( CNN ) -- The race to the South Pole is off -- although the trek still continues for Prince Harry and teams of wounded veterans . Ed Parker , the expedition director of the Virgin Money South Pole Allied Challenge , revealed Saturday that he 'd made the decision to call off the competition among three teams to reach the pole after five days . `` The reason for this is entirely simple -- safety , which remains the core principal of our expeditions , '' Parker said in a statement . It was n't bad weather that led to the decision , and Parker even said that `` all three teams were progressing well '' over the first five days . Rather , it was the fact that the mission -- especially as a competition -- was putting undue strain on the participants . `` It was becoming evident that there was a higher degree of stress imposed on the team members , due to unprecedented terrain on the plateau , '' said Parker , a former British soldier who co-founded Walking With The Wounded in 2010 . Prince Harry -- himself a member of Britain 's armed forces , having served in Afghanistan and elsewhere -- has had a long association with this charity . In several ways , he 's been preparing for this latest mission for a long time . That includes taking part in a Walking With The Wounded expedition to the North Pole -- even plunging into the Arctic Ocean 's freezing waters -- in 2011 before withdrawing to attend his brother William 's wedding . More recently , he traveled to Iceland for training and even spent 24 hours in an industrial freezer in preparation for the South Pole race . Yet , while Harry may be the only royal in Antarctica , he 's hardly the only celebrity . Swedish actor and `` True Blood '' star Alexander Skarsgard is an honorary member of the U.S. team , while Dominic West , perhaps best known for his role as McNulty in `` The Wire , '' joins veterans wounded in combat from the Commonwealth nations of Canada and Australia . Still , the stars -- and focus of the event -- are the veterans themselves . The three teams of seven participants each represent the United Kingdom , United States and the Commonwealth , which consists of several countries long affiliated with the British empire . The plan was to trek more than 200 miles ( 322 kilometers ) across the sparse continent , in temperatures as low as -35 degrees Celsius ( -31 Fahrenheit ) . And that 's still the plan ; it 's just that they wo n't be racing . The participants on Sunday are set to resuming the walk , hoping to traverse the 70 remaining miles to the South Pole `` with no stress being placed on the teams ... enabling them all to do this in their own time , '' Parker explained . Parker said he expects them all to reach that , by Friday or Saturday of next week , all of them will be at the finish `` celebrating . '' CNN 's Pierre Meilhan , Max Foster and Susannah Cullinane contributed to this report .
The Big Money South Pole Survival Challenge is nixed , its website says . The reason is ` ` safety , '' specifically the ` ` conditions imposed '' on participants . Prince Harry , Alexander will participate alongside wounded vets . They 'll want to go to the South Pole , but just wo n't be competing .