0:00:02 > 0:00:06She was the first woman to kayak solo down the Amazon.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11She completed the highest high-wire walk ever by a woman in the UK.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17Now, for Sport Relief 2012, the toughest girl on TV...
0:00:18 > 0:00:19Ow!
0:00:19 > 0:00:23..Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton is taking on the toughest place on earth.
0:00:23 > 0:00:24Antarctica.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33Helen wants to travel 500 miles across this unforgiving landscape
0:00:33 > 0:00:35to the South Pole by ski,
0:00:35 > 0:00:37by kite
0:00:37 > 0:00:40and, in a world first, by bike.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47Helen's preparations began six months ago
0:00:47 > 0:00:50in the shanty towns of Sierra Leone
0:00:50 > 0:00:55where she saw how Sport Relief money helps poor and vulnerable people.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58She's also put herself through months of training
0:00:58 > 0:01:00learning kite-skiing,
0:01:00 > 0:01:04off-road biking and how to survive in the extreme cold.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08This is the most unpleasant experience of my life.
0:01:08 > 0:01:09This is the story
0:01:09 > 0:01:14of Helen's epic battle to reach to the South Pole.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29Antarctica - the coldest, windiest, driest place on earth.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33It's twice as cold your deep freeze.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36It will also be Helen's home for the next six weeks.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47But when Helen touches down
0:01:47 > 0:01:49at her base camp on the northern tip of the continent,
0:01:49 > 0:01:52just before Christmas, she's just happy to have arrived.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58I'm so impressed with the Russian pilots.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02They landed here in Antarctica on sheets of ice.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07But I am relieved to finally be here in Antarctica.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09Feels like it's on now.
0:02:09 > 0:02:14Helen has travelled to Antarctica with her Norwegian team-mate
0:02:14 > 0:02:17and world Champion Kite-skier, Niklas Norman.
0:02:18 > 0:02:24With the start of their polar challenge just days away, the pair go through their final preparations.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27They're most worried about the bikes.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31These specially adapted ice bikes have super wide tyres
0:02:31 > 0:02:33to cope with the extreme terrain.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37But no-one has ever tried to ride a bike to the South Pole before.
0:02:37 > 0:02:42This is the first chance Helen and Niklas have to try them out on snow.
0:02:42 > 0:02:43It's the moment of truth.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48SHE LAUGHS
0:02:48 > 0:02:52After a few hours in the saddle, Helen's cautiously optimistic.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54Well, I didn't know deep down if it was going to work.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57It's not easy. It's not going to be plain sailing,
0:02:57 > 0:02:59but it IS working and it IS moving forward
0:02:59 > 0:03:02so that is a huge weight off my shoulders.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Christmas is a white one for Helen,
0:03:07 > 0:03:11but there's no let up in her preparations, starting out with an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live.
0:03:11 > 0:03:16- Where are you, Helen, exactly? - I am at 71 degrees South.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20And they have an unexpected Christmas present.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24- 'Hiya, Helen, how are you?' - Ohhh!- 'Are you all right?'
0:03:24 > 0:03:26- Hello, Mum, are you all right? - 'I'm good.'
0:03:26 > 0:03:29Didn't think I'd miss everybody, but I do.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34'Is it like you expected out there or is it a bit tougher?'
0:03:34 > 0:03:35Oh, I don't know,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38I didn't think I would be as homesick as I've been,
0:03:38 > 0:03:41but I kept thinking last night about everything that we do,
0:03:41 > 0:03:44so, I love you dearly, and I'll make you proud.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46'You'll be fine, you'll be absolutely fine.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48'We have every confidence.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50'There'll be tough days, but I know you can do it.'
0:03:53 > 0:03:55I didn't think I'd miss home at all.
0:03:55 > 0:03:56Then I heard my mum,
0:03:56 > 0:03:59I just started crying. I don't know what it is,
0:03:59 > 0:04:02but Christmas makes you so sentimental,
0:04:02 > 0:04:07and messages from kids and support from home is what gets you through things like this.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10And it's now true more than ever.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19Christmas tears over, Helen and Niklas try out
0:04:19 > 0:04:23one of their other modes of transport - cross-country skiing.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32But after only four hours skiing, she's got a problem.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37You've already developed a blister about the size of a 20p piece.
0:04:37 > 0:04:38Ow!
0:04:38 > 0:04:41If we left this on its own, it would just get worse.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44I'd like to say it's not going to jeopardise
0:04:44 > 0:04:48what we're attempting to do, but, potentially, it could.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51One of the commonest reasons people have to give up in this environment
0:04:51 > 0:04:54is their feet. If her feet totally break down,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57and they're too uncomfortable to walk on, she may have to give up.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59And to cap it all,
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Helen's body doesn't respond well to the expedition food.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06I...
0:05:06 > 0:05:08developed a rather loose stomach.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10In other words,
0:05:10 > 0:05:13I've needed to use the toilet
0:05:13 > 0:05:16for number twos about six times today.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20And that's not that easy when you don't have a toilet,
0:05:20 > 0:05:23you're wearing three layers of clothing and a harness.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25So, as Christmas days go...
0:05:28 > 0:05:31..not necessarily one I'm keen to repeat.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Christmas over, it's a real relief for Helen
0:05:36 > 0:05:39and her team-mate Niklas to fly forward to their start position -
0:05:39 > 0:05:42500 miles from the South Pole.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Three, two, one.
0:05:44 > 0:05:49On 4th January, in blazing sun but temperatures of minus 20,
0:05:49 > 0:05:50their challenge begins.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54CAR HORNS BEEP
0:05:55 > 0:05:57But after just a matter of minutes,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01it's clear that riding a bike on snow, pulling all their essential equipment,
0:06:01 > 0:06:05is going to be a whole lot harder and slower than they ever feared.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08Niklas, you love that bike, don't you?
0:06:08 > 0:06:11I hate the bike.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16For me, as a Norwegian, it's a bit strange to be bicycling
0:06:16 > 0:06:21in good winds from behind with the kites in the sled.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24- You'll love the bike by the end.- I know.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31Their speed is about two miles an hour. And even that's agony.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33Ah, my legs.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36Ow!
0:06:37 > 0:06:41Helen and Niklas need to do 25 miles a day to get to the Pole on time.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43Is that really comfier?
0:06:43 > 0:06:46On day one, they're already ten miles short.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50But the travelling isn't the end of their hard work.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52What makes this a bit more difficult
0:06:52 > 0:06:55is at the start and end of each day, you'd take down a tent
0:06:55 > 0:06:58and then you put up a tent and all that takes a bit of time.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00It's full on this, isn't it?
0:07:00 > 0:07:04In fact, their nightly routine can take up to four hours,
0:07:04 > 0:07:07two of which includes just melting snow.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10I always have to put a little bit of water in the bottom of the pan
0:07:10 > 0:07:13because, believe it or not,
0:07:13 > 0:07:17the snow out here is so dry you can actually burn snow.
0:07:17 > 0:07:22So put an inch of water in the bottom of the pan left over from the day
0:07:22 > 0:07:23and then add snow.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26It's weird because this place couldn't look and be
0:07:26 > 0:07:30any more different from Sierra Leone.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33Yet, sitting here right now...
0:07:35 > 0:07:39..it's making me realise how precious water is,
0:07:39 > 0:07:42because it is such a hassle to get water to drink.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48As part of her preparation for this Sport Relief Challenge,
0:07:48 > 0:07:52Helen travelled to the slums of Freetown in Sierra Leone,
0:07:52 > 0:07:55to see the impact of not having any clean water.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57She met 12-year-old Issa
0:07:57 > 0:08:01who's knows all too well about its devastating effects.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06I lost my mum, my elder sister and my younger brother.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12All three of them died from drinking contaminated water
0:08:12 > 0:08:14from a well directly outside his house.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20Your mum and brother drank from it. Why?
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Because there is no other water to drink here.
0:08:25 > 0:08:30Sometimes when I think of her, I sit in the corner and cry.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43The only way Issa and the remaining members of his family
0:08:43 > 0:08:47can get clean water is to walk for hours to the nearest safe well.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Helen joined him on the long journey.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54In the dry season, how many times a week do you go to the well?
0:08:54 > 0:08:58Always in the morning, five o'clock, before I go to school.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01- Do you mind going?- It is a hard walk.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03When they eventually reach the well,
0:09:03 > 0:09:07Helen sees it really isn't a place for a 12-year-old boy.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09Oh, my word.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11If you fell in there,
0:09:11 > 0:09:13well, I dread to imagine. It's not even covered.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16But he knows he needs the water.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20He's well over an hour away from safe water, not even running water.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24Just water that's safe enough to drink.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29And then they do the same hour long journey back again,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32this time, with heavy buckets of precious clean water.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35Oh, my lord. Oh, my lord!
0:09:37 > 0:09:38Oh, my word.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40I'm definitely not putting it on my head.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46I couldn't carry this every day.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55They've only been going for a few minutes when Issa cuts his foot.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00OK... Aw!
0:10:00 > 0:10:01Issa...
0:10:01 > 0:10:05The pressure of what he has to do every single day is taking its toll.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09If he doesn't go home with the water,
0:10:09 > 0:10:11then his family won't drink.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15His one-year-old brother won't get a drink of water.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Right, why don't you get on my back.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22I'll take you and we'll come back for the water.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25Helen can help him today,
0:10:25 > 0:10:29but tomorrow Issa will set out on his own all over again.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33So the money you raise this year will go directly to buying wells
0:10:33 > 0:10:36and providing clean water, for children like him.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39With your help Sport Relief can make sure young lives like Issa's
0:10:39 > 0:10:41aren't dominated by something as simple
0:10:41 > 0:10:44as accessing clean drinking water.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47It is kind of annoying, in this day and age,
0:10:47 > 0:10:51something so simple, and something so easily sorted...
0:10:51 > 0:10:52..hasn't been.
0:10:52 > 0:10:57That is what you and I can do by getting involved with Sport Relief.
0:11:00 > 0:11:05It's Day 2 and the wind is strong
0:11:05 > 0:11:08so we will try and kite and make up the mileage we lost yesterday.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10So, Helen, under the expert guidance
0:11:10 > 0:11:14of the kite-skiing World Champion Niklas, takes to the kite.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17There is something so rewarding about this.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20You know, you're moving forward at a pace,
0:11:20 > 0:11:22not using an engine, not using any petrol.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25I can see why the Norwegians prefer this to cycling.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28For the next four days they make great progress.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30In this time they rack up 145 miles.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36By Day 6 they're doing so well that Helen, who'd never kite-skied until four months ago,
0:11:36 > 0:11:39has a chance of setting a new world record.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Their aim was to set the fastest time kite-skiing 100 kilometres.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Woo-hoo!
0:12:06 > 0:12:09They covered the distance in just seven hours and 28 minutes.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Setting a brand new world record.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14Way-hey!
0:12:14 > 0:12:16This will go down as one of those days
0:12:16 > 0:12:18that you talk about as a highlight.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21After these things you only look back on the best bits.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25So far, this has been my best bit.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32After the high of their world record Helen's about to make a very bold
0:12:32 > 0:12:35and, potentially, very unpopular decision.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38We used the kite to put miles in the bank and we've done that.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45It is time to say, "goodbye" to the kites.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Our pace is definitely going to slow down
0:12:47 > 0:12:51but I'm determined we can still make it to the Pole in 20 days.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58They set off on their bikes
0:12:58 > 0:13:00with the remaining 190 miles in front of them.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04It's going to be tough.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07I think it's going to be worth it, if we can do it.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16Helen decided to get rid of the kites -
0:13:16 > 0:13:19and then I started worrying if we would get there at all.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24Helen's decision means they spend a bottom-numbing day and a half in the saddle.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30But it's clear by the morning of Day 12,
0:13:30 > 0:13:34the bike's performance in the soft snow is getting worse.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46It's been a really tough 12 hours.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52We managed to cycle about seven-and-a-half hours yesterday.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56We did over 20 kilometres, which is about 16 miles, I think.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00Then we hit really, really loose snow,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03so we had to then push the bikes
0:14:03 > 0:14:06for the next three hours, almost.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11We were on the go for nearly 11 hours, yesterday.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14We only just managed to do, 18 miles
0:14:14 > 0:14:17and we need to that, at least, every day from hereon in,
0:14:17 > 0:14:19to get to the Pole in time.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25We have not been able to cycle at all.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29It demands less energy to push the bikes, actually.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31Oh, bike!
0:14:31 > 0:14:36If I feel that we have other possibilities
0:14:36 > 0:14:37to move more efficiently,
0:14:37 > 0:14:41then I don't see the point in using the bikes,
0:14:41 > 0:14:43just to prove a point.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46Niklas and I have been bickering a lot.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48SHE LAUGHS
0:14:48 > 0:14:50I think, fundamentally, we're totally different people.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55He wants to get to the Pole in the quickest way possible,
0:14:55 > 0:15:00but we came here to use the three different modes of transport.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03We came here to show that we can use those bikes a bit
0:15:03 > 0:15:06and, I'm determined to stick to that.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09He's got a bit of an issue with me using the bikes.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12We argue so much.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16I want to say, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." Zip it!
0:15:17 > 0:15:21One thing they do both agree on is that they should park the bikes
0:15:21 > 0:15:23and use their third mode of transport.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27We are now cross country skiing
0:15:27 > 0:15:30with a very large sledge.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33We're going slow, we're doing about two miles an hour.
0:15:33 > 0:15:38It's not as fast but, do you know what? I feel like we're doing it properly.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44After all this was the method that early polar pioneer,
0:15:44 > 0:15:47Captain Scott and his team used to reach the South Pole
0:15:47 > 0:15:50exactly 100 years ago.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53But Helen and Niklas have the luxury of modern equipment
0:15:53 > 0:15:56and everyday they must report their location.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00South 88 degrees, 3.806 minutes.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Helen's concerns about their speed
0:16:03 > 0:16:06are confirmed by their GPS co-ordinates.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11Our current speed is a pitiful 1.3 miles an hour,
0:16:11 > 0:16:14which means we're going to have to be on the move
0:16:14 > 0:16:17for up to 20 hours a day.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19That's quite depressing, isn't it?
0:16:19 > 0:16:22We're literally not going to bed tonight.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27There's 24-hour daylight in Antarctica
0:16:27 > 0:16:30so while it might look like it's the middle of the day,
0:16:30 > 0:16:31it is 8pm at night.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37They travel for another two hours before putting up camp,
0:16:37 > 0:16:41exhausted, after a leg-breaking 22 miles.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43HELEN COUGHS
0:16:46 > 0:16:49There's no doubt it's got ten times harder.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52I am convinced it's going to be worth it.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06Today, gives Helen the opportunity to put her Polar Challenge
0:17:06 > 0:17:08into perspective as it's a very special day
0:17:08 > 0:17:11in the history of Antarctica.
0:17:11 > 0:17:12100 years ago, today,
0:17:12 > 0:17:16Captain Robert Falcon Scott reached the South Pole.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20Now his story of struggle has become one of legend.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22Scott and his team struggled to the Pole
0:17:22 > 0:17:25but when they got there they found a Norwegian flag
0:17:25 > 0:17:28had already been planted. They couldn't claim it.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33So, deflated, they turned around and headed for home.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35But, they didn't make it.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38They died starving and exhausted.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40Eight months later their bodies were found
0:17:40 > 0:17:43and alongside them was Scott's diaries.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45That's how we know what they went through.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56When you think about how long they were here,
0:17:56 > 0:18:01how mentally and physically exhausted they must have been,
0:18:01 > 0:18:03it really does leave you in awe
0:18:03 > 0:18:05of Scott and his team.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26If they're to make the South Pole in 20 days,
0:18:26 > 0:18:28they need to go faster.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30So, in an attempt to speed up progress, Helen and Niklas
0:18:30 > 0:18:33decide to off-load their heavy bikes with the film crew.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38I thought we'd use the cross country skis the least, and we have.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40So far...
0:18:41 > 0:18:44I'm genuinely enjoying it. I think it's a change,
0:18:44 > 0:18:46it's the novelty factor.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49We're still getting used to them.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51I fall over my own feet a lot
0:18:51 > 0:18:55but I've started to slide, which Niklas told me to do
0:18:55 > 0:18:57because it's energy efficient.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04For the next two days, Helen and Niklas ski
0:19:04 > 0:19:07pulling their lighter sledges,
0:19:07 > 0:19:09but the long hours and the freezing temperatures of minus 35
0:19:09 > 0:19:11are starting to take their toll.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13HELEN COUGHS
0:19:15 > 0:19:18My cough is starting to really bug me.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21I'm trying not to cough, cos that makes it worse.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23Sometimes I can't avoid it.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28I am a little bit concerned about that.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30It hurts more than anything.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Helen's continued coughing hasn't gone unnoticed
0:19:33 > 0:19:35from team paramedic, Gummi.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38He decides it's time to take some action.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41What I would like to do is take out my stethoscope
0:19:41 > 0:19:43and listen to your lungs,
0:19:43 > 0:19:47just to make sure you're not building up pneumonia.
0:19:47 > 0:19:48OK.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50Not now, right?
0:19:50 > 0:19:52I mean, we have to put up a tent for that, and everything.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55A stethoscope put in here will be freezing.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58Why don't I crack on for a couple of hours, get more miles in
0:19:58 > 0:20:00- and then we'll do that tonight. - I'm a bit concerned that...
0:20:00 > 0:20:05if you push too hard,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07you might be over-doing it.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10What if we go for another hour and then we'll stop?
0:20:10 > 0:20:15An hour is not going to be a make or break for the whole run,
0:20:15 > 0:20:19but it could be more beneficial for your cough and yourself now
0:20:19 > 0:20:22if we put up camp pretty soon.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25- OK, what about in half an hour? - Half an hour?
0:20:25 > 0:20:27- Yeah.- That sounds strict.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30Right, I'm going. This could take half an hour.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36Helen gets her way and carries on for another half an hour.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39But a simple cough in these extreme conditions
0:20:39 > 0:20:42can turn into something very serious very quickly.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50Take a deep breath.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54OK.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57I can hear a little bit of crackling
0:20:57 > 0:20:59in the lowest part of your lungs.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02It's not developed to pneumonia,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05but if it gets worse,
0:21:05 > 0:21:07we'll have to put you on antibiotics.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10This could possibly exclude you
0:21:10 > 0:21:15from finishing your race or expedition.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18Helen now has to take good care of herself,
0:21:18 > 0:21:22make sure that she doesn't push too hard, even though
0:21:22 > 0:21:24I know she's very excited to get to the South Pole.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26We're getting close to the South Pole now
0:21:26 > 0:21:29and so the goal is reachable if we can say that.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33So she's anxious to finish this, but at the same time
0:21:33 > 0:21:36she has to make sure that she's taking good care of her body.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39I don't know what I'm trying to prove by doing 14 hours
0:21:39 > 0:21:41because all I'm going to do is make myself ill
0:21:41 > 0:21:45and then I won't finish and then I'll just...
0:21:45 > 0:21:46Well, then I'll be gutted.
0:21:48 > 0:21:53I think Gummi made me realise that I have to look after myself
0:21:53 > 0:21:56and I have to take this seriously. I can do that.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00So hopefully I can finish.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10The following morning, Helen takes Gummi's advice
0:22:10 > 0:22:13and goes back to kiting - the best option to give her body
0:22:13 > 0:22:14the rest it needs.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17It's good to use the kite to let her lungs rest for a bit.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21I was tossing and turning last night,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24"I shouldn't use the kite. I said I wouldn't."
0:22:24 > 0:22:25But that doesn't prove anything.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29Only that I'm stubborn and a bit stupid.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31We can get to the pole in two days if we use kites now
0:22:31 > 0:22:34and that's what I came here to do, so I just need to do that.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38Helen needs to complete her Sport Relief Challenge
0:22:38 > 0:22:40so it's crucial she concentrates on finishing.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44I cannot tell you enough times
0:22:44 > 0:22:47that I've seen how that money makes a difference.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51I've met families now who will benefit from Sport Relief
0:22:51 > 0:22:55and who, with just a few pounds,
0:22:55 > 0:22:58will see their lives change dramatically.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03For the next day and a half, kiting conditions are perfect,
0:23:03 > 0:23:05so they take full advantage.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo!
0:23:09 > 0:23:13In this time, Helen and Niklas cover an amazing 78 miles.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16At the end of Day 17, Helen's cough is improving
0:23:16 > 0:23:19and they're within touching distance of the South Pole.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21It has been an adventure
0:23:21 > 0:23:24in the sense there's been highs and lows and ups and downs.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26Today I just took a sit back and thought
0:23:26 > 0:23:29I came here to get to the South Pole in one piece
0:23:29 > 0:23:32and I don't want to tempt fate,
0:23:32 > 0:23:35but...it looks like that might happen.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45Helen and Niklas pack up the sledges with all their kit
0:23:45 > 0:23:47for possibly the last time.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51Only 13 miles lie between them and the South Pole.
0:23:51 > 0:23:52Sledge packed!
0:23:52 > 0:23:54We have a long day ahead of us,
0:23:54 > 0:23:58probably about eight or nine hours worth of travelling.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01But if we get it right and we get on with it,
0:24:01 > 0:24:03this is going to be the last day.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06So I don't want to go, "Oh, just get it over with!"
0:24:06 > 0:24:09I kind of want to take it in, cos this is it.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11You know, this is the last bit.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14MUSIC: "Paradise" by Coldplay
0:24:14 > 0:24:16I forgot how heavy these bikes were.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24After 9 miles of skiing, at minus 45 degrees,
0:24:24 > 0:24:27they can finally see the South Pole.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30It is a bit weird to see something on the horizon,
0:24:30 > 0:24:35because we've just been looking at a sea of white for a few weeks now.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39Come on, sledge. Nearly there.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42MUSIC: "One Day Like This" by Elbow
0:24:43 > 0:24:45Oh, tune!
0:24:45 > 0:24:49I've got Elbow singing in my ear, "It's looking like a beautiful day."
0:24:49 > 0:24:50You're not wrong there.
0:24:50 > 0:24:56# It's looking like a beautiful da-a-ay... #
0:25:00 > 0:25:04# Someone tell me how I feel... #
0:25:10 > 0:25:12I don't know how I feel.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14I don't want to waste it.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16I don't want to...
0:25:16 > 0:25:19I don't want to cry and be sad.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21This is possibly the best adventure of my life
0:25:21 > 0:25:23and I'm not sure whether it's over.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33So many people do charity these days.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35Sometimes, people almost think,
0:25:35 > 0:25:39"Oh, here we go again! A charity challenge!"
0:25:39 > 0:25:42But you can't get through something like this
0:25:42 > 0:25:46with a smile on your face if you're not doing it for the right reasons.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51And that's why I can't say no to Sport Relief.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57This is so bonkers, isn't it?
0:25:57 > 0:26:00"Welcome to the South Pole. Please follow the groomed footpath."
0:26:01 > 0:26:03They're now on the home straight.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06Helen's epic 500-mile adventure
0:26:06 > 0:26:10across the world's most hostile environment is coming to an end.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14So what better way to finish than how they started - on the bikes.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18- Shall we give it a go? - Let's try.- Come on, bikes!
0:26:18 > 0:26:20Whoo!
0:26:20 > 0:26:24With the half a mile to go, they ditch the sledges and just pedal.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27I have to admit that I think it's really cool to
0:26:27 > 0:26:32arrive at the South Pole on a bike.
0:26:32 > 0:26:37Many people have been here since Admundsen and Scott 100 years ago,
0:26:37 > 0:26:42but I don't think many have arrived on bikes.
0:26:48 > 0:26:53# So throw those curtains wide
0:26:53 > 0:26:58# One day like this a year'd see me right... #
0:26:58 > 0:27:01I can see the ball!
0:27:01 > 0:27:04- # Throw those curtains wide... # - Woo-hoo!
0:27:04 > 0:27:09# One day like this a year'd see me right. #
0:27:11 > 0:27:12Peddle!
0:27:15 > 0:27:18- Whoo! - Yay!
0:27:18 > 0:27:21Ah, that's such a good feeling!
0:27:21 > 0:27:23Get in!
0:27:23 > 0:27:26'I can't believe we're at the South Pole.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28'We're at the bottom of the world.'
0:27:28 > 0:27:30I'm so proud of the fact that we made it
0:27:30 > 0:27:32using all three modes of transport.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35'This might be the proudest day of my life.'
0:27:35 > 0:27:37Thank you so much.
0:27:40 > 0:27:41'I know with every fibre in my body
0:27:41 > 0:27:45'that Sport Relief money makes a difference, cos I've seen it.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49'And because of that,
0:27:49 > 0:27:52'I can't give up on these things and I can't wimp out
0:27:52 > 0:27:55'and I can't complain.'
0:27:55 > 0:27:56Woo-hoo!
0:27:59 > 0:28:02If this inspires you to give a penny or run a Sport Relief mile,
0:28:02 > 0:28:05then I thank you, from the bottom of my heart
0:28:05 > 0:28:07and the bottom of the world.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15And if you want to go the extra mile for Sport Relief
0:28:15 > 0:28:17and help people like Issa, it's really easy.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45Thank you.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd