INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS

Braam Malherbe from Cape Town and Peter van Kets from East London set up their tents in Antarctica before a tough 704km race to the South Pole. Photo: Paul van Schalkwyk

A two-man South African team believes being motivated to inspire children and the country to save the planet helped them cross the finish line of one of the world’s most gruelling races to reach the South Pole.

Braam Malherbe, 54, and Peter van Kets, 45, who arrived back in the country on Wednesday night, said they were still “very emotional” after enduring below freezing temperatures and tough terrain while dragging heavily laden sleighs to clinch third place.

On Saturday, they completed the race, unassisted, after 24 days, having covered a distance of 742km. “We weren’t racing to win. We were racing to finish for the planet and raise awareness about climate change and the effects it has on Antarctica,” Malherbe said.

As an avid adventurer, the TV presenter and conservationist said the challenge had been the “toughest thing” both team members had ever tackled.

“You couldn’t stop and rest or you would freeze. The temperatures are so cold, reaching –40ºC, that if you took a break for anything over 15 minutes, immediately you wouldn’t be able to feel your fingers, even with all your gloves and gear on,” Malherbe said.

They each carried about 70kg of equipment, to which an additional almost 10kg was added when British Green team member Andrew Carnie fractured his arm with only six days left to the finish.

“Being an unassisted race, if you received any help from medics or had to be evacuated, then you would be an unofficial finisher should you choose to continue the race.

“So the British team decided to carry on and we could see they were struggling, so we gave them the ‘gift’ of assistance and volunteered to help,” Malherbe said.

He described the terrain as a “choppy ocean” with gale-force winds. Very high altitudes nearly led him to drop out at one point when he fell ill with a chest infection.

Malherbe was the first person to run the length of the Great Wall of China and Van Kets, 45, has rowed 5 500km across the Atlantic in a canoe.

The team received two cheques yesterday from the Woolworths MyPlanet campaign during a ceremony held at the Two Oceans Aquarium at the V&A Waterfront.

The first was R20 000 for Malherbe’s charity, the Endangered Wildlife Trust in aid of the Rhino Trust and an additional R20 000 for Operation Smile, which performs corrective surgery on children born with cleft lips and palates.<&eh>

- Cape Argus