Thornewill Fiona (Great Britain)

Thornewill Fiona

Fiona Thornewill (born in July 1966) has become famous together with his husband Mike, since that day when they caught the imagination of the world's press as the non privileged, working couple from Nottinghamshire, who raised £68,000 to fund their record-breaking expedition, raised £100,000 for Marie Curie Cancer Fund and realised their dreams of being the first married couple to walk to both the South and North Poles.

Born in Upton, Nottinghamshire, England, Fiona was into sports as a child, especially gymnastics, horse-racing and ice-skating. She attended Lowes Wong Junior School in nearby Southwell before going to The Rodney School in Kirklington. Later, Fiona worked as an administrator for the RAF where she able to gain experience in flying and gliding. She also opened her own gymnasium, but tragedy struck when her husband, Bill, was killed in a road accident. In 1992, Fiona met her present husband, Mike, who introduced her to outdoor sports such as mountaineering. Mike also had ambitions to cross the South Pole overland, and these plans encouraged Fiona to follow suit.

Her major achievements

4/1/2000: 1st British woman to ski - Geographic South Pole.*
5/5/2001: 1st British woman to ski - Geographic North Pole.*
5/5/2001: 1st Woman to ski - both Geographic Poles.*
5/5/2001: Fastest woman to ski - Geographic North Pole in 55 days.*
10/1/2004: 1st British woman to ski solo & unsupported - Geographic South Pole.
10/1/2004: Fastest (man or woman) to ski - Geographic South Pole - unsupported in 41 days 8 hours 14 minutes.
*Record held jointly with Ms. Catharine Hartley.