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Plymouth physiotherapist Rachel Andrews has completed her marathon trek across Antarctica, finishing fourth in the Amundsen Omega 3 South Pole Race.

Rachel and her two team-mates in Team Due South crossed the finish line on Monday 26 January 2009 - completing the race in a time of 21 days and 6 hours.

Rachel's three-man team also includes Phil Hayday-Brown and Hylton James.

Speaking to Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Devon from the South Pole on 27 January, Rachel said: "We did 24 hours on skis to get here and I was absolutely shattered when we reached the finish.

"This is something I've wanted to do for 15 years and I expected to be elated but there was no feeling of elation because I was so exhausted.

"But I've slept for 12 to 14 hours and now the elation is sinking in. I feel relief and exhilaration at getting here. It's a wonderful feeling.

"And it was fantastic that the other teams came out to greet us. There is a little globe, surrounded by flags, where the South Pole is and they guided us to it.

Team Missing Link at the South Pole

"Then we sat and had hot drinks for about two hours."

In the steps of Raold Amundsen, Team Missing Link from Norway won the historic Amundsen Omega 3 South Pole Race, arriving at the South Pole at approximately 7pm on Wednesday 21 January, having covered 769kms in 17 days and 11 hours.

Rune Malterud and Stian Aker were "elated, emotional and extremely exhausted."

After planting their flag at the pole, they thanked Team QinetiQ for making the race so competitive. Team QinetiQ - James Cracknell, Ben Fogle and Ed Coats - finished second, reaching the pole after 18 days, five hours and 30 minutes.

All competitors in the six competing teams suffered from sprains, blisters and fatigue in temperatures as low as -50 degrees centigrade with wind chill.

Rachel said for her, the finish line came at the right time: "In the second half of the race, we got more frostbite and the chilblains got worse. My fingers are covered in cuts, we've got sore faces, cracked lips - eating hurts and smiling hurts.

"You just get bored with all the aches and pains. It all got harder and harder and by the end, I'd had enough really.

"You also start to panic because if your fingers keep on getting frozen, you are in danger of doing some real damage.

All smiles for Rachel and her team-mates

"It was getting colder towards the end - it was -40 to -50 on the final day - and with every single step, you feel pulling that bulky load.

"All I can say is I did my very best and we got here as quickly as we could. We did the very best that we could."

Rachel arrives back in the UK on 3 February - and she has a wish list of things to do: "I can't wait for two cups of cappuccino and two glasses of Laphroaig whisky when I get back.

"And I'm really looking forward to a couple pints of lager - and I don't usually drink lager. I'm looking forward to seafood too, and to not having to drag a heavy weight around.

"Oh, and washing my hair - I can't wait for that. It's a matted lump of vileness on top of my head. You can imagine what that looks like, combined with the scabs on my face.

"We've all lost about two stone though. For the first time since I was 12, I've got no bum which is fantastic."

And they're off...

The six competing teams set off on Sunday 4 January at the start of the race to the Geographic South Pole, which followed a 10-day trek to the start line - sometimes in blizzard conditions.

The teams at the start of the race

It's almost 100 years since Norwegian Raold Amundsen beat Plymouth's Captain Scott in the race to the South Pole.

Amundsen reached the South Pole on 14 December 1911, more than a month before Scott and his team arrived on 17 January 1912.

Scott and his colleagues perished in their attempt to return to base, after getting stuck in appalling weather conditions and running out of supplies.

It was one of the most famous races in history. Now, 97 years later, six teams are following - albeit not exactly in their footsteps - in the Amundsen Omega 3 South Pole Race.

Following in her heroes' footsteps

Rachel has dreamt of visiting Antarctica ever since she read about the exploits of Captain Scott and Ernest Shackleton.

Before leaving Devon, Rachel, a physiotherapist at Derriford Hospital, told Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Devon: "Going to Antarctica is something I've wanted to do for a long time.

"I find the stories of Scott and Shackleton, and the history of it inspiring. I want to go to Antarctica because it's a beautiful and unique place, but really it's about the history.

"You can't compare what we are doing with what Scott and Shackleton did. It's an entirely different route - what they did was off the scale. They went from the edge of Antarctica, they weren't flown in.

"And we will have better food and better gear.

"I just want to walk a little bit where they went - I am in awe of them."

Tyring training

Rachel's pre-race training schedule was exhausting. She used Plymbridge Woods as the South Pole, and a harness tied to three car tyres as her sled.

She also used a cold storage vehicle borrowed from a frozen fish business to sit in, to acclimatise herself. Temperatures inside fall to minus 25 degrees.

Bad weather affected the walk to the start line

Rachel is raising money for the Amber Trust, a music charity for blind children: "I've had a fantastic response from the children," she said. "They have chosen the music for me to listen to.

"It includes indie, rock, classical, Christmas songs, the theme from Dr Who - a real mixture."

Rachel says for her, this expedition is the ultimate test: "Some people say 'what's next?' but there's not really a what's next for me. This stands out on its own for me as the one thing I really want to do."

* Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Devon's Kev Hutchings caught up with Rachel as she went training in Plymbridge Woods before heading off the Antarctica - listen to the interview by clicking onto the audio link.