Ultra-runner Bai to take on epic Pole-to-Pole challenge

Chinese ultra-runner Bai Bin, 48, has unveiled plans to run from the South Pole to the North Pole, covering a distance of approximately 24,000 kilometers in around 300 days.

Bai, a native of Guizhou province and a 17-year veteran of the grueling sport, told a media conference in Beijing that the Pole-to-Pole challenge is the most important of his life.

Bai will leave Beijing on Feb 25 for China's Changcheng (Great Wall) Station in Antarctica. He will start running on March 2, crossing 65 cities in 13 countries - Chile, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Columbia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, the United States and Canada.

Bai made history in 2011 when he ran over 10,000 kilometers across six countries and regions in 150 days.

"I run 70-80 kilometers in daily training, and I am confident of making it this time," Bai told Xinhua.

"I hope more people will love this sport," he added.

He also revealed that the expedition will form the basis of a number of kinetics and psychology studies as part of research into running and human endurance.