Conquering earth’s most extreme terrains and setting world records without the gift of sight.
“I’ve conquered some of earth’s harshest terrain — navigating over, under and between landmasses, oceans, rivers, mountains, glaciers and roadways. Each achievement has proven to me that physical limitations are secondary to mindset.”
He was the first South African to break a World Blind Land Speed Record in September 2005 reaching 269 km/h in a Maserati GranSport, before shattering his own record at 322.52 km/h in a Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series.
In 2012, Hein completed the grueling 42.2 km Antarctic Ice Marathon just a few hundred miles from the South Pole. Running in temperatures plummeting below -20°C across windswept ice and snowfields, Hein and his sighted guide demonstrated unparalleled mental stamina in earth’s most isolated wilderness.
Behind the wheel of a 670-horsepower Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series, Hein shattered the official World Blind Land Speed Record, clocking an incredible 322.5 km/h (200.4 mph) on an airfield runway at Upington, South Africa, guided only by directional radio prompts.
Widely regarded as the toughest mountain bike stage race in the world, the ABSA Cape Epic covers over 700 kilometers and 15,000 meters of vertical ascent across rugged South African terrain. Hein tackled the untamed trail on a custom tandem bicycle, becoming the first blind athlete in history to conquer the race.
At just 21 years of age, Hein served as an active crew member aboard a racing yacht competing in the 3,500 nautical mile Cape to Rio race across the South Atlantic Ocean. Facing massive ocean swells, squalls, and weeks without sight of land, he mastered ocean sailing purely through sound and touch.
Hein navigated the thunderous, high-volume Grade 5 rapids of the mighty Zambezi River below Victoria Falls. Feeling the sheer force of the roaring water beneath his raft, he tackled some of the world’s most perilous white-water runs without visual warning.
Taking to the skies in an Aero L-39 Albatros military jet trainer, Hein took control of the aircraft to execute high-G loops, barrel rolls, and steep dives, experiencing the spatial freedom of aerobatic three-dimensional flight guided by instrument audio telemetry.