You’ve completed the race application and sealed the envelope. You’re nervous and excited, as you usually are after committing yourself to running another marathon, but you’re also a little scared, because this is no ordinary marathon. This is 26.2 miles of ice and brutal winds and freezing temperatures. This is like no other race you’ve ever run before. This is the race at the end of the world. This is the Antarctica marathon.

You already know how to train for a marathon, but if you’re planning on running a race in Antarctica, there are a few new challenges that you’re going to have to face. After all, this is not just a running vacation, this is an expedition. I’m going to tell you how to prepare for this adventure, and how to make this the best trip of your life. Preparing for a trip like this can be an overwhelming experience, so we are going to break it down into segments, just as you would mentally break a marathon down into manageable pieces. You’re probably eager to talk about the race itself. Don’t worry, we will, but we’ve got many other things to talk about first.

SIGNING UP FOR ADVENTURE

The first item on our agenda is to get you officially registered for this adventure. The Antarctic marathon (also called The Last Marathon, because Antarctica is the last place a sane person would think of running a race), is held in February, at the height of the austral summer. It is organized by Marathon Tours and Travel (108 Main Street, Charleston, Massachusetts 02129, (617) 242-7845). Thom Gilligan, the president of Marathon Tours, has organized three Antarctic marathons, and while he hopes to continue to hold the race, he says that it is a logistical nightmare, and that the cooperation of the various countries who maintain scientific bases along the racecourse can never be taken for granted. Because of the extensive arrangements that must be made, the race is only held every other year, and there is no guarantee that if you miss one running of the Antarctic marathon, there will be another one to enter. So if you’re wavering about whether to take the plunge if and when the next race is offered, do it! You may not get another chance.

Marathon Tours offers an all-inclusive travel package with air travel originating from either JFK airport in New York, or from Miami, Florida. You will first fly overnight to Buenos Aires - that’s ten and a half hours from JFK, and a few hours less than that from Miami, so bring an inflatable neck pillow and a good book. After spending a night in Buenos Aires, you will fly four and a half hours down to Ushuaia, in Argentinean Tierra del Fuego, at the tip of South America. From there you will board a Russian research ship, which will take you some 600 miles south to the White Continent. You will definitely not be in Kansas anymore!

When you sign up for the race, you will be asked to choose which of two leased Russian research ships you would prefer to be aboard. In the 1999 expedition, one ship carried approximately 100 passengers, while the other, smaller, ship carried 46. If the option is still available to you when you sign up for the expedition, I recommend that you choose the smaller ship. Although the larger ship will be more stable in rough, open water (and we’ll talk more about that soon enough!), it was obvious that very few people on the large ship ever got to know all of their fellow travelers, even by the end of the journey. On the other hand, those of us on the smaller ship had gotten to know each other very well. We not only formed some lasting friendships (and, rumor has it, a few romances as well!) but also developed more team spirit than did the crowd on the big ship. This became very obvious during the awards ceremony, when the applause given to the winners from the large ship paled in comparison to the thunderous applause with which those of us from the small ship greeted our winners.
When deciding which ship to choose for the journey, also keep in mind that you will only have a handful of opportunities to see the passengers aboard the other ship: in Buenos Aires on the way down, later, during the race, a few days after that at the on-ship awards ceremony, and again at the airport on the way home. This is due, at least in part, to an effort by the expedition staff to comply with industry guidelines on keeping the size of the landing parties small, so as to minimize our impact on the fragile Antarctic environment. For many of us, it almost felt like two completely separate excursions were taking place. So if you are traveling with a group of friends and you’d like to see plenty of each other, you should arrange to have all of you sailing on the same ship.

YOU’VE GOT HOMEWORK TO DO
Antarctica has no indigenous people. There are no cities, and the only animals are whales, penguins, seals, a few different species of birds, and the shrimp-like krill on which many of the other animals feed. Not much of anything, really. In view of these facts, you might be surprised to find out that there’s actually a lot for you to learn about Antarctica. The more you know about this unique place, the more you’ll appreciate and enjoy what you experience when you are actually down there. While you are aboard the Russian ship, there will be lectures and slide shows and films about the geology, fauna, and history of the White Continent. But don’t plan on relying only on what you might learn aboard the ship; you might not want to, or be able to, attend all the lectures held during the voyage, and even if you can, there simply isn’t enough time on board for the presenters to cover all the information that you should know.
As part of your pre-race package, you will receive an informational guidebook. This is a great place to begin your education, but if you really want to get the most out of your trip, you should try to use the months leading up to your big journey as an opportunity to do some real homework.

The first book that you should read is “The Crystal Desert,” by David G. Campbell. (Houghton Mifflin Co., 1992, $21.95.) Campbell is the only writer I’ve read who can actually wax poetic about krill, which is not a particularly easy thing to do. He’ll tell you all you could possibly want to know about the animals and ecology of Antarctica, the exploration of the continent, and the dark history of whaling and sealing in the southern ocean, and he’ll do it all with great passion.

You should also buy a book of Antarctic photographs, if only to whet your appetite for what you’ll soon see, and to help you remember what you had seen after your expedition is over, in case your own photos don’t live up to your expectations. I particularly liked “Antarctica, Beyond the Southern Ocean,” by Colin Monteath (Barron’s, 1997, $29.95), which includes informative text along with beautiful photography.

No Antarctic education is complete without learning the story of exploration. The tales of courage, suffering and vanity will leave you awestruck and dumbfounded. Read “The Endurance,” by Caroline Alexander, (Alfred A. Knopf, 1999, $29.95), detailing the incredible Shackleton expedition. Alexander, who was the curator of the recent Shackleton exhibit at the New York Museum of Natural History, included in her book dozens of starkly beautiful photographs by expedition member Frank Hurley. Another great book about this voyage is “Endurance,” by Alfred Lansing (Carroll & Graf, 1999, $11.95).
You may also want to read about Scott’s ill-fated South Pole expedition. Pick up “The Worst Journey in the World” (and how can you resist a title like that!) by Apsley Cherry Garrard, (Carroll Graf, 1998, $6.95) a member of Scott’s team; or “A First Rate Tragedy,” by Diana Preston, (Houghton Mifflin, 1997, $25.00.

FUN IN BUENOS AIRES
You will stop in Buenos Aires both on the way down to Antarctica and on the way back. This presents you with a wonderful opportunity to explore what some people consider to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. If you can spare the time, you should plan to spend a few extra days in Buenos Aires on the return trip. Not only will that give you time to explore the city, but it will also break up the long journey home, which is otherwise completed in one long, grueling series of flights. And since it will be deep summer in Argentina, with temperatures ranging form the 70’s up to the 90’s, it will also be a good opportunity to warm up after being among the glaciers and icebergs of Antarctica.

The Argentinean peso is currently trading one-for-one with the dollar, and dollars are accepted everywhere. Don’t expect to find any great bargains, however. We found that prices for food and goods, while not outrageous, were generally comparable to what you would find in a U.S. city.

Getting around Buenos Aires is generally not a problem. It is a walking city, crisscrossed with broad, beautiful boulevards, and filled with beautiful European architecture. You’ll want to stroll along the Avenida 9 de Julio, which, at some 600 feet across, is one of the broadest boulevards in the world. Florida and Lavale avenues are open pedestrian malls which are also fun to wander along. The subway system is easy to use, safe, and cheap (a token costs only 50 cents). The stations are like underground cities, with dozens of small shops and eateries, while the platforms themselves are lined with beautiful ceramic murals. Many of the trains are old, wood-paneled antiques, probably worthy of being in a museum. You might find that the ride itself is as interesting as the destination! An, of course, there are plenty of taxi cabs.

Let’s talk about things to do: the flea market of San Telmo is a Sunday morning must, with tango dancers and street musicians mixing in among the many vendors. Rodin fans might like to see one of the few castings of the Thinker, pondering in the park in front of the Congreso Nacional. Also be sure to tour the beautiful opera house, the Teatro Colon, where Toscanini and Caruso had performed.

The Puerto Madero area has a string of fine restaurants, running along a canal which opens into the Rio de la Plato river. This a wonderful place to sample the famous Argentinean steak, as well as to just buy an ice cream cone and wander about on a warm summer evening. (Keep in mind, however, that Argentineans take an afternoon siesta, and take their dinners late, so it’s not unusual for restaurants to start their dinner service at 8 PM or later.) And no visit to Buenos Aires is complete without visiting the burial place of Eva Peron, in the Ricoletta cemetery. The tomb itself is unremarkable, but the cemetery as a whole is fascinating. It is a virtual city of the dead, filled entirely with mausoleums vying with each other to be the most ostentatious. A truly surreal experience.

For fitness, check out the Parque Natural Reserva Ecologica, just east of Puerto Madero and past the Avenida de Los Italianos. The park sits alongside the Rio de la Plata, and the 8k hardpack dirt and gravel road encircling the park is a popular spot for running and cycling. For gymrats, there is also a Gold’s Gym on Av. 9 de Julio. The Sheraton boasts a well-stocked fitness center, complete with tennis courts and pools, and the Intercontinental Hotel, where our group stayed on the outbound trip, has a small gym, containing a pair of treadmills, a stationary bicycle, a multi-station weightlifting machine, and an array of adjustable dumbbells.

If you feel that you’ve seen all you care to of Buenos Aires, consider taking a 40 minute hydrofoil ferry across the wide Rio de la Plato to the quaint and historic Uruguayan town of Colonia de Sacramento. This is a weekend getaway destination, and since this is the height of summer, you should buy your tickets in advance, if possible, and arrive at least an hour before departure. The terminal feels, an operates, like an airport, and you will have to show your passport.

The historic area is encircled by a defensive stone wall, complete with a cannon and a drawbridge spanning a moat. There is also a beautiful lighthouse, which you can climb up for wonderful views of the town and the bay. After exploring the town, you may want to go for a long out-and-back run past the beaches lining the bay. Traffic was light when I was there, the road was mostly flat, and the view was lovely. Boats leave from the Buquebus terminal in Puerto Madero, and the round trip fare is $64. (As of this writing, the Uruguayan peso was trading ten for the dollar.)

A note about security: generally, Buenos Aires seemed to be a safe, clean city, but there is a tourist scam currently on the rise in Buenos Aires about which you need to be aware. Odd as this might sound, it involves one conspirator spraying mustard on an unsuspecting victim, while another conspirator suddenly appears and offers to help clean off the mustard. That’s when bandits will suddenly appear from nowhere, snatch bags and cameras from the distracted victim, and run off in different directions. No kidding, this happens. A friend and I both got mustarded while wandering around near the Teatro Colon. We realized what was happening, however, so we ignored an offer of “help” from a nearby woman, and we walked off quickly before any bandits appeared.

Keep an eye out for these Mustard Men, and exercise ordinary caution. You should be able to travel just about anywhere in the city, with at least one exception: the La Boca neighborhood. This area is noted for a street of photogenic, brightly painted houses, but it is best experienced on postcards rather than visited, since it is located in a rough-looking area far from downtown, and is rather difficult to find.

YOU, A SHIP, AND THE BIGGEST WAVES IN THE WORLD
After spending a night in Buenos Aires, you’ll board another plane for a flight down to patagonia, at the tip of South America. This is Ushuaia, in Argentinean Tierra Del Fuego, the City at the End of the World. The wind blows, the rain falls, the clouds drift in and out, and sometimes the sun even shines, usually all within half an hour. And then the cycle repeats itself. You’re getting closer to White Continent, so it’s colder that it was in Buenos Aires. You will be spending a night here as well, and while you’re here, you should visit the End of the World Penitentiary and Maritime museum, where you can learn about the town’s history as a penal colony. The town itself is mostly a small cluster of stores and restaurants lining San Martin Avenue, with homes built on the surrounding hillside. Snow-capped peaks providing a scenic backdrop to the town.

You should consider taking a tour of a local national park if it is offered to you by the local representatives of Marathon Tours; it’s a good chance to to see some local scenery and stretch your legs on a short hike. If you’re lucky, as we were, you might even be rewarded with a glimpse of a condor. You might also be tempted to go for a run on the rough dirt roads leading up to a nearby glacier, but many of us didn’t want to risk turning an ankle before the Big Event. I’d recommend saving that run for the return trip, when you’ll likely have an afternoon free in Ushuaia before your flight back to Buenos Aires.

Now it’s time to board your ship and begin the two and a half day journey south. At this point you will meet your expedition staff, provided by Marine Expeditions, under contract with Marathon Tours. These folks will not only share their extensive knowledge with you in the lectures and slide shows, but will also do the heavy work involved in landing you for the onshore excursions. Get to know them; they are a fun, enthusiastic bunch, and they appreciate having a bunch of fit, active people on board, rather than the often frail, sedentary, crowd that they usually get. A number of the crew members told me that they had been looking forward to seeing us for weeks.

You will now also meet the Russian crew, who come along with their vessel. Not many of the Russian staff speak english, but they are very hardworking. You will be allowed to go up to the bridge and watch them in action, as long as you keep to the sides and avoid interfering with their work. The kitchen staff is equally good, and you can expect three great meals a day, plus snacks. At breakfast there was always fresh fruit, hot and cold cereal, and an offering of eggs or pancakes. Lunch consisted of pasta or sandwiches, and for dinner we had a different delicious soup each night, with a choice between various meat, poultry, fish, or pasta dishes. A vegetarian option was also available. Many of us found that we ate better aboard the ship than we did at home!

The ship itself was comfortable, but utilitarian. Don’t expect to find a Lido deck or a pool, but there is a bar, a lecture room (with many videos for those so inclined), a small library, and even a sauna. Bathrooms and showers were shared, with plenty of hot water avaiable. The cabins were wood-paneled, each with two closets and a desk. Bunks had curtains for privacy, and reading lights. Laundry service was available on the ship as well. Don’t be surprised if you become rather fond of your ship before the expedition is over.

After steaming through the Beagle Channel, your ship will enter open water. You may now spot albatross gracefully riding the winds, and magellanic penguins swimming alongside the ship. But you are rounding Cape Horn, and entering the dreaded Drake Passage, where the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans converge to create the roughest seas on Earth. Waves routinely crest at 25 to 30 feet, and often higher. For many people, surviving the Drake is the biggest challenge of the trip.

The best way to prepare for the “Drake Shake” is to meet the challenge head-on. I used every anti-nausea treatment known to science, and a few others besides. First, contact your doctor and explain the Drake Passage to him or her, and ask for a prescription for scopolamine patches. These small patches are placed behind the ear, and provide continual anti-nausea medication for a three day period. Accupressure sea-bands, available in some drug stores and worn just below the wrist, are also a good idea, as well as some old-fashioned Dramamine. You should also bring some ginger pills or candies, which can help settle the stomach. Finally, many people find comfort in spending time on deck, gazing at a stable point on the distant horizon and breathing fresh air. Of course, if the conditions are particularly rough, you may not be allowed on deck. I found this to be a good time to become one with my bed. Strangely enough, the same rolling action that would slam me from wall to wall along the ship’s corridors and turn my stomach upside down felt like the comforting rocking of a crib once I lay down to rest. Eat if you possibly could, take a book with you into your bunk, and prepare to spend some time there.

When the seas are calm, which they sometimes are, it is possible to get in a workout on the ship’s deck. Don’t expect to have your best run - there are plenty of turns, and you’ll have to watch your footing, but I was able to get in a 45 minute run, and so could you. You’ll might even earn the distinction, as I did, of being told that the Russian crew thinks you’re crazy.

LAND HO!
After two and a half days of constant sailing, you will start seeing bits of ice floating past, and soon you will see land. You are now out of the Drake Passage and are approaching the South Shetland Islands, just off the Antarctic peninsula. This is where the adventure begins. It’s summer in Antarctica, but the temperatures will usually be in the 20’s and low 30’s, with gusting winds bringing it down into the teens. This is the time for us to start talking about the clothes you will need to bring. Most of these items will be available at our local army-navy surplus store, camping store, or sporting goods store.

The Marine Expedition staff will have picked a number of different islands on which to land, depending on the weather and ocean conditions you encounter, but you won’t see any docks or piers in Antarctica; all landings are wet. If you want to step onto land in Antarctica, you will have to scamper down a gangway off the side of the ship and climb into a zodiac, which are inflatable boats equipped with an outboard motor, able to transport up to ten passengers at a time. The zodiacs land on the beaches, and you will swing your legs over the side and step out into the surf. Staying warm and dry through all of this is our challenge.

From the bottom up: the bad news is that you will need to invest in a pair of knee-high waterproof boots and waterproof pants, but the good news is that you should be able to find both for less than $20 each. Since the boots were so cheap, and also so big and heavy, many of us decided to leave them behind on the ship once we were through using them, for the use of bootless passengers on future excursions (there were a few bootless travelers on our own excursion). This will make your bags lighter for the ride home, or free up space for souvenirs, depending on your priorities. Even better, expedition leader Shane Evoy told us after the expedition season ended, these boots would be donated to charity in Ushuaia.

Moving on: I recommend that inside the boots you should wear waterproof socks over a pair of thin running socks. You should fight off the urge to tuck your waterproof pants into our boots; they should be worn on the outside, to prevent splashed-up water from finding its way into your boots. Under the pants I wore a pair of running tights. I found it helpful to bring several different types of running tights: a pair of thin polypro or lycra tights, and heavier fleece tights. If it was particularly cold, I would layer these together. For headgear, you should wear a polypro balacava to keep your ears and neck warm, with a snug cap drawn down on top to shield you from drizzle or rain.

The hands present a little bit more of a challenge. Goretex ski mittens are the warmest option, since they are water resistant and also let your bare fingers warm each other within the glove, but you will have to shed these gloves in order to take pictures, which will leave your fingers bare and cold. I solved this problem by stuffing a pair of light running gloves into my pocket, which I pulled out when necessary.

You should approach your upper body the same way as you approached your lower body - layer for warmth and comfort. Bring several polypro or lycra long sleeve shirts to wear as a base, either singly or coupled, as the weather requires. On top you can wear a sweatshirt, or my own preference, a fleece pullover. To top it all off, I recommend a big, hooded goretex jacket.
Okay, you’re warm and dry now. But what about your camera? You’ve got several options here. If you’re using a small camera, or a disposable camera, you could simply zip it up in your pocket. However, if you’re using a larger 35mm camera, your camera bag is probably not waterproof, and it will definitely get wet at some point. I protected my camera bag in a small dry bag, available wherever canoeing and kayaking equipment is sold.

Thom Gilligan told me that although I was coming down to Antarctica for the marathon, it would slip into lesser significance when compared to everything else I would see down there, and this was true. The penguin rookeries are amazing, with thousands of penguins mingling about, moling and nesting. You will likely see at least two, and possibly more, types of penguins, and if you sit very still, these cute, impossibly clumsy little guys may climb right up on your lap (as one did for another runner on our ship) or nibble on your pants leg (as one did to me). But be prepared for the smell: these are animals, and when you crowd thousands of them together in one place, and none of them are toilet trained, there will be repercussions. You’ll get used to it, though, and if you’re lucky (we were), you might visit the less foul-smelling rookeries. Otherwise, dab a bit of Vick’s vapor rub, or an ointment called Boroleum, around the nose to help mask the stench.

You should also consider taking along a handheld micro tape recorder. You should be able to buy one for $20 to $30, and it will fit easily into your pocket. Not only would you then be able to easily record your thoughts and observations, but you’ll be able to capture the braying sounds made by the penguins. This made for fascinating background music when I showed my photos to friends after returning home. And, of course, it helped me remember, when sitting back on my couch at home, that yes, it all did really happen.

FINALLY, THE MARATHON!
After several landings, you will be taken to King George Island to run the marathon. This island, and all other Antarctic islands, as well as the mainland itself, is governed by the Antarctic Treaty system, which establishes that while no country may claim sovereignty over any part of the White Continent, countries may establish scientific bases there. This is especially evident on King George Island, where seven nations maintain bases. One of them will be the host for the marathon, although it may not be the same one every race. This past year, the Uruguayan base served as host. After making the zodiac landing, we were allowed into the base dining hall to prepare ourselves for the race. Because the Uruguayan’s living space was somewhat modest, we weren’t allowed to keep any of our bags inside the building during the race. As far as I could tell, however, no one seemed to mind this inconvenience.

The race course, which was the same for us as in earlier runnings of the marathon, was a double figure 8 loop. There was also a half marathon option, but here we run into a lot of rules. You must designate beforehand which race you are planning to run. If you are a designated full marathon runner, you could decide to call it a day at the halfway point, and you would be an official half-marathon finisher. But if you decide to continue on at the halfway point, and then drop out before the marathon finish, you would not get credit for completing the half, but would instead be considered a non-finisher. On the other hand, if you designated the half marathon as your event, you could not continue on and be an official finisher in the full marathon, although you are welcome to run on for the fun of it. I know this sounds amazingly complicated for a non-money race on a non-certified course, but many of us were treated to stories from the Marathon Tours staff about disputed finishes in past years.

The course itself is every bit as hard as you can imagine. If the course remains the same in future years, it will look like this: the first loop of the figure 8, which is of course also the third loop, is a mile and a half run across a rocky beach, up the side of a glacier, and back. The going will be slow, and the footing will be unstable. Slush on a glacier is different from what you may think; rather than being wet, it’s more like shaved ice, or ice chips. While some people were able to run downhill on this surface with apparent ease, many of us found the going slow on the downhill, since there was always the fear of slipping and taking a rough tumble. Cracks in the ice, and thinly iced-over holes, both made for some bad footing, and an occassional sudden drop of up to a foot.

Another obstacle which we were warned about, but which we did not, luckily, encounter, is something called catabatic winds. While most wind is caused by differences in air pressure, these winds are caused instead by gravity. Just as hot air rises, cold air can fall, and in Antarctica, cold air sometimes falls so rapidly that it creates a virtual air avalanche, blowing at 40 mph or more. While it’s nice to be aware of this phenomenon, if it ocurrs during your race, there’s not much else to do other than to grin and bear it.

After returning to the Uruguayan base, the course continues out on the rough dirt roads linking the bases to each other. The next few miles will be very hilly, as you pass by a small lake, and head out towards the Chilean base, and after that, the Chinese and the Russian bases. You will cross two small streams, and will likely have to slog through lots of mud. Once you get back to the Uruguayan base, if you are running the full marathon, you will continue on and do it all again. Expect your finishing time to be approximately an hour more than your normal, flatland marathon time.

Although I liked the race course, I have to say that the organization of the race was not without its problems. The course was not always clearly marked, and at one turn-around point many of us went off the designated course and ran much further than we needed to. To their credit, race organizers stationed people at this spot later in the day to give better guidance to the runners. There were also no race officials along the course to check off the numbers of runners as they went by, which did not help to dispel allegations arising later (sometimes well-founded) of intentional course-cutting by several of the participants.

After looking at a course like this, the question naturally arises whether you should change your training routine when preparing for this race. I’d say, not much. I would recommend focusing especially on your long runs, and not worrying too much about speed, since this is not going to be your PR course anyway. I would also recommend more of an emphasis on hillwork and trail running in your training, supplemented with weight resistance training to build strength for those steep, rolling hills.

Dressing for this kind of race requires some care and consideration. By this time you will be generally familiar with Antarctic weather, although it can still vary over the course of the race. It will be cold, but at the same time, you must guard against overheating. I found that the following gear did the trick: start with a pair of running tights and one pair of your long sleeve polypro tops. Because it can be very windy, and may rain, I wore a pair of wind pants and a lightweight water-resistant running jacket. Lightweight running gloves kept my hands warm, and lightweight goretex gauntlet mittens kept then safe from the wind and rain. I kept a spare pair of running gloves at the Uruguayan base, and changed at the halfway point after my first pair became soggy with sweat. Although you may feel yourself heating up at points, avoid the temptation to shed much clothing; the wind can and does pick up suddenly, and it can drop the temperature dramatically.

As for your footwear, you should mind the old running maxim to never race in a pair of shoes unless you’ve gotten used to them during training. While many runners opted to use their regular shoes, and kept a spare pair at the halfway point at the Uruguayan base, I recommend that you try training with a pair of water resistant trailrunners, and if you’re comfortable with them, to use them in the race. Be wary of using hightop trailrunners, however. Although hightops effectively keep water, dirt, and pebbles out of your shoes, several of us found that the hightops irritated our ankles. Many of us also used gaiters, either full or half, which are waterproof sleeves that attach to your shoes and run up your leg. These will help keep dirt water from ending up in your shoes. Finally, many of us found running down the glacier to be a treacherous affair. The slippery footing made it difficult to check our speed, and although I didn’t see anyone fall, the fear of falling was always present. Another runner told me that he had success on the glacier using a pair of small, strap-on crampons, whose plastic nubs increased his traction. These could be slipped on at the Uruguayan base before each of the two ascents of the glacier, and removed immediately afterwards and left at the base. Although I haven’t tried running with these, I know that I’d be sure to bring them if I were ever to run this race again.

After clothing, the area of major concern was, as always in the marathon, hydration. Forget about seeing a waterstop every mile; this isn’t Boston or New York. We were told to have four filled bottles available the night before the race. We were to be dump three of them into a zodiac to be brought ashore by the Marathon Tours people on race day and placed at different spots along course. We would ourselves be responsible for placing the remaining bottle somewhere outside the buildings on the Uruguayan base. With two trips around the course, that amounts to eight waterstops. Choosing the right type of bottle becomes surprisingly important. You should not bring your favorite bottles, since you might not get them back after the race, but you should bring bottles that will be distinctive enough for you to spot easily among the dozens laying by the side of the road or on a table. I can tell you that although I had some trouble finding my clear plastic or white bottles, I had no trouble spotting my purple waterbottle.
Finally, I recommend bringing a disposable, panoramic camera with you during the race. They are light enough and small enough to toss into a fannypack, and the photos you take from the top of the glacier will wow your friends back home. If you don’t do this, don’t worry. Helicopters from one of the bases took aerial photography of us running up the glacier, which was made available for purchase after the race, and there was a semi-official photographer at the finish line (although his availability for providing this service at future races isn’t known).
When you cross the finish line, be prepared to be thrilled and relieved, but don’t expect to receive your medal immediately. It will be mailed to you later, as will any other award which you might have won. When you receive your medal, you’ll understand why they were not carried to Antarctica. These brightly colored medals are perhaps the biggest, heaviest, gaudiest, most beautiful finisher medals in all of racing, but 160 or so of these could very possibly sink a zodiac, or at least be a major hassle. Don’t waste energy being annoyed about this; the Marathon Tours folks promised to put them right in the mail after the trip was over, and sure enough, I got mine less than a week after returning home. And, in any event, you will still get your finisher’s certificate before you leave the ship.

After the race is over, you can change into the dry clothing which you wisely packed along and left in a bag outside the host base. And then you can relax, take photos, share stories, cheer on the other runners, and feast on the celebratory lunch back inside base. Be happy! You’ve successfully conquered one of the toughest marathons on Earth!

After the race you will return to your ship and continue the cruise, but this time with the calmness that comes with having put the race behind you. You will likely have another few island landings, and then you will meet up with the runners from the other ship for an on-board awards presentation. After that you will continue on for your dramatic landing on the Antarctic mainland itself, commemorated with another certificate, given to you later that same day.
And then it’s back through the Drake, through Ushuaia, through Buenos Aires, and back home. I had never before experienced post-vacation blahs, but after all the excitement of my expedition, being back in familiar surroundings somehow left me feeling a bit depressed. Several of the other runners whom I spoke to afterwards felt the same way. A few of us decided to combat this ennui the best way we know how - by planning a reunion marathon later in the year. It will be great to see my new running friends again, and I’ve now shaken off the doldrums, but I still know this much to be true: for me, there will never be another race like the Antarctica marathon!