You can do anything, says Army medic after polar trek

A BRITISH Army medical officer who has claimed the record as the fastest woman to ski alone across Antarctica hopes her feat will show people “you can do anything”.

Capt Harpreet Chandi, from Derby, covered 1,130km (about 700 miles) of the Antarctic ice in 31 days, 13 hours and 19 minutes while dragging a sled carrying all of her supplies and equipment.

Known as “Polar Preet”, Capt Chandi previously set two Guinness World Records for polar exploration, but now claims she has a third after beating previous record holder Canadian Caroline Cote, by one day, 14 hours and 34 minutes. Guinness World Records still needs to verify the record.

The adventurer said she was inspired to take on the challenge to get out of her comfort zone and hopes to encourage others to “step outside the box”.

She said: “I wanted to show people that actually you can step outside that box, whichever one that may have been created for you, and you can go and do anything.”

Her journey began after a friend suggested completing a challenge related to Antarctica.

She explained: “I wanted to do something big for ages, something to push my boundaries and show other people that you can do anything.

“I remember mentioning it to people, but I didn’t know what and someone mentioned Antarctica. The appeal was going somewhere that I don’t know anything about.”

She added her first reaction was to consult Google and research everything there is to know about Antarctica.

Capt Chandi described her trip, which took place between Nov 26 and Dec 28 last year, as smooth compared with previous adventures.

“The trip that I’ve just done is my third trip to Antarctica in a row and it all went smoothly, which is nice because my last trip was challenging,” she said.

“I would be skiing for 12 to 13 hours a day, but every hour I would stop, put my big jacket on, quickly get some snacks and a drink and then I’d do it again. I would repeat that every hour so I’m constantly trying to take calories on. I was having 5,000 calories a day and I lost 10 kilograms.”

“I want to say you can go and do anything even if you’re not sure.

“I’ve always felt nervous – even this trip, I feel it all the time, just scared to try, but that is a natural feeling. Go out and give it a shot.”