A BRITISH man has finished hot on the heels of the first man in history to cross Antarctica unaided after a 56-day journey.

British Army Officer Captain Lou Rudd, 49, reached the Ross Ice Shelf on Friday, just two days after 33-year-old American explorer Colin O’Brady. O’Brady spent 54 days traveling 932 miles across Antarctica.

Rudd completed his own journey in 56 days.

Both men set out at the same time, with Rudd leading his American counterpart for roughly a week before O’Brady closed the gap and took the lead himself.

He did not relinquish pole position from then on, but it is understood that O’Brady waited on the tundra for Rudd to finish so the pair could share a collective moment of triumph.

Rudd embarked on the journey in memory of close friend Henry Worsley, who died attempting the feat in 2016.

Speaking to the New Yorker earlier this year, Rudd revealed that it was Worsley who had introduced him to polar exploration and how to survive in the punishing arctic conditions.

The Brit, a motor transport officer based at the Infantry Battle School in Brecon, embarked on the journey in late October after reaching Antarctica via Chile.

Both men documented the journey with friends, family and followers tracking their progress in real-time online.

They each carried almost 200kg of gear and moved on skis.

Colin O’Brady’s wife, Jenna Besaw, told of her husband’s tearful and elated message from the end of his long trek, as well as his intent to toast the feat with Rudd.

“It was an emotional call,” she said. “He seemed overwhelmed by love and gratitude, and he really wanted to say, ‘thank you’ to all of us.”

“It’s a small club,” she joked. “His intention is to wait for Louis and have kind of a celebratory moment with the only other person on the planet to have accomplished this same thing.”

O’Brady, 33, documented his nearly entirely uphill journey – which he called “The Impossible First” – on Instagram.

Last Wednesday he wrote that he had covered the last roughly 80 miles in one big, impromptu final push to the finish.

“While the last 32 hours were some of the most challenging hours of my life, they have quite honestly been some of the best moments I have ever experienced,” he said.

Though others have traversed Antarctica, they either had assistance with reinforced supplies or kites that helped propel them forward.

Even accepting a cup of tea from one of the scientific stations on the land-mass would have seen either man’s mission dubbed a failure.

Sub-zero temperatures also ate at morale. Photos posted towards the end of the trip show O’Brady with black tape on his nose and cheeks in an attempt to halt the spread of frostbite through his frozen extremities.

“I wanted so badly to quit today as I was feeling exhausted and alone, but remembering all of the positivity that so many people have been sending, I took a deep breath and focused on maintaining forward progress one step at a time and managed to finish a full day” he wrote.

The explorer then received a call from musician Paul Simon, who had heard that O’Brady listened to his album Graceland on the ice.

Though O’Brady initially suggested he would want a cheeseburger at the end of his nearly impossible journey, his wife said he had been fantasising about fresh fish and salad because he had mostly been eating freeze-dried food.

Outside Magazine reported that O’Brady took hundreds of specialised energy bars of over 1000 calories each. Even with a scientifically-planned diet, he began to suffer from the effects of malnutrition.

“I’ve lost a ton of weight,” he wrote six weeks in. “So much so that I am afraid to take a close look at my body.

‘‘My calves feel more like the size of my arms at this point.

My watch is starting to slide around on my wrist and I’ve had to tighten the strap.”

On the last day of the voyage, Rudd posted his reflections online.

He said: “To be honest it’s a minor miracle that both of us have completed a journey that’s been attempted before, nobody’s ever managed it, and then, lo and behold, in one season two of us attempted it.

“The fact that both of us have finished is absolutely fantastic. I’m really pleased for both of us.”

Rudd went on to thank his family, friends and the family of his friend Henry Worsely.

“Massive thanks to Mrs Joanna Worsley and her two children, Max and Alicia, for their support.

“That meant a lot to have those guys on board and behind it. Hopefully I’ve done you and Henry proud with what I’ve achieved.”