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
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- LAST DAY ❤️
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- mucky DOWNHILL
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- PENGUINS 🐧
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- DROP BAG search
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- SEAL snooze
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- Day 9: Antarctica
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- 10x HILL REPEAT
White Continent Marathon
White Continent do-over.
Day 9. First FULL rest day since New Zealand. Three meals. No travel. And a bag of groceries purchased in the airport. Woke REFRESHED.
8am hotel lobby. Tent 5 – that hadn’t changed. Buses outside. Same drill. ‘Don’t get over excited, don’t get your hopes up.’ Heard the words, let them talk. TODAY’s the day.
Ticketed. Gate One. Flight DELAY.
Tell ya… just wasn’t worried. Race clothes readied – wearing ‘em. Layered up. Multiple bathroom tries – I remember last year. Black pot & a white pot 💩 YUCK!
Coke, HUGE bag of chips, bar of chocolate. Crazy to yo typical Antarctica traveller – I’m marathoning today. 26.2 miles of trail, no formal roads. Provisioning for SUCCESS.
Group Announcement. Plane’s fueling up now – 15 minutes, on our way. GATE ONE outpour of EXCITEMENT! Pilot say they see a window. It’s a GO!
Lotta introspect. Soooo much more than running. Push, push, push. Think I’ve experienced every HUMAN EMOTION.
WHITE. 3 hours in, first sight of land. Jagged, volcanic rock. Patches of coloured moss. Antarctic SUMMER!
Landed with a BANG. SHOUTS of excitement. Whatta journey!
I’ve literally travelled AROUND the entire GLOBE. ONE to go!
All SMILE. I’ve got this. ANTARCTICA Day! 🐧
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- Gate One JOY
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- TOUCHDOWN ✈️
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- SUMMER exposed
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- Eduardo Frei Station 🇨🇱
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- naval VESSELS
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- Russia’s Bellingshausen
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- [Tent 5] CAMP view
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- ONE to go!
Touchdown Antarctica
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.
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- Gate One WAIT
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- travel FAIL ❄️
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- OCTOPUS risotto
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- Pup & Rover family
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- nothing IMPOSSIBLE 🙏
Day 8 FAIL
Save Jan 🐧❤️
