MOVE; Stay INSPIRED!

Two weeks ago, didn’t know their names – now, how do you say goodbye?

Triple 8 GOODBYE

* Brendan – fastest every day, White Continent winner, awesome IRISH accent 🇮🇪

* THOR ⚡ – Finnish HUMOUR, Scandinavian BRAWN & random ‘Mika Facts’; dude a wealth of questionable knowledge/always interesting, mostly correct.  LOL> 🇫🇮

* Que – SMALLEST gal/LARGEST luggage & FUNNY; watch the quiet ones! 🏁

* Nicole – BESTEST PREPARED; packed for every situation (& always shared) 🇸🇬

* Minnesota Mike – first class travel/first class guy AND my Cairo hotel mate for maybe five hours (only location everyone room-shared/short nite between flights) 🇺🇸

 

Last nite at Diego de Almagro.  Last Triple 8 dinner.

5 of us leaving tomorrow.  Travel plans ran amuck after Antarctica.  $100 Sky ticket to Santiago, swanky day/night at the Hilton.  GREAT shower!  Civilization.

✈️ Santiago – Punta Cana D.R. – Miami – Denver ✈️

Shakira & JLo, Chiefs v 49ers.  Miami SUPER BOWL weekend.  ONE more flight.

 

Pup pickup & SNOW.  Monday, Monday.  Life interrupted, back on routine ❄️

 

 

Miami, U.S.A.

 

Triple 8 RECAP (2 minute clip) 

YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAuhkW_TA0s

 

 

Trinity Church

There are eight churches on the Antarctic continent.  Today I visited 2.

Notta lotta night this time of year; lights up at 3am.  Hung shoreside while my tent mates slept.  Group-sheltered quietly with a couple other early risers.  Introspective, soulful.  They drank coffee; I finished off the bottom bits of my Chips bag.  Breakfast of Champions🏅

Do we stay or do we go-go?  Eat light.  May be same food selection tomorrow.

Picked up littered clothing outside & around my tent.  PITCH BLACK last night as I stripped naked.  FOCUS: Warm clothes on a wet body to avoid hypothermia.  Holding a flashlight in my mouth, wasn’t super agile nor worried ‘bout keeping the outdoors tidy.  Cozy sleeps though.  My new $70 [sleeping bag] liner – well worth the crazy price tag.  Good on you, REI 😊

Mile+ walk on the same path worn yesterday, Chile’s Chapel of St. Mary Queen of Peace.  Simple parish church.  Most visited/used by locals.  More elaborate & ornate, Russia’s Trinity Church.  Location, location, location.  Church sits prominent atop a hill overlooking Bellingshausen Station.  Its foundation & structure literally anchored/tied into the surface to withstand winter’s hurricane-force wind.  One of the most notable & eye-catching landmarks on King George.  ‘Bottom of the World’ wedding ceremonies, stunning glacier overlook.

Wrap it up, pack it up.  Radio word to our Coordinator.  Plane has left Chile.

GROUP pics & goodbyes.  Journey end; HEADING HOME.

 

 

Triple 8 FINISH

 

 

Always been obsessed with Antarctica – ever since that first National Geographic pull-out map.  It’s impossible, right?  Now here TWICE.  January 2019, January 2020.

Triple 8 Plan, happened soon after last year’s 50K finish.  Conference room in Diego De Almagro.  Watched the promo clip; idea marinated 2 weeks more in Colorado.

Antarctica was ‘impossible’.  Travelling continent-to-continent AND marathoning every day?  I know my abilities; I know my age.  I have a job, life responsibilities.  My body, older slower.  But the dreams… the DREAMS are still there.  Committed ‘YES’ late February 😊

Touchdown Antarctica.  Different people energy, same sense of wonder.  Camp set-up.  Black pot, white pot discussion.  Triple 8 Group pics.  Race start jitters.  Hurry & wait.

Late afternoon; gonna be day/night/day when some folks finish.  Decision made.  It’s a Go!

Chinese Base under shut-down orders.  Far away their home country has a virus so… the flat part of last year’s course, now off-limit.  2020, running only the HILLY Half.  10x.  TEN.

Got it.  Ten times.  Don’t care.  I’m HERE.  The journey ends tonite.  I’ve done this every day, in all weather, on every continent for the past week.  Ready ready to run.

High 5’s.  Shout-outs.  Bottom of the World.

Easy jog, slow incline outta Camp.  Pushed UP UP UP the BIG HILL.  Power HIKE.  Breathing managed/good transition at the top; steady pace maintained.  DOWN, DOWN, DOWN – full run.  Easy jog up/down 2 rolling hills.  Final UP to the turnaround.  Mostly downhill, lap in reverse – return to CAMP, that’s ONE (only 9 to go).

SIDEWAYS rain, pelting SLEET.  Most folks walking now, layered up, heads down.  5 laps done.  2 ½ hours on TRAIL.  Felt STRONG ALL day.  Adverse weather & TRAIL, today’s marathon equalizer – plus strategized well.  Chose to POWER HIKE the BIG HILL, Lap 1 to Lap 10.  Quads conserved, breathing managed.  No panting, no panic.  Steady.

Lost 20 minutes Lap 7, searching for my DROP BAG.  Moved; tarp-hidden during the sleet storm.  No one knew where?  Composure FAIL.  Blood sugar/ENERGY off.  Needed salt, swig of Coke.  Body cold, mucky conditions, feet wet/right one numb.  Planned a change of socks – didn’t happen.  Losing light fast.  Pushing forward, focused on finishing.

Less on-course penguins 2020 vs 2019 – however, SEALS this year.  Up close, lumbering slow across the path near CAMP.  Napping on moss; later, blubbering/rolling to the ocean.  BIG.  LOUD.  HUGE!

Lap 10, this is IT!  Same energy, same strategy – DARK now.  Legs tired.  No fast DOWN DOWN DOWN; slow & easy jog.  Concerned I’d kick a rock, take a tumble.  All self-support here.  Injuries not welcome.  Warm soup ahead.  LAST lap.  Push, push push.

7th Place overall.  Ramen noodles never tasted so good.  Strongest FINISH of all 8.  Group pics tomorrow – in daylight.

Warm clothes & a sleeping bag await.  50K 2019, Marathon 2020.  ANYTHING is POSSIBLE! ❤️

 

8th Annual White Continent Marathon

King George Island, Antarctica

January 29, 2020

 

M1 Brendan Watkins  Marathon 3:56:43

M2 Patrick Holcomb  San Diego, CA U.S.A.  Marathon 4:27:42

M3 Mika Lankila  Marathon 4:56:44

M4 Kenneth Adgate  Acton, MA U.S.A.  Marathon 5:06:47

M5 Tom Fleming  Berlin, MA U.S.A.  Marathon 5:21:54

F1 Aleksandra Rzeszutko  Warsaw Poland  Marathon 5:43:31

M6 Keenan Haga  Marathon 5:49:16

 

 

White Continent Marathon