Only three women have ever on their own reached the South Pole. The first was a Norwegian skier. The second was a Briton, who covered the requisite 1,123 km in 42 days, a record that stands. The third was Rosie Stancer, also a Briton and the eldest of the three when at 43 she trekked solo in one of the world's remotest, harshest environments. Hauling her sledge and dependent entirely on herself, she completed the distance in 44 days, the second-fastest time. She described herself as "bewitched."
Rosie visited Tokyo when the Special Olympics World Winter Games were held in Nagano. She is a fundraiser for Special Olympics Great Britain, the movement that believes in the benefits of sport for mentally handicapped people.
Rosie knows from her own experience that trying to do something means "you're encouraged in other ways to strive for more, to set your sights higher."