Thursday the 14^th of June 2012 the Norwegian polar explorer and adventurer Rune Gjeldnes was awarded the prestigious Mungo Park Medal from the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. In addition to the medal Mr Gjeldnes was also given an honorary membershipof the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. The award ceremony took place at PerthConcert Hall in Scotland, where Gjeldnes was invited to hold a lecture on his numerous polar explorations.

The medal is in recognition of outstanding contributions to geographical knowledge through exploration and / or research, and / or work of a practical nature for the benefit of humanity in potentially dangerous physical and / or social environments. It was founded in honour of the Scottish explorer Mungo Park (1771 – 1806). Only once before has this prestigious medal been awarded to a Norwegian. Thor Heyerdahl, known for the Kon-Tiki expedition, was the first Norwegian to be awarded the medal in 1950.

Rune Gjeldnes is a Norwegian polar explorer, adventurer, ex-Navy Seal and the only person in the world who has crossed the three largest ice caps Greenland, the North Pole and the South Pole. In 1996 he skied 3000 km across Greenland from south to north unsupported. In 2000 he skied across the Arctic Ocean unsupported from Siberia across the North Pole to Canada in 109 days. In 2005 he crossed Antarctica (South Pole) solo and unsupported, and currently hold the world record for the longest ski expedition ever, covering 4804 km in 100 days.