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The Trip Of A Lifetime – Antarctica

    Antarctica is one of the top 25 places to visit on the planet. “An environmental preserve for scientific research, Antarctica is the coldest, windiest place on earth, with ice as deep as three miles and as old as 3 million years. To get there, you have to cross the Drake Passage, 600 notoriously difficult miles of ocean between the tip of South America and the icy continent. Functional but austere expedition vessels have been taking tourists there for decades; large, luxurious ships cruise there on occasion, but passengers are not allowed to land,” Leasuretravel points out.

    That sounds just right for running a marathon and planning a vacation. That’s exactly what my husband Jan and I did March 3 – 17, 2017.

    Three years ago, I came across pictures of my running friends showing them crossing the finish line in a marathon in Antarctica. “How cool is that,“ I thought. I asked for more details and found out that Marathon Tours & Travel is organizing these trips.

    These Antarctica tours are very popular and booked three years in advance, despite the steep price. For three years, I saved money every month to make the trip possible for us.
    Marathon Tours helped us to prepare for our adventure, sharing lists of clothes to bring for the different climates, and holding a webinar on what to expect during the travel on our ship and the marathon.

    Once we booked our flights to Buenos Aires, we were beyond excited.

    Itinerary for the Academic Ioffe (our ship for 10 days)
    Saturday, March 4, 2017
    We arrived in Buenos Aires from Washington, D.C., a 14 hour flight with a connection in Houston, and were transferred to the Plaza Hotel, our home for the next 3 days. A banquet dinner had a briefing with the runners from the Ioffe and the Vavilov. Due to the huge demand this year, two boats were off to race the marathon.
    Marathon tours organized runs each day and a tour through BsAs. We spent our free time dancing Tango and having dinner with our friends in BA. Such a treat!

    Interesting fact: Only 100 people can be on land in Antarctica during the trip at any given time. OneOcean, the crew that took care of us during the trip on each ship had all this planned to perfection.

    The Trip Of A Lifetime – Antarctica

    Day 1 – Tuesday, March 7, 2017
    Flight to Ushuaia, which is the most southern city of Argentina, a.k.a. “The end of the world”, and boarded the Ioffe. We settled in our cabin and went to some safety briefings that included “pretending” we are sinking. This reminded me of the sinking of the Titanic, but with a positive outcome. The 2-day crossing of the Drake Passage was ahead of us.

    Day 2 – Wednesday, March 8, 2017
    The Beagle Channel and Drake Passage
    The Drake Passage is the body of water between South America’s Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. The Drake Passage, named after the explorer Sir Francis Drake, is known to be one of the most treacherous sea crossings. We were warned and prepared mentally for a potentially rough crossing, plus a patch on our necks to prevent sea sickness. We lucked out and the sea was calm and the sky sunny throughout our travels.

    Day 3 – Thursday, March 9, 2017
    Land Ho! We reached the South Shetland Islands and the weather god was on our side again. We went on two outings each day throughout the trip. The Zodiacs either took us on a land excursion and/or for a cruise among the bays and channels. Jan and I went sea kayaking today and, dressed in our new uniforms, we stayed warm. It was so incredible to see icebergs, seals, penguins and be one with nature while out in a small kayak.

    Day 4 – Friday, March 10, 2017
    We spent the day exploring the Shetland Islands in Zodiacs, and on our land outings we saw Chinstrap penguins at Aitcho Barrientos and Elephant seals on Robert Point. During our evening excursion we cruised around the Antarctic fjords and I experienced the most amazing whale encounter of the entire trip.

    We were out with our Zodiac and our skipper Ian, drove us around the sea to find Humpback whales. The whales were out for their dinner and smoothly glided through the waters. There were no other sounds than the ones the whales made. Then we saw a whale swimming towards us, seemingly within reach; he dove under our Zodiac just to emerge on the other side of it without making our Zodiac rock or disturbing anything. It still gives me the chills just to think back to it. No, not because it might have been dangerous, but because being this close to something that large and gentle is something I will never forget.

    Interesting fact: All your gear that touched land (shoes, pants etc) has to go through a thorough cleaning, called “Bio Securing”. OneOcean is making sure that Antarctica stays pristine and is not contaminated. That also meant that our running shoes for the marathon were scrubbed until there was not a speck of dirt from other continents on them.

    Day 5 – Saturday, March 11, 2017
    RACE DAY!
    The marathon was held on King George Island between the Russian and the Chinese research stations. We had to run 6 (six) loops, and each loop was about four miles long. We ran from the Russian base, which was very muddy and sticky, to the Chinese base. The course there was rocky and the path filled with pebbles (super hard to run). At first it seemed really boring to run six loops but with only 80 runners, and some ran the half marathon, but it was quite entertaining.
    Jan and I finished the marathon with a big smile, completing another one of our bucket list items.

    Interesting fact: This marathon is one of the 7 continent races held and for several runners this was their seventh marathon in their last continent. The course looked easy on paper, but this was one of the hardest marathons I have run to date. Elevation gain was 2200 ft with rough terrain.

    Day 6 – Sunday, March 12, 2017
    Mikkelsen Harbour and we have arrived at Gentoo Penguin Central. Today was the post-marathon celebration for all involved. We enjoyed a delicious BBQ and were joined by the runners from the Vavilov for a post marathon party on our boat.

    IMPORTANT NOTE: The weather was FANTASTIC the entire trip, including the marathon. Light winds, sun most days, light snow every now and again, and around 30 degrees. The OneOcean staff said this was most unusual, normally there is at least some portion of bad weather.

    Day 7 – Monday, March 13, 2017
    Wilhelmina Bay at Neko Harbor and we took our first steps on the Antarctic Continent.
    The weather was our guide as the captain is in charge of where we will go or not. Penguins wherever you look and icebergs, it is just breathtaking.

    Day 8 – Tuesday, March 14, 2017
    Paradise Bay: Today is the Polar plunge!
    Setting foot back on the Antarctic continent again and hiking up a small island. The view is just amazing and we are having a blast sledding down the hill on our booties. Once back on the little landing, it’s time for the Polar plunge. Water temperature: 1 degree Celsius. Everybody ready to take the plunge is already wearing their swim gear under their clothes and outer layers. This is so much fun, everyone is excited. It’s a quick in and out and back to the ship.

    Later on, we are heading to Fournier Bay: At least 2 dozen bubble feeding Humpback whales are around the ship. They are just hanging out eating and swimming, it’s an incredible excitement on the boat and the Uhs and Ahs are non-stop. After a few hours of this, the captain points out a storm coming in our direction and we had back to the Drake Passage.

    Day 9 – 10 – Wednesday, March 15 – Thursday, March 16th
    2 day journey back through the Drake Passage via Cape Horn back to Ushuaia and Buenos Aires.

    Some thoughts in closing:
    This was a trip of lifetime, words can’t describe the experiences I had and the pictures do not do justice to the nature and wildlife I saw.
    The marathon was the vehicle to be able to enjoy this unspoiled place of the earth. OneOcean and Marathon Tours and Travel, thank you for preserving the amazing part of the world.

    Not sure where the winds of adventure will take us next.

    If you’re ready to train for your next adventure or travel reach out. Let me help you get stronger for your next vacation and travel adventure. Reach out right here!