father of two, recently joined as the 15th member the exclusive club whose members have achieved the rare feat of reaching all ‘three poles' of the planet – North Pole, South Pole and Mt Everest.
A motivational speaker, the 48-year-old Briton created a record by covering all three peaks in a span of 19 months and three days, the fastest anyone's ever done it.
He had “lugged tyres at 45 degree heat on the beaches of Dubai'' in preparation for the 1130 km trek from the Antarctic coastline to the South Pole.
One of the five-member team, Hayes took 47 days to complete the distance while walking unsupported and unassisted through the world's most unspoilt scenery.
“I missed Christmas, and Dubai Rugby Sevens. Christmas was just a normal day for us.''
Hayes stayed at the pole for 30 hours before flying back to civilisation. Hayes confessed that the expedition to the North Pole was the toughest of all three challenges.
“The North Pole, believe it or not, was the hardest and by some way. The cold, the ocean, so many obstacles and a very fine time window to do it in. we were travelling up to 15 hours a day.
“(in terms of degree of difficulty)…I would put South Pole ahead of Mt Everest, but that's not to say climbing Everest was easy. It was the hardest thing I had done in my life before the two poles.''
He counts, apart from the sponsors, the “can-do attitude of Dubai'' as factors that made his achievement possible.
“I want to thank the city of Dubai. The one thing the city has which is huge is its can-do attitude. This attitude does spill over onto people like myself.''
At the centre of all the thrill and adventure lay a charitable cause. Hayes dedicated this expedition to raising funds for Children's Hope Foundation and Friends of Cancer Patients.
For more information on the expedition log onto his website www.adrianhayes.com
Coming up next…
A book comprising tales of the three expeditions, many of which have never been told before.
Trek trivia
- He slept through New Year's Eve as he was too tired to celebrate.
- His i-Pod and communication gadget were the only hi-tech things he carried on the trip. He wished he had more chocolates for the trip.
- He weathered ferocious storms on the way to South Pole.
- There was 24 hour sunlight as the sun never set
- Hayes is one of only five people ever to reach both the North Pole and South Pole within a year.
- Hayes arrived at the South Pole early evening on December 28, 2007 (Chilean time, Dubai -7 hours)
In numbers
- 12 – weight in kg that Hayes lost during the trip
- 5 – weight in kg of the amount of cheese he ate during the trip
- 47 – number of days it took him to complete the trip
- 30 - number of hours he spent on the South Pole before heading back.
- 1,130 – number of km he walked during the expedition
- 15 - number of people who have reached the three extremes of the earth
- 8000 – amount of calories Hayes burnet per day
- 50 – number of days Hayes didn't wash, apart from his teeth
- 10 – number of average walking hours per day
