American man first to traverse Antarctica unaided

An Oregon man became the first person to traverse Antarctica alone without any assistance Wednesday, trekking across the polar continent in an epic 54-day journey that was previously deemed impossible.

Colin O’Brady of Portland finished the bone-chilling, 930-mile journey as friends, family and fans tracked the endurance athlete’s progress in real time online.

“I did it!” a tearful Brady said on a call to his family gathered in Portland for the holidays, according to his wife, Jenna Besaw.

“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.”