Race against time for Army's Polar Preet on her Antarctica expedition

Explorer and British Army medic Captain Preet Chandi is racing against the clock in Antarctica to set a new world record as bad weather conditions have slowed her progress.

The 33-year-old physio and polar explorer has covered 440 miles in the first 37 days of her quest to be the first woman to cross Antarctica on her own and unsupported.

Known as 'Polar Preet', the officer is approaching the halfway point of her journey and is battling to make up for lost time.

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The expedition was expected to take up to 75 days and if she doesn't finish by then she will run out of food and she will have to abandon the attempt.

Captain Chandi said: "Seventy-five days is the maximum time I have in which to complete the journey but it’s important to be smart. I can’t afford to rush it. Consistency is vital.

"I need to hit the South Pole by a certain point to give me enough time to go down and navigate Reedy Glacier.

"Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions [which supervises all Antarctic expeditions] leaves at the end of January, and I would run out of food and fuel if I’m not finished by then.

"If I haven’t made it by then, I'd have to abandon the attempt."

From the South Pole to the base of the Reedy Glacier is roughly 354 nautical miles (655km).

Of this, about 75 nautical miles (140km) are on the glacier, which climbs from about 763m to 2,931m.

Descending Reedy Glacier will be a first for Captain Chandi who is eating 5,000 calories a day to keep her going during the expedition.

This isn't Captain Chandi's first Antarctic mission - in January she became the first woman of colour to reach the South Pole solo and unsupported, which she completed in 40 days, just short of the female world record.