Day 8 FAIL

Published January 28, 2020

No air traffic controllers on the White Continent. It’s all visual. Radar. Close watch on weather. Cloud cover, SNOW. Stories of flying to Antarctica… not landing, diverted 3 hours back to Chile.

1am meeting cancelled. Weather window closed. Back to sleep.

6am downstairs. Luggage tent-tagged, 2 buses awaiting. Small plane. FULL flight, every seat.

Airport check-in. Ticketed. BIG bag on board. Sunshiny skies, body tired but this is it – LAST DAY!

In theory, a small fee & I can run the Punta Arenas Marathon, day after Antarctica with Black Ice (group from Atlanta). Thanks, no thanks. I’ll cheer y’all on – 8 marathons all I signed for. LOL>

9am: DELAY. New departure 10:15am.

HIGH energy at Gate One. Lotta selfies, lotta groupies. Whole lotta pics in general. I remember my excitement last year. Antarctica, bottom of the World. AMAZING adventure!

11:30am: Flight CANCELLED. Mix of rain & snow. Window closed.

And… that was that.

Quiet grieving amongst the Group. Hour before hotel transport secured. Punta Arenas Day.

So… what’s the plan? Notta lotta communication. iPhone readied, everyone a meteorologist.

Maybe… move Black Ice’s Punta race to tomorrow – but, if our window opens at noon… folks would be pulled off course, packed up, flown to Antarctica and expected to run again, soon after landing… with no surety they’d get the 2 Continent finishes they registered for.

Me? Pulpo risotto & back to sleep. Strangely a-ok. Let the others explore town & nightlife play.

Marathon tomorrow. Sis did a penguin SACRIFICE; Antarctica SUCCESS or the ‘middle penguin’ goes next 😬

Triple 8, now 8-8-9. Eight marathons, eight continents… NINE days.