MARIA LEIJERSTAM
Entrepreneur, Speaker, Author
"Maria showed real creativity in becoming the First Person in the World to Cycle to the South Pole" Sir Ranulph Fiennes, 2013
2023 marks my 10th anniversary of becoming the first person to cycle to the South Pole.
To celebrate, I'm busy preparing for a comeback that will begin on December 17, 2023 - the exact day, ten years ago, that I set off on the edge of the Antarctic Continent... read more here
Marathon Des Sables
2007
My life of adventure began by running six marathons across the Sahara Desert in 48 degrees Celsius!
Expedition Adventure Racing
2008
Becoming addicted very quickly to extreme challenges, I began racing around the globe on the World Series Adventure Racing Circuit. In each race I have run, biked and kayaked non-stop up to 900km up to six days with little sleep.
Every year I have set myself adventure goals, so here is a little taster of some of my past adventures.....
Summit of Mt Blanc
2009
Even at 4408m I suffered from altitude sickness but had a blast standing on the top of the highest mountain in Europe.
Cycle the length of New Zealand
2010
From Cape Reigna in the North to Bluff in the South covering 2400km. I also completed the Speight Coast to Coast Adventure Race and came 5th in the Karopoti National Mountain Biking championships.
Siberian Black Ice Race
2012
To test whether I could look after myself in extreme conditions, I raced 600km solo across Lake Baikal on the Central Siberian Plateau. I crossed the line as1st woman and 2nd overall.
Devises to Westminster Canoe Race
2014
Defying all recommendations, my Adventure Racing buddy and I decided we'd attempt the notoriously challenging 125 mile non-stop Canoe Race on only 2.5 hours of training....We came 3rd in our category!
