Antarctica

Antarctica DAY

Published January 10, 2019

Pinch me. NOT-A-DREAM. It’s ANTARCTICA DAY.

Pre-dawn Thursday, clothes still cover my bed. One carry-on, one backpack. That’s all I’m bringing.

Micro-spikes, yes. ARGH – something’s gotta go. Another Sophie’s Choice disposal from the pile AGAIN.

Been waiting for this day – this LIFE ADVENTURE – a full year, 12:15am New Years 2018. Been blogging ‘bout the day since April 2012. DREAMIN’ of Antarctica since that first National Geographic pull-out map (circa 1978).

Denver to Dallas, Dallas to Santiago. Airport hotel/rest/shower/treadmill. Punta Arenas tomorrow.

Day One Highlights:

Weird onion burger, double fries, agua con gas (bubbles). Gonna/hafta become a quick-study of Spanish. 5K treadmill run(s) before/after/in-between narcoleptic lapses. 85 degrees, sunny & HUMID in Santiago. Expect an abrupt temperature nosedive Friday, seaside lodging on South America’s big toe. So…is it everything you hoped? Heck yeah – and then some. Stay tuned adventurers.

: Bienvenido a Chile

: Arturo Merino Benitez Airport

: Crocanty (2 thumbs up)

: posh digs & treadmill 5Ks

: Punta Arenas tomorrow

Antarctica DAY

Food TV Chile & Discovery

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Antarctica SWAG

Published January 7, 2019

ANTARCTICA.

All-consuming now, every waking moment between New Years & January 10^th.

Pup nursed to health. Pumping in a ton of work hours. Everything outta the fridge. Packing – repacking.

One carry-on, one backpack. That’s all I’m gonna carry. Solo adventuring, self-support. Not counting on multiple costume changes [while] camping bottom of the World. Holy moly – this is really happening!

Monday. SWAG day. First glimpse at my White Continent Team.

No participant names, only city and state – like a page from ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. Houston, San Diego, Ft Lauderdale, Chapel Hill NC, Greenland NH – and me, Louisville COLORADO. ALL got a GOLDEN TICKET.

Penguin countdown just 3 days more. Tick, tick, tick. Crazy excited. ANTARCTICA!

: penguin countdown

: SWAG day

: GOLDEN ticket holder

: Antarctica SUMMER ❄️

…in your swag box you should have the following items:

One Navy Patagonia Fleece pullover jacket with WCM logo embroidered on front and back
One Navy Gilden T-shirt with WCM logo screen-printed on front and MA logo and tagline on back
One Navy Gilden T-shirt with PAM Logo screen-printed on front and MA logo and tagline on back
One Marathon Adventures 26.2 oval car magnet
One 2019 WCM round car magnet
One Columbia backpack with 2019 WCM logo embroidered at the top
Three 2019 WCM luggage tags
Two Marathon Adventures luggage tags
Two Marathon Adventures round patches
Two Marathon Adventures round stickers

Antarctica SWAG day

Colin O’Brady Completes Crossing of Antarctica With Final 32-Hour Push

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/26/sports/antarctica-race-colin-obrady.html

The final miles of a nearly two-month race across Antarctica — a lonely effort marked by long days, short nights and stunning endurance — ended Wednesday with a sprint to the finish.

In what could go down as one of the great feats in polar history, the American Colin O’Brady, 33, covered the final 77.54 miles of the 921-mile journey across Antarctica in one final sleepless, 32-hour burst, becoming the first person ever to traverse Antarctica from coast to coast solo, unsupported and unaided by wind.

O’Brady’s transcontinental feat, which took him an actual total of 932 miles with some zigzags along the course, was remarkable enough; but to complete the final 77.54 miles in one shot — essentially tacking an ultramarathon onto the 53rd day of an already unprecedented journey — set an even higher bar for anyone who tries to surpass it.

“I don’t know, something overcame me,” O’Brady said in a telephone interview. “I just felt locked in for the last 32 hours, like a deep flow state. I didn’t listen to any music — just locked in, like I’m going until I’m done. It was profound, it was beautiful, and it was an amazing way to finish up the project.”

Posted in Antarctica | 2 Comments

12:15am Mountain Time

Published January 1, 2018

No New Year’s Eve plans this year. Lazy relaxed nite. Welcomed 2018 from the comfort of my own home – but first…after receiving an urgent email reminder, set my New Year alarm: specifically 12:15am Mountain Time.

Been in contact with 3 different companies to register for Antarctica. Each have a limited # of entries. No openings on the UK site ‘til March 2020. Best hope for 2019: Minneapolis-based Marathon Adventures. Alarm set for 11:45pm New Year’s Eve.

Registration for the 2019 White Continent 50k, Marathon will open tomorrow January 1, 2018.

The tentative dates for the 2019 WCM are Saturday January 19, 2019 to Sunday January 27, 2019. But please note, those dates could shift one week in either direction.

Please note that we are limited number of seats on our flight and we have a long waitlist of passengers from 2018 and many others interested. As such, if you want to confirm your 2019 entry we encourage you to register quickly to avoid missing out.

Again, registration opens January 1, 2018. We look forward to having you join us for the 7th annual White Continent Marathon in January 2019!!

Thanks and Happy New Year!

Steve Hibbs

Chief Adventurer, Marathon Adventures

Watched New York/Times Square ring in the Year, then off to bed for a 2-hour snooze. Alarm buzzed right on queue. Booted up the laptop, took out the pup, celebrated 2018 vicariously thru Ash & Tom’s New Year pics – 5 more minutes.

Like magic, countdown timer disappeared at 12:15. Link appeared & I plugged in my personal details. Passport #? Passport #? ARGH. Upstairs fast – scurried to its ‘safe’ non-travelling spot in the closet – then back to my kitchen laptop. Timed out. Refreshed the page, re-input 12 lines of data, payment cart appeared. Payment cart, YES! $1,000 deposit – one THOUSAND dollars.

Am I in? Fraud alert tagged my transaction. Thanks Discover but ARGH. Quick call, charge now a pending transaction. Still no confirmation. Am I in? Too keyed up to sleep, watched an hour of Netflix before drifting off – penguins, seals, icebergs, Antarctica.

Keenan,

Hello 2019 White Continent Marathon Adventurers!

If you are receiving this e-mail that means your entry for the 2019 WCM is confirmed. Apparently there were some issues with runners not receiving a confirmation e-mail following initial registration. But please note that we have received your entry and you are confirmed.

During the race, our runners are cheered on by penguins and seals. Following the races our runners are able to enjoy excursions to a penguin colony, where they see Gentoo, Adelie & Chinstrap penguins. They also explore the nearby Russian Research base and their ornate Orthodox Church.

The 2019 WCM will once again be camping overnight in Antarctica. It is a great experience! That’s right the 2019 White Continent 50k, Marathon & 1/2 Marathon Adventure will be sleeping overnight in Antarctica the evening before the race. This will guarantee that everyone will finish their race in Antarctica.

ANTARCTICA! Life-time dream realized. Absolutely ANYTHING is possible! ❤