A 49-YEAR-OLD running enthusiast from China’s Guizhou Province has accomplished the extraordinary feat of running from the South Pole to North Pole.

It took Bai Bin a total of 433 days to travel between the two poles. Along the way, he passed through 65 cities in 13 countries, including the United States, Canada, Chile, Argentina, Peru and Ecuador. His 24,110-kilometer journey is equivalent to 600 marathons.

Bai faced challenges along the way that included abduction, extreme weather and physical exhaustion.

“The abduction in Mexico didn’t impact too much on my ability to finish the journey, but the extreme weather and bad security along some parts of the journey caused so much trouble, I even doubted whether I could finish the journey,” said Bai.

After he entered the Arctic Circle, Bai began running more than 100 kilometers a day. He says the long polar days provided him with more daytime hours, in which he could run.

At 7:43 a.m. local time Wednesday, Bai finally arrived at the North Pole, where he lay in the snow to pause and celebrate the end of his amazing journey.(SD-Agencies)