BOTTOM OF THE WORLD. BUT FIRST, JOE FRYER HAS MORE ON
HIS EPIC 54-DAY JOURNEY.
>> Reporter: AT THE END OF THE
YEAR, DESOLATE ANTARCTICA BECAME
A RACETRACK OF SORTS, WITH TWO
ADVENTURES VYING TO MAKE
HISTORY.
HISTORY. ONE OF THEM, A 33-YEAR-OLD MAN
FROM OREGON, NAMED COLIN
O’BRADY.
O’BRADY. >> I WILL BE ATTEMPTING A WORLD
FIRST.
FIRST. >> Reporter: THE SOLO, UNAIDED
ADVENTURE, STARTED NOVEMBER 3rd,
WHEN O’BRADY AND AN ENGLISH
ATHLETE SET OUT ON THE
900-MILE-PLUS TREK.
900-MILE-PLUS TREK. ON NOVEMBER 9th, HE TOOK THE
LEAD.
LEAD. ON DECEMBER 12th, HE REACHED THE
SOUTH POLE.
SOUTH POLE. >> I WENT THROUGH SOME REALLY
DEEP PLACES IN MY MIND.
AND SOME OF THE PLACES WERE
SCARY AND DARK.
IT WAS ALL ABOUT MAINTAINING
THAT POSITIVE VOICE IN MY HEAD.
>> Reporter: THEN, ON CHRISTMAS,
WITH THE FINISH LINE SO CLOSE,
O’BRADY EMBARKED ON A PUSH,
SPRINTING NEARLY 80 MILES TO
REACH THE END.
HIS FIRST CALL WAS BACK TO HIS
WIFE IN OREGON.
>> IT WAS AN EMOTIONAL
CONVERSATION.
CONVERSATION. IT WAS A LOT OF PRIDE.
WE WERE SCREAMING AND HOOTING
AND COLORING AND HAPPY HE MADE
IT SAFELY.
IT SAFELY. >> Reporter: IT WAS A REMARKABLE
FEAT FOR O’BRADY, WHO TEN YEARS
AGO WAS INJURED IN A FIRE THAT
LEFT BURNS ON A QUARTER OF HIS
BODY.
BODY. THAT DIDN’T STOP HIM FROM
FINISHING TRIATHLONS, SCALING
MOUNTAINS, AND NOW, CONQUERING
ANTARCTICA.
ANTARCTICA. THIS MORNING, HE IS STILL THERE,
40 POUNDS LIGHTER, WAITING FOR
RUDD TO FINISH.
BUT O’BRADY IS EAGER TO SHARE
HIS STORY, WHAT HE CALLS HIS
LETTER TO THE WORLD, REMINDING
US ALL TO DREAM BIG.
FOR "TODAY," JOE FRYER, NBC
NEWS.
NEWS. >> AND COLIN O’BRADY JOINS US,
NOW, EXCLUSIVELY, BY PHONE FROM
ANTARCTICA.
ANTARCTICA. COLIN, GOOD MORNING TO YOU, SIR.
FIRST OF ALL, CONGRATULATIONS ON
THE ACHIEVEMENT.
THE ACHIEVEMENT. 900 MILES ROUGHLY BY FOOT,
PULLING THE SLED.
HOW DO YOU FEEL?
HOW DO YOU FEEL THIS MORNING?
>> I’M NOT GOING TO LIE.
I’M A LITTLE TIRED.
SITTING HERE IN MY TENT, ALONE.
IT IS AN INCREDIBLE FEELING,
JUST SO EXCITED AND GRATEFUL TO
BE HERE SAFELY.
YEAH.
YEAH. >> COLIN, I WAS READING ABOUT
YOUR TREK.
YOUR TREK. YOU FACE SOME OF THE MOST
EXTREME CONDITIONS ON EARTH.
TALK TO ME ABOUT HOW EMOTIONAL
IT WAS, OR THE MENTAL CHALLENGES
YOU FACE.
YOU FACE. AND WHAT DID YOU SAY TO KEEP
GOING, MILE AFTER MILE AFTER
MILE AFTER MILE ALONE?
>> IT’S MINUS 60 DEGREES AND THE
WINDCHILL IS CRAZY, AND I WAS
PULLING MY SLED 12, 13 HOURS,
EVERY DAY.
EVERY DAY. I NEVER TOOK A REST DAY.
EVERY MORNING I WOULD WAKE UP
AND I WOULD TELL MYSELF THE
MANTRA, YOU’RE STRONG, YOU’RE
CAPABLE, YOU CAN DO THIS.
AND THROUGHOUT THE DAY, ALWAYS A
MENTAL BATTLE.
MENTAL BATTLE. TRYING TO STAY IN THE MOMENT.
DOING THIS FOR SOMETHING MORE
THAN MYSELF, TO INSPIRE, YOU
KNOW, OTHER PEOPLE, TO TAKE ON
THE IMPOSSIBLE IN THEIR LIVES.
>> COLIN, AMAZINGLY, YOU WEREN’T
THE ONLY GUY TRYING TO DO THIS.
THERE WAS A BRITISH EXPLORER
NAMED LOU RUDD, WHO STARTED THIS
IMPOSSIBLE JOURNEY AT THE SAME
TIME.
TIME. HE IS STILL OUT THERE, STILL
TRYING TO FINISH.
HE’S EXPECTED TO FINISH SOON.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT LOU?
DID YOU SEE HIM AT ALL ON YOUR
JOURNEY?
JOURNEY? >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. I HAVE THE UTMOST RESPECT FOR
LOU.
LOU. HIM AND I WERE RACING HISTORY.
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO DO
THIS CROSSING FOR ABOUT 100
YEARS UNSUCCESSFULLY.
YEARS UNSUCCESSFULLY. SOMEONE ACTUALLY LOST THEIR LIFE
A COUPLE YEARS AGO, VERY NEAR
THE FINISH.
THE FINISH. IT’S A VERY CHALLENGING PROJECT.
I’VE NOT VISUALLY SEEN HIM OTHER
THAN HIS TENT IN THE DISTANCE ON
ABOUT DAY SIX, THE LAST DAY I
SAW HIM.
SAW HIM. HE’S ANTICIPATED EDD TO FINISH I
THE NEXT DAY OR TWO HERE.
I’M WAITING AT THE FINISH LINE
FOR HIM.
FOR HIM. I WANT TO BE THE FIRST PERSON TO
CONGRATULATE HIM IN PERSON.
IT’S AN EXTRAORDINARY
ACHIEVEMENT FOR HIM.
>> WHAT DID YOU EAT?
LOGISTICALLY, HOW DID YOU DO IT?
AND THEN, WHEN IT WAS ALL OVER,
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST MEAL AND
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO?
>> LOGISTICS ARE CRAZY.
WE PLANNED THIS FOR SEVERAL
YEARS.
YEARS. WE SPENT A YEAR AT A FOOD
FACTORY WITH THE EXACT GRAMS OF
EIGHT TO PUT IN MY SLED.
SO MUCH WENT INTO THE PLANNING
AND LOGISTICS.
AND LOGISTICS. THAT’S WHY WE WERE SUCCESSFUL.
NOW THAT I’M ON THE OTHER SIDE,
I’VE LOST ABOUT 40 POUNDS.
I’M VERY THIN.
AND SO, A PROPER MEAL IN ME WILL
BE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY.
WHEN I GET BACK, WRAPPING MY
ARMS AROUND JENNA, MY AMAZING
WIFE, WILL BE MY FIRST THING.
I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE HER.
THIS HAS BEEN BOTH OF OUR DREAM
COME TRUE.
COME TRUE. >> COLIN, THERE’S A LOT OF FOLKS
BACK HERE WHO ARE EXCEPTIONALLY
PROUD OF YOU, SIR.
THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF WHEN YOU
GET BACK.
GET BACK. SAFE TRAVELS AND