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I woke up this morning and had no idea what time it was.  For some reason, my cell phone, computer, and Garmin GPS watch all had different times.  The cell phone uses the time of whatever signal it picks up, and all of the research bases use the time of their homeland.  Since there was a Chinese signal at King George Island, my cell phone put me on China time.  As for the Garmin, it was trying to keep be on the appropriate timezone, but since longitude lines get closer down here, I think it was having trouble determining exactly what timezone it was in.  The laptop?  Who knows!

Unable to sleep, I went up on the deck to whale watch.  The first thing that I noticed was the sheer number of icebergs/ice floes.  There were small ones the size of basketballs and there were ones that were the size of small buildings – and remember, you cannot see most of an iceberg as it is submerged underwater.  I saw some penguins swimming and surfacing on the water, but no whales.

Soon, it was COVID testing and breakfast time.  As I finished my test and walked around the corner, I heard a commotion back at the testing station.  Apparently, some person was upset at having to take a COVID test every day.  The person swore at one of the sample collectors.  Nadine, the director of testing, got on the intercom and scolded everybody (it was MEANT for this one person, but she had to deliver it in a general way).  They are just doing their jobs, why do you have to vent on them?  Most cruises (and almost everything to Antarctica) have been canceled; you should feel lucky to be here.  Anyway, all of the tests were negative!

For our morning excursion, we were slated to go to Mikkelson Harbor on Trinity Island.  However, due to the high winds that we were experiencing, the captain pulled the plug on this expedition.  We were supposed to see Gentoo penguins and Weddell seals.  I was disappointed, along with everybody else, because penguins were the main attraction.  We set course for our second stop of the day, Cierva Cove.  I settled into the library to hang out and read my new book “String Theory for Dummies“.  I talked shop (and about the marathon of course) to just about everybody.

Soon, it was lunchtime.  My cabin mate, Tom, was dining with Linda, who was in the cabin across from us.  I wandered to an unoccupied table in front of a window.  I ate by myself, reflecting on everything.  I peered out and looked at an ice floe off in the distance that had a dark spot on it.  I watched it like a hawk, wondering if that was a seal.  After a while, I saw it move and it was indeed a seal!  It was too far away to figure out what kind, but it was definitely a seal.

We arrived at Cierva Cove, but there was no planned landing.  We were going to take a 90-minute zodiac cruise around the bay.  For whatever reason, I was the last person to board a zodiac.  Earlier in the day, we were given a fun presentation about superstitions while on a ship.  Three of them were:

1. Women on a ship are bad luck
2. Red-headed people on a ship are bad luck
3. People with tattoos bring good luck

On this zodiac were five women (one of whom had very red hair) and two men (plus a male driver and a male guide).  I promptly pointed this out and one of the women, Liz, spoke up and said that tattoos were good luck and that she was covered in them.  Hmmm, now sure how this will all shake out, but I was willing to wait and see.

We set out, and again, I noticed how much ice was floating in the water.  Thousands upon thousands of ice floes.  We made our way to the largest iceberg that had a circular cutout.  I am not sure what geological processes were at work there, but it was beyond cool.  The ice was blue and it was beautiful.  I asked the zodiac driver if he could drive through it.  David, our Scottish guide, scolded me and said that he did not need any encouragement and would probably do so if encouraged.

After taking bunches of pictures of that iceberg, we made our way to the Argentine Primavera Base.  Up to this point, we had not seen any penguins close up, but there were hundreds of them around the base.  I spotted mostly gentoo penguins, but also saw a chinstrap or two.  At one point, I got a video of some penguins jumping into the water, then 30 seconds later (I do not know if it was the same bunch), got a video of them popping out.  It was pretty cool as they swam through the water and popped upright on their feet on land.  When they landed, they waddled around.

A call came over the radio that our driver took interest in. He pulled back from Base Primavera and drove the zodiac with a purpose.  About ten minutes later, we arrived at a spot where a leopard seal was splashing in the water.  Quickly, we noticed that he had a penguin and was preparing it for dinner.  The penguin was not quite dead but had very little energy left.  The seal kept throwing the penguin in the air and letting it hit the water.  He would also grab the penguin and smack it on the water with quite a bit of force.  Over the next 10 minutes, he would repeat these actions, and he even chased us three times because he felt we were getting too close.

When you are out on a zodiac, you sit on the inflated edge and put your feet onto the floor of the boat.  Each time the seal charged us, David made us get off the side and sit on the floor, while not dangling any hands or arms over the side.  In his words, he did not want to give the leopard seal any reason to attack us.  At some point, the seal grabbed the penguin in his mouth and chomped him.  You could see the water turn red and run down the seal’s face.  About a minute later, you could smell the blood in the air.  Snow eagles started swirling around the area looking for scraps.  I asked David if he has ever seen this happen in real life.  His response was that in all his years of coming to Antarctica, he has seen this only one time before, and it was from quite a distance.  This was the closest he had ever been to such an event, and we were pretty darn lucky.

When I got back to my cabin, I had asked everybody about their trip.  Numerous zodiacs had not even seen a penguin, let alone a leopard seal taking down a penguin.  The five women, one with red hair, and the woman with tattoos were definitely good luck today!

Well, today is race day.  Nothing has changed in terms of Chinese cooperation, so the route is definitely out to the Uruguayan Artigas Base and back six times.  I put all of my race stuff in my dry pack:  trail shoes, Gu/Cliff shots in the Gu flask, three 32 ounce Nalgene water bottles (64 ounces Gatorade, 32 ounces water), NYC Marathon jacket, GoPro, sunglasses, Geelong Cats hat, and extra beanies.

I made my way to the mudroom to get changed.  I had already put on my snow pants but needed to change into the boots that were given to us for landings.  I got down there, assembled myself, put on my life jacket, and was whisked away to the zodiac.  There were 8 people per trip, and the trip took about 5-7 minutes to get to Bellingshausen Station.

I de-boarded the zodiac and walked up the “beach” to the staging area.  Tarps served as our “changing stations”.   As I got to the tarps, Jeff informed us that we were a little over 10 minutes to race start (12 to be exact).  I hurriedly took off my boots and put on my trail shoes and swapped my nice waterproof parka for my NYC marathon running jacket.  It was lightly raining and I decided that I had to go pee before we started.  We had makeshift “bathrooms” in two tents.  I was instructed that “pee” was on the right, and “poo” was on the left.  I went right and peed into a bucket.

Emerging from the small tent, I grabbed my water bottle and made my way to the start line.  There was absolutely NO support on the course, and if we wanted any fluids, we had to carry them to the water drop station, which was one mile out.  This water bottle had 32 ounces of orange Gatorade.  Wave one consisted of all of the half marathoners and the slower marathoners like myself.  The unofficial cutoff time to be in the first wave was 5 hours.  If you were faster than 5 hours, you were relegated to wave 2.  Jeff gave us one bit of advice and that was to take the first lap slowly to learn what you have to do to navigate the terrain.  Soon, we all joined in the counting down to the start from 15 seconds, and then we were off.  My plan was to GoPro the first lap, do a 4:1 minute walk/run interval, and walk any obnoxious hill (if there were any).  I wanted to finish before the cutoff of 6:30:00.

Lap 1:

So, the absolute FIRST thing that I notices was the mud.  LOTS of mud.  The temperature was about 36 degrees so water is a liquid at that temperature,  Oh. did I mention there was mud?  Check out the picture above.  LOTS of running water and did I mention how much mud there was?

The first half mile was muddy (I think I forgot to say how much mud there was) with a slight incline.  This was nothing too bad, as I had trained for these kinds of hills/inclines in Connecticut.  I was keeping up with the leaders of the slow-wave.  I passed a glacial runoff stream and several areas in the dirt road where large puddles had formed.  “This is not too bad,” I thought.

Apparently, I jinxed myself and upset the running gods because at about 1/2 mile in came one of the steepest hills I have ever had to run up.  I ran for a LITTLE bit, then, like everybody else, decided to walk to the top.  Several minutes later, I was STILL looking for the top.  WTF?  I have to do this hill FIVE more times?  FINALLY, I made it to the top.  My legs were BURNING after WALKING up this hill.  Oi!  What did I get myself into here?  Breathe Bob, breathe.  I took some extra walking time to recoup from that horrible experience.

After I caught my breath and the burning left my legs, it was back to running.  I thought to myself, “Alright, I read about that hill, and that has to be the hardest part.  It should be alright from here out to the turnaround.”  (HAHA!  Little did I know, the torture was JUST starting, and I had NO idea what I was in for).

The next part was more or less flat with mud and puddles to dodge.  Then came a glacial runoff stream that I had to jump over.  It was small, but I was worried about jumping on the last lap.  I walked up another small steep hill, then started running again.

About 0.8 miles in, I approached the lake pictured above.  The runners were all going to where the outlet stream was and jumping over that.  I mused to another runner that I did not realize that I signed up for a triathlon!  After hopping over the stream, I ran on quite a narrow and s;wanted path to get back to the main dirt road.

The next challenge was a fairly wide glacial melt stream.  It was divided into two parts.  The first one was fairly small and easy to jump over.  The main part of the stream was quite wide.  There was no jumping over this one unless you are an Olympic long jumper.  Everybody stopped and surveyed the puzzle at hand.  Some people went upstream.  As for me, there were some rocks sticking up about one hop out.  I jumped there and then planned my next move.  There were no more “dry” spots to be stepped on, so I had to do the next best thing – pick the rocks that were submerged the least!  Two hops and I was through with only minimal water in my shoes – back to the familiar dirt, mud, and puddles.  Up ahead, I spied the water drop.

As I arrived at the drop spot, there was yet another lake to navigate.  I made around it, stopped, and took a big drink.  Right after the water drop was a rather steep hill, but it was pretty short-lived (see picture to the left).  I was getting pretty hot at this point in time and unzipped my outer jacket.  The next section was a small but long uphill.  At this point, I decided that my 4:1 was going out the window.  I had no idea what I was going to do, but the hill placement was NOT cooperating.

The next obstacle was literally a 50-yard mud field with puddles scattered all through it.  Did I actually mistakenly sign up for a Tough Mudder?  I watched the runners in front of me and planned my route from their weaving and bobbing. As I exited the mud field, there was one last thing to navigate in this obstacle-of-the-minute – another glacial melt stream.  I hopped over a small part, then literally had to turn 90 degrees to the left, walk several steps, turn 90 degrees to the right, then navigate some more mud.

Have I mentioned how much mud there is out here?  I think I have forgotten and feel the need to mention it.

The next part of the course was absolutely beautiful.  It was flat with a slight downgrade, so it made for quite an easy run.  It felt like I ran for a good 2 miles, but since the turnaround was one 2.18 miles out, I knew this was a fallacy.  In the distance, I could see the open sea.  The temperature was about 36 degrees and there was little wind.  These conditions were perfect.  With 4 layers on (2 shirts and two jackets), I was getting pretty hot.  As I ran around another glacial lake, it started to rain (just a little bit).  Next up was another uphill with plenty of mud and puddles.  Have I mentioned all of the mud out here?  As I crested THIS hill, the Uruguayan base, Artigas, came into view.  I passed the two-mile marker and knew the turnaround was not too far out.  At this point, the route was pretty exposed and the wind started blowing pretty hard at 40 mph.  I went from being HOT to being chilly in about a minute.

Soon, I was at the turnaround where Paul was directing us over the timing wires and sending us back.

Going back was just doing what I did in reverse.  The wind was still howling and I decided that I should keep my outer NYC marathon jacket on instead of taking it off back at the starting line.  I made my way back to the start and completed the first lap of 4.36 miles in about 57 minutes.  At about 13:05 pace, this was not earth-shattering, but it would get me done in under 6 hours.  However, I knew that my pace would slow down as the race went on.

Lap 2:

Since I have described the course, I will just go over my thoughts from each lap from here onward.

When I got back to the starting line, I put the GoPro in my dry pack and drank some water.  After a 3-4 minute rest, I was back out for the second lap.  My 4:1 walk/run was definitely out.  My strategy was to walk the hills and run the flats and downhills.

As I made my way to Hill From Hell at 1/2 mile, the wind REALLY started to pick up and was sustained at 40 mph.  Luckily though, it was at my back, so it kind of helped push me up the hill.  My legs burnt at the top and I was starting to doubt whether I would be able to finish a half marathon, let alone a full.  I made it out to the Artigas station and made the turnaround.  Now, I had to contend with a 40 mph HEADWIND.  I was not overly cold, but I could feel myself exerting a lot of extra energy.

One neat thing about this race is that you can decide to change distances mid-way through the race.  If you are not feeling like you can finish the full, you are permitted to drop down to the half MID-RACE!  Marathon Tours realizes that this is not an easy course and if you are not prepared for all 26.2, they at least want you to get something for your efforts.  You just have to tell them before you finish the 3rd lap.  Just pull Jeff aside, tell him, and you will be recorded as a half finisher.  Note that you CAN NOT upgrade from the half to full (although I doubt anybody would want to do that).  With that in mind, as I neared the halfway point of the return (mile 7 total, mile 3 on this lap), I seriously contemplated dropping to the half.  I was not feeling a full 26.2.  This was too difficult.

Lap 3:

When I finished lap two, I had to use the “honeypot” as they termed it, except this time, I had to go to the left (see explanation above).  After that, I walked to the start line and took a big drink of water.  I looked outward and thought to myself, “Well, I have to do at least one more lap, let’s do it.”

With 2 laps under my belt, I now had a good feel for the course, what was easy, what was average running, and what made me rethink every decision I have made in my life.  As I was approaching Hill From Hell, I noticed that the wind had gone away.  There was no wind at all and it was relatively mild at about 37 degrees.  My legs still burnt after Hill From Hell, but I noticed that for some reason, I was feeling stronger.  Maybe all those hills that Natalie tortured us with at the Fleet Feet speed/hill workouts were starting to kick in.  In a normal marathon, it takes me about 6 miles to get into a rhythm.  Perhaps I was starting to get into one after about nine miles.

I approached the water drop station and stopped for a drink.  I noticed that I was severely short on Gatorade.  With all of these hills, I was burning through liquid VERY fast.  I dropped my bottle and continued toward the Artigas turnaround.  I made the turn and back toward the start I went.  As I approached the water stop, the decision to do drop to the half or continue with the full started to press down on me.  I drank the rest of my Gatorade.  Either way,  I would have to take this 32-ounce bottle back to the start.  If I continued on with the full, I would grab my second (of three) bottles and bring it back.  Approaching the top of Hill From Hell, I decided that it would be a lot safer to walk down rather than try to do a slow run, so I did that.  I got to the bottom and started running again through all of the mud.  Speaking of mud, have I mentioned that this whole course is covered in mud?  I did not think so. 

At the bottom of the Hill From Hell, the start line was in view.  I had to make a decision and had to make it fast.  The marathon time limit was technically 6:30:00 with a half cutoff time of 3:10:00.  I was pacing for 3:10:00 almost on the nose.

(300 yards from the turnaround) They kept time up to 7:00:00 for marathoners.  If you finished over 7 hours, you got an “FNT”, which stands for Finished, No Time.  I thought I would be able to finish in 6:30, but with a half time of 3:10, I knew that my second half would be slower.  I absolutely DID NOT want an FNT by my name – I wanted a time.

(200 yards from the turnaround) The big question then became, if I continue, can I finish the second half in 3:50 or less.  Now, 3:50 for a half sounds like an insanely easy task, but this is no normal course.

(100 yards from the turnaround) If I continue and do not finish the full, I get a DNF and NO credit for even the half.  PRESSURE PRESSURE.

(50 yards from the turnaround) Looking at my watch, I was at 3:12:00.

(25 yards from the turnaround) The turnaround and start/finish lines were in different places (albeit 10-20 yards apart).  Both had timing wires that we had to run over – the turnarounds were to get your splits, while the start/finish lines were to get just that – the start and finish times. Since I was carrying my empty water bottle, the volunteers assumed that I was running the half.  They were all pointing and yelling at me to go to the finish line NOT the turnaround.

(10 yards from the turnaround) Jeff Adams looked at me and said, “You are right on the nut.  Are you good to go?”

DECISION TIME

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

I rounded the wires at the turnaround, dropped my empty water bottle, picked up my full bottle of Gatorade, looked at Jeff, and said, “My hill training is kicking in.  I am going to do this!” (Thanks Natalie!!!)

Lap 4:

Lap 4 was a blur.  I literally do not remember anything about it.

Lap 5:

As I started lap five, I felt uplifted.  I was over seventeen miles in – 2/3 of the way done.  I only had two more laps to do.  I hesitate to say I was getting stronger, but I definitely was not getting any weaker.  My hill training was carrying me.  The main concern was completing the final two laps and finishing in less than seven hours.

About halfway to the Artigas station, several of us slower runners grouped together.  There John from Indiana, Cat from Seattle, Katrina from St. Louis, and myself from Connecticut.  John greeted every runner he saw running in the opposite direction with, “Looking good!  Keep it up!”  We all bonded instantly and were good friends in this misery that we were experiencing.  I figured we would all run together from this point, but I stuck to my plan, and soon I was in front of all of them.  I kept building up a lead, but John kept catching me (not that I was trying to outdo him).  Since I did not have my camera, I asked John if he would take my picture in front of the 20-mile marker sign that I sponsored.  He said that we would when we got there.

As I approached the Artigas station, I was pulling away from John.  I made the turnaround and was on my way back to the start.  Soon, I was at the 20-mile mark.  I stopped and looked over my shoulder.  John was nowhere to be found – and I did not want to wait for him.  Oh well, the picture could be forgone.  I REALLY wanted to keep pushing with the goal of not getting an FNT.

Soon, I approached the water station, stopped, and rationed the rest of my Gatorade.  One more mile to the start line, and I would be on the last lap.  As I continued my journey back to the start line, I passed my cabin-mate, Tom.  He warned me that the second wave started and we would be running into those runners shortly.  Almost on queue, I started passing runners from the second wave.  I heard one guy complain that he was only running an 8:29 pace at the moment (poor baby 🙂 )  One comical moment came when I got to the top of Hill from Hell.  As I walked down the hill, one lady, who was in the second wave and going UP the hill for the first time, lamented, “What is this hill and why is it so steep?”  I pointed to her and half-jokingly said, “And you have to go up this thing FIVE more times!”  I do not think she was amused.

Lap 6:

I rounded the checkpoint and looked at my watch.  The elapsed time was 5:45 (give or take a few minutes because I did not start my watch on time).  I had about 75 minutes to complete 4.36 miles and avoid an FNT, which is about a 17-minute mile.  Normally, I would laugh at having to complete a distance with a 17 minute per mile pace, but this course was no joke!  This was going to be close.

John had caught back up to me and we were pushing each other.  I ran through all of the mud to the base of Hill from Hell.  I walked up it for the very last time.  My legs burnt so bad as I got to the top. I was sticking to my plan of walking up any hill, running down any hill, and run/walk any relatively flat spot.

John had tracked me down and we were running together once again.  I passed the water stop and drank exactly half of the Gatorade that I had left.  1.18 miles to the turnaround.  I trudged on.  As I approached the 20-mile marker, I asked John to take that picture of me that he promised to get on the last lap.  He objected and said that we were not on mile 20.  I said that I did not care WHEN it was taken, but I wanted a picture of me with the mile marker that I sponsored.  He gave in and took my picture.  We walked/ran to the Artigas turnaround.  Paul congratulated me for a well-run marathon and said to enjoy the last 2.18 miles.  I glanced down at my watch and saw that I had 35-40 minutes to make it to the finish line, which was a 16-minute mile. I was unsure of the exact time because again, I had forgotten to start my watch on time.  I figured it was about 7 minutes.  1.18 miles later, we were at the final water stop and had about 20 minutes to do it!  I was feeling more confident.  I could theoretically walk and make it, but I was not taking any chances.  I continued to walk/run and soon I was at the top of Hill from Hell for the final descent.  I was scared that I might actually fall on the way down because my legs were so tired.  I carefully walked down and then started running again.  John decided to walk a little longer and soon I was in front of him by a good 15-20 seconds.  As I approached the finish line, I could see everybody (all 7) cheering!  I crossed the finish line, and a volunteer put a medal around my neck.  12 seconds later, John finished behind me.

Immediately, I asked Gillian, the official timekeeper, what my finish time was.  She said “six-fifty-two-flat”.  6:52:00!  I have never been so excited to have such a slow marathon in my life!  🙂  I successfully finished without getting an FNT!  Mission accomplished.

Appropriately, there were some penguins on the beach when I finished.  I sat down and a volunteer (who had run the half) helped me get my shoes off and boots on.  He was so helpful, and I appreciated it.  I washed the mud off my shoes in the ocean, boarded the zodiac, and went back to the ship.  I showered, went to dinner, then zonked out – content with my finish and my SIXTH continent completed!

Official race results for both the full and half marathons have been posted on the Marathon Tours website.

 

Today is fairly packed with things to do.  As the Aussies say, “Brekkie” is first, then the daily COVID test.  If everybody tests negative, I think we will be permitted to move around and socialize a bit more.  The seas are fairly calm now with only the occasional shift.  Tom is feeling a TON better.  When breakfast arrived, he attacked it quickly.  I told him that it was good to see him eat!  He is worried about being dehydrated and carbohydrate depleted because he did not eat hardly anything yesterday.

As the mandatory COVID tests started, we were informed that one person was feeling symptoms last night and self-reported to the ship’s doctor.  They were given an additional rapid test, which was positive, and then a PCR test, which confirmed the positive diagnosis.  They are now in quarantine and will be unable to partake in any further activities for the rest of the trip.  I feel so badly for them, but they DEFINITLEY did the right thing by self-reporting instead of jeopardizing the rest of the runners.

After the mandatory COVID tests, we had a meeting about the IAATO protocols of Antarctica.   They include:

1. Stay 15 feet away from wildlife
2. No plastic on land
3. Listen to the tour guides at all times.  They receive orders from the captain.
4. The proper way to get in and out of a zodiac
5. You must clean all of your outerwear, especially pockets and velcro before your first Antarctica landing.  No seeds or dirt should be transported to land (even between islands)
6. Taking anything is forbidden, even rocks

Antarctica is the most pristine environment on earth, and it should be kept that way for all future generations.

After the IAATO meeting, we had a race briefing.  The Chinese have been uncooperative.  They have not returned any calls or emails about whether we can run to the Great Wall Station, so going out there is out.  The Eduardo Frei Montalva Chilean base responded, but they are busy with other things and did not want us to disturb their work.  The Russians and Uruguayans were receptive as always and welcomed us (I wonder if we had to take any vodka 🙂 ).  The course would be from the Russian Bellingshausen Station to the Uruguayan Artigas Base and back six times.  Each loop was 4.36 miles (2.18 out and back) .  There is a 6.5-hour time limit, however, if weather permits, the limit will be extended.  Race times will be kept up to 7 hours.  After that, you get an FNT as a result (Finish, No Time).  If you get an FNT, you still get a medal, finisher certificate, and you still get credit towards your continent (whew).

Lunch was next on the agenda, and I really wanted to start to carb-load.  I had spaghetti carbonara (spaghetti, bacon, cheese, and eggs), Yukon potato salad, a fruit plate, and a brownie.  It was all delicious!

Later that afternoon, we all met for a biosecurity screening.  According to IAATO, we must do everything we can to minimize foreign materials from being transported to Antarctica.  Everybody took their outerwear and vacuumed every pocket, zipper line, and crevice.

We were lifted from quarantine this evening and were able to eat dinner in the Beagle Restaurant.  Everybody was excited because it was our first opportunity to socialize.  Due to COVID, the restaurant could only operate at 50% capacity, and we had to have two sittings.  Mine was at 8 pm.

After dinner, I went to bed (which ended up being around 9:30).  There was a race to be run tomorrow!

 

 

 

 

At 7:30 am, I was awoken by Emma announcing that breakfast was being served and the day’s schedule.  After breakfast, staff would go to each room to administer a COVID test.  Later in the day, a video would be live-streamed to our rooms about this history of the Antarctica Marathon, then a virtual meet and greet with the crew.

As I shook the cobwebs out, I noticed that the seas were pretty choppy.  During the morning announcement, Emma’s forecast was for smoother seas this afternoon, but we still had to endure 10-12 foot waves until then.  I felt a LITTLE queasy and weak, but was not sure if this was due to the seas or because I had not eaten for twelve hours.  Rather than chance anything, I decided to preemptively take Dramamine.  Forty minutes later, I was in the bathroom throwing up.  WTF?!?!  Dramamine is supposed to PREVENT throwing up, not ENCOURAGE it!  After throwing up, I felt like a million bucks and ready to conquer the world (or at least my cabin).  I swore off Dramamine and promised myself that I would never use it again.

I waited 90 minutes for breakfast to arrive, and finally at 9:00 am I called the ship’s restaurant to make sure we were not overlooked.  The guy said that it should arrive any at any.  Ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door, and breakfast was here!  I had scrambled eggs, oatmeal, yogurt, fresh fruit, and orange juice.

Around 10:00 am, the COVID test crew showed up.  He gave us swabs and we had to collect our own samples.  This was preferable to the experience I had two days ago at the hotel.

Outside, the waves were still rocking the boat quite a bit.  Tom had a pretty bad case of seasickness.  He did not eat any of his breakfast and just lay in bed not moving.  I purchased 24 hours of wifi for $100.  The good thing is that the 24 hours is not continuous – you start and stop it.  If you forget to stop it and log out when you are done, the time keeps ticking.  It is not sufficient to just disconnect.  We were earned about this SEVERAL times, but I am sure somebody will forget to log out and merely disconnect (and be surprised when they have no internet time left).  Twenty-four hours should provide ample time to be online during the trip.

Later that afternoon, we watched a video about the history of the Antarctica Marathon.  Thom Gillian had recorded it during the first voyage and they replayed it for us.  It was quite interesting how the race and the seven continents club came together.  Apparently, after the first race, four people who did not know each other told Thom on separate occasions that they had had now completed a marathon on seven continents.  That sparked the idea for the Seven Continents Club.  He told us about the challenges of setting up the course (especially the first one when everybody was asking about the course and he had not established what it was yet), challenges of having ships cancel at the last minute, foreign politics, unauthorized people randomly landing on King George Island to run, one year where they had to run the marathon on the deck of the ship (442 laps on deck 5 or 365 laps on deck 6), one year where they had to cut the race short at 5 hours and 35 minutes because of incoming inclement weather (and fifteen people did not finish), and one year that sported 80 MPH winds and waves 50 feet high!  The end result is that this IS an adventure marathon and you MUST accept what mother nature throws at you.  He wants everybody to finish, but in the end, the call is up to the captain.  If bad weather is coming in and the race must be stopped, then that is what happens – NO QUESTIONS ASKED.  Safety is the number one priority for everybody.

Speaking of weather, Emma informed us that there was a small front moving through today, but it should be moved out by race morning, leaving us with temperatures in the low to mid-30s with 14-knot winds (16 MPH).  While still windy by my standards, this is somewhat calm for down here.  Sunday looks like a pretty good day for a race!

During normal times, the entire group of runners gathers in the mudroom to clean and disinfect their running shoes.  There are very strict regulations about this because no foreign dirt or seeds should end up in Antarctica.  They want to keep the environment as pristine as possible.  Since COVID has changed our lives, the crew cleaned and sanitized the running shoes and put them in our lockers in the mudroom.

Lunch was served at noon.  I had a cucumber/dill salad, shrimp quesadilla, and blueberry pie.  Tom was still pretty sick and only ate his fruit plate.  He has a bad headache but does not feel nauseous.

That afternoon we watched a live virtual meeting where the crew introduced themselves, where they were from (all over the world!!), and what their respective backgrounds were (geologists, marine biologists, etc).

Dinner was served around 6 pm.  I had a Waldorf salad, pasta with mussels in white wine sauce (very tasty), and dessert.

The seas were definitely quite a bit smoother, but Tom was still not feeling well.  All in all, this was a fairy boring day.

 

 

Because I was on the regular flight and not the charter flight, we departed 1 hour earlier than the normal group.  That meant we were departing the hotel at 6 am sharp, and had to have our bags in the lobby by 5:30 am.  I arose at 5:10 am, showered, and then packed up the final items that were straggling.  I made my way to the lobby and dropped my bags at the designated spot.  The hotel was kind enough to open breakfast 90 minutes early (at 4:30 am) to accommodate us.  They did not skimp on the breakfast like they could have – it was the normal one we normally had.

After I ate, I made my way to the bus, where Paul from Marathon Tours announced, “We are waiting for one more.”  I said that was probably me, and sure enough, it was!  I boarded the bus and off we went to the Aeroparque Jorge Newbery airport.  It was about 20 minutes from the hotel, so it was not too far.  There were three marathon tours staff on this flight (Paul, Alissa, and Gillian), four runners, AND one of our guides from the previous day.  During the ride, Paul said that this airport can get rough and to put wallets in your front pocket.  We were hoping that our guide would help steer us clear of the riffraff in the airport.

Since only the guide spoke Spanish, we all followed her like lemmings into the terminal.  There was an initial checkpoint outside where they were verifying tickets.  She talked to them (and presumably turned on the charm) and we went right through without having to show our flight details.  We then went to the ticket counter where she again worked her magic and soon we were all checked in.  One strange thing in Argentina is that if your bag is overweight, you must go to a different line to have it weighed and pay extra fees.  They do not do it like here in the US where the ticket agent collects any fees.  There were three people that were over the 33-pound limit so off to the overweight baggage line they went.  I was actually over by 2 pounds, but the lady let me off the hook.  When they came back, they were smiling ear to ear.  Apparently, the scale was broken, so they did not have to pay any more baggage fees, which saved HUNDREDS of dollars!  Gillian had all of the medals, which weighed a figurative ton!

Our tour guide walked us to the security checkpoint, and after that, we were on our own.  We quickly located our departure gate and settled down for the 90-minute wait before we started boarding.  There were some interesting conversations, and I had a good one with Paul and Gillian about Red Bull Crashed Ice.  This is where four people wear hockey gear (or some equivalent padding) and skate/race down a track/course.  The track reminds me of a ski course (but much much narrower of course), complete with jumps, uphills, and downhills.  I think I found a new sport to watch!  Check it out in the link above.

We started the boarding process for the 3-1/2 hour flight to Ushuaia.  After we showed our boarding pass we had to board a small bus that took us to the airplane.  I looked at one of the ladies in our group and said, all of that careful planning to stay COVID-free is going to be unraveled by this bus ride!  The ride was only 2-3 minutes to a plane on the tarmac.  After unloading from the bus, I climbed the stairs to board the plane.  I got stuck in a middle seat, but at least I was next to one of the people in our group.  The flight was uneventful, and before long, we landed.  We claimed our luggage and boarded a bus that would take us to our next COVID test, and then onwards to the port.

The COVID testing site was arranged by Albatross Expeditions (the company that operated the ship) at the Ushuaia Rugby Club practice facility.  Even though we tested negative a day ago, we still had to have a rapid test done in order to board the ship.  We were met by Nadine, who said this process would take about 45 minutes.   After 20 minutes, she said that everybody was negative and that we were free to go!

Since we left about an hour before the previous group, we had some time to kill.  Not only were they an hour behind, but getting 160 rapid tests done would take more than twenty minutes.  Paul talked to our guide and arranged for them to take us on a tour of Ushuaia.  Ushuaia is not an overly big city (about 60,000 people), but it is the southernmost city in the world.  There is a world-famous sign with white letters on the edge of Ushuaia Bay (pictured at the top of this post), so we stopped there for pictures.  We drove around a bit and learned some of the local histories.  After driving through the downtown area, we ended up at the port around 2:10 pm.  We were given a small box lunch that had a roast beef sandwich, an apple, a bottle of water, and some other thing that I had no idea what it was.   It looked like a roll that you get in a restaurant.  I bit into it and there was some pink-looking stuff in the center.  It looked like ham salad, but I have no blooming idea what it actually was.

After eating lunch, I got my picture taken in front of a sign that said: “Ushuaia – the end of the world” (in Spanish of course).  I wanted to buy some trinkets here, but shopping was frowned upon.  We were somewhat in a bubble and the Marathon Tours staff wanted to keep it that way to minimize the risk of getting COVID.  It was about 40 degrees and windy, so I got back on the bus, as did everybody else.  At 2:55 pm, we were cleared to board the ship.   At that time, we also heard that everybody on the charter flight was COVID negative as well!

Upon entering the ship, we had to cough up our passport, which I did not like.  We got a key and a ship charge card to put all expenses on.  I was semi-unpacked when my roommate Tom strolled in.   We talked extensively about running, what races we have done, and what we are doing next.  I found out that he is a Radiologist in Washington DC and was a very nice guy.

At 5pm, we had a mandatory meeting about ship safety.  We were told that we had to quarantine for 1.5 days and would be taking rapid tests EVERY day during the journey.  During the initial 1.5 days, we were not permitted to leave our cabin at all – although the only thing to see outside is water.  If everybody was negative after this, they would loosen the restrictions.  Everybody was negative up to this point, so there SHOULD be no problems.  At the end of the virtual safety meeting, they gave us a weather update.  Emma , the announcer, said that we should be in the Beagle Channel for about 4-1/2 hours and then after that, we will be in the Drake Passage, the most treacherous waters on earth.  Waves in the Drake Passage were currently about 12-15 feet high.  The Ocean Victory could handle them without any problems, but she kind of chuckled and said, “I advise securing EVERYTHING in your cabin.”  Well, this should be interesting to say the least.

Dinner was served around 7 pm, and we had smooth waters until about 10:30 pm.  After that, the waves really started kicking up, and the boat was rocking pretty good, but nothing too absurd.  Tom took Dramamine, but I felt fine.

After watching some Dr. Who, I fell asleep around 12:30.