We are Homo Invictus – the Indomitable species. We all want to be competent at what we do whether we are toddlers taking our first footsteps, people playing football or Ben walking 2000 miles on ice.

There were many challenges faced from the moment of conception to the present day.

Disturbed sleep was fundamental to every day decisions, the amount of effort sustainable on a day-to-day basis, how Ben and Tarka could cope with one another’s company.

Impaired Cognition; Operating in hostile conditions, sleep deprived, malnourished and severely fatigued inhibits rational and logical thinking.

Negative Aspects; Changes in mood, unforeseen obstacles, self doubt

Interpersonal tension & conflicts; Keeping on good terms for 108 days in total isolation isn’t exactly a walk in the park or an ice cap.

There are three distinct segments of time where the experiences and challenges change, along with the way in which we are able to cope with them.

In order to take on such a challenge or task, physical, as well as mental preparation is key. Ben took this to another level. You only need browse his social media posts from a few years ago to see what he put himself through. Imagine a professional weightlifter, combined with a crossfit pro and an elite endurance athlete. Combined into one.

By the end of his preparation he could deadlift 3x his own bodyweight and could run a sub 3 hour marathon. No easy feat when carrying bulk.  To put it in perspective, most people looking to break 3 hours will be reducing their bodyweight and running with only small weight sessions, if they chose to include them. And then of course he had to put on 12 kilos of additional weight to burn off.

“It felt like training for the Olympics and building my own stadium at the same time”

Problem solving is emotional solving.  Whether you like it or not, problem solving is tied to our emotions, upset us and we can be reduced to a blabbering mess, unable to cognate the most basic of tasks. However, you can (as Ben did) set up method and structure to alleviate some of this pressure and reduce the likeliness of judgment becoming clouded when it matters most.

Strict time line – Calculating everything, aided both problem and emotional solving. By limiting time spent on problems, it encourages focused thought and not getting bogged down in one problem.

Both Set Targets –Every day there was a big ceremony to announce their score, how far they had travelled. This meant they could make something minimal into something worth shouting about and raise spirits, despite the outcome.

There were many challenges to overcome, chief amongst which was the low stimulation.

“It’s like being in a freezer, in a warehouse, on a treadmill, looking at a white wall.”

They experienced vertigo and motion sickness, due to the constant white outs, blank terrain and time spent starring at a compass. This was solved by breaking the lead into 45 minute shifts, with a break every 1 ½ hours. During this time, a question was set to one another, giving them something to think about on the monotonous ski in-between.

Refusing to quit, digging deep into personal strength and determination.

Temptation was provided at the South Pole, with modern infrastructure and Ben and Tarka chose to camp 20km from the pole to resist. It meant their time at the pole was minimal and the risk of giving into temptation all but eradicated.

Day 64 – After 56km

“It has been a round trip to the pole, 2 ½ hours sleep. Never been on the ragged edge, half rations start tomorrow. The ragged edge is when I come alive.”

Much attention is given to the build up to an expedition and to the time spent in the field. However, it is when the adventurer/explorer/which ever term we deem appropriate to brand them with, arrives back that the biggest challenge can morph out of nowhere. Ben had spent 10 years planning the expedition, spent hundreds of thousands of hours training and spent 108 days in Antarctica. But when he arrived back, it was over. What does he do now?

Ben said he was “Quite depressed when I came back. I didn’t go to war, no one forced me to.” Above all it was a “frightening experience.” I started off part one by saying things were incomprehensible for the majority of people. Men have gone to war for millennia, but only two men have walked from the coast to the South pole and back. As experiences go, it is the most polarizing (no pun intended) that currently exists in the living world.

Finding the words to try and pass these experiences on is hard. Hard doesn’t quantify it. And that is why reintegration into society, with freely available food, water, a clean bed and roof are as hard to accept, in the same way that others find running a mile too much. The truth is, we will only ever understand a millimeter of those 1795 miles.

As Ben put it “I’m at the forefront of a pretty specialized niche.”