Nov 15, 2024
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Antarctica Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Antarctica Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.6 
Organization 3.9 
Spectators 3.7
Number of comments: 27 [displaying comments 1 to 11]
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w. s. from NYC
(5/1/2023)
"The ULTIMATE Destination Marathon" (about: 2023)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Antarctica Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 The March 23, 2023 course was a 6 lap out-and-back between the Russian and Uruguayan scientific research bases. We basically ran the same 2.18 miles back and forth 12 times. Check out my YouTube trip recap: https://youtu.be/50x2ysVCAZU and course video: https://youtu.be/XDcnHMLXTeo to get a glimpse of what you will experience and see how the terrain looked like. It got a lot more muddy as the day went on which is not captured. We were advised normally it is a longer route with 3 laps but we were told the Chinese base was not responding to the organizers so we did not have access to their road. The conditions were brutal. There were constant strong headwinds blowing from the West, roller coaster hills, and uneven dirt roads that started the race as ankle twisting frozen ground and morphed into shoe sucking mud as the day went on. Temperature was 0°C/32°F not accounting for windchill. It turned out the cold was the least of our worries. Many runners finished with results one or two hours off their usual times while others dropped down to a half-marathon or did not finish. The field was originally 107 marathon participants. The wind created logistical issues and we had to spread the race over two days. There were 87 actual marathon finishers over two days (day two conditions were less windy but more muddy). There was consensus among the runners that this was the toughest marathon we competed in. There was a lot of camaraderie on the course that made up for the absence of spectators. Epic glacial views and a major accomplishment for all! The medal is funky with only the year on the ribbon and the race shirt looks like it was designed in the 90's by an amateur. I gave mine away. For a $10k package, there should be separate medals for Marathon and Half-Marathon with the year on the medal. The online pre-trip 'shop' was ok but the t-shirts were Craft brand that only fits the taller crowd. A mainstream brand like Nike or Adidas would be better. Our tour was the second of a back to back on the Ocean Victory. The on-board shop had a nice selection of items but very poor inventory of sizes. Very few M and L were left. Seems like they were unprepared for all the destination marathon shoppers. Race production was mixed. The course could have been better marked and some of the mile markers duplicates added to the confusion. Communications were muddled and sometimes Marathons Tours simply did not follow through on what they promised. They were generally disorganized. I think Jeff did a good job, but he needs help. Some finishers had to wait for three weeks to get their photos while others could see their pics on the ship. The Albatros photographer shared useless thumbnail sized photos of the polar plunge. We lost three days to the wind, why not simply share the hi-res images? I recommend you train on a lot of steep rolling hills and go out when it is muddy and windy. It's a once in a lifetime adventure for sure. Keep in mind the race is only half a day - there is so much more to see in Buenos Aires and Antarctica. Our group had bad luck with the wind and lost three days of excursions. The extra days stuck on the ship were painfully boring, but we had good company that made it tolerable. If the race is the top priority for you, go for it! | |
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S. H. from Oklahoma, USA
(6/18/2022)
"Great experience" (about: 2022)
50+ previous marathons
| 2 Antarctica Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 My wife and I have both run full and half marathon in Antarctica with Marathon Tours. Tom, Jeff and everybody else do an outstanding job to make this an exceptional experience. They are professional, extremely organized and at the same time fun to travel with. We were actually scheduled with another company this year (MA), but bailed out because of poor communication (they actually got stranded in Chile and never got to go to Antarctica). We switched to MTs , they had a few openings - I assume because of Covid cancellations, and had a great time. Would recommend any tour with MTs! | |
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R. B. from CT, USA
(3/19/2015)
"one fur seal spectator is worth 5 stars" (about: 2015)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Antarctica Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This is a tough marathon - mud, wind, hills, loose stones (in one section), cold (but above freezing) but it is antarctica. Where else can you have a fur seal show up as a spectator along the course? The race is in two waves, a day apart (due to restrictions on tour group sizes at any one time). The normal course is out and back to the Uruguay base, then out in back to the Chinese base land, repeated 3 times. Conditions forced the first wave to skip the Uruguay section - instead doing 6 out-and-backs to the Chinese 'Great Wall' base area. Hence the second wave did the same course. I ran in the second wave. They said to expect about an hour longer than normal time, which seemed right. Race also occurred several days into the tour, after you already got to know the others on your ship/wave, hence you knew everyone else in the race and could cheer each other on. The best part, though, was the excursions in the antarctic peninsula area post race. Fur seal showing up around mile 11 was great! (For future runners - be warned that GU does not flow in the cold. Try another gel.) | |
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L. S. from Bainbridge Island, Washington
(4/5/2014)
"Don't People 'Run' Marathons?" (about: 2014)
First Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I was in Antartica on March 10, 2014, on an excursion from a Princess Cruise ship. We saw many participants in this marathon, but VERY few were actually running the course. Most were simply walking the track. Aren't marathons 'run'? I wonder how many people listed as completing the marathon actually admit that, in reality, they walked it. | |
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P. B. from England
(3/16/2012)
"Fabulous experience, never again on that course." (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Antarctica Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Moving nearly 100 runners to the bottom of the earth to run a marathon is no small deal, and congratulations to Thom and his team for doing it with minimal disruptions. The course was as brutal as one might wish for, save for no snow on the ground. The route involved 3 times around 2 out-and-back loops: not my preference, but totally understandable given the realities on the ground on King George Island. The support was small in number (mainly the group and crew), but as vocal and supportive as you could wish for. | |
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Robert Youngren from Huntsville
(3/22/2010)
"Unique and epic running experience!" (about: 2010)
50+ previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This year's race course, due to a variety of political/environmental and other issues, did 4 x 1/4 marathon out-and-backs utilizing the first 2 miles of the original course (the map shown on this site). The last 1 mile-plus went inland and was mostly uphill. So, course-wise, this one was much tougher than what had been run previously. As the goal was a zero-impact event, runners could not have any food on the island except for unwrapped PowerBars or gels (fine, but nobody was told about this until it was too late to buy gel flasks). All energy fluids had to be pre-mixed before going to the island, and if you "had to go," it had to be at one of several designated tents in a trash bag-lined water cooler! We also had to be careful to run between the flagged markers to avoid stepping on moss! Any violation of the above meant immediate disqualification! Anyhow, temps were in the mid 30's with 30 knot-plus winds by the end. Wicked headwind on the out-bound portion, but nice tailwind on the way back in. Thom and his Marathon Tours staff did a great job pulling this event off. Unfortunately his behavior and conduct following the event left a lot of us scratching our heads. For example, they should have had race medals for all finishers - not just the international folks. It would have been nice to have a formal awards ceremony to recognize all finishers (not that there is all that many) and present them with their medal. There were a lot more issues, but if you want to run a marathon in Antarctica (at a reasonable cost), you have to go through Marathon Tours. They could have done a better job with communication and some details, but all things considered, this is the trip to do! It is a unique, very epic running experience that you'll never forget. Antarctica is a very fragile and beautiful place, but very difficult to get to. It is a big adventure just surviving to race day! The Antarctica tour following the race is simply spectacular! Just remember to pack an open mind, a sense of humor, and an easy-going attitude and you'll be fine! | |
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Scott Coe from Oregon USA
(3/17/2010)
"The hardest marathon you will ever do." (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Antarctica Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 As our Zodiac hit the beach, we were greeted by a dozen penguins. The course had a few spectators from the research stations. But the real spectators were the other runners you had just spent a week with. And they were the best support you could ever hope for because they were in this challenging run with you. The toughest thing I've ever done, by far. But a great experience. Good job by Marathon Tours !!! | |
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Natasha Sandrock from San Diego, CA
(7/1/2009)
"Who ran in Antarctica?!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I loved this event - the entire thing, the race, the cruise, and the people. Fantastic. Continent #6 is behind me. Australia, here I come. | |
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J. M. from USA
(7/8/2008)
"Unique marathon" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Antarctica Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This marathon is unique for 2 main reasons: first you run in Antarctica, and second, it comes with the cruise package that makes the marathon an adventure. The marathon course is hard (as expected) and the 2 miles on the glacier make it more difficult but unique and exciting at the same time. This year the glacier has been tricky; the high temperature made it slippery, which has never happened before, so spikes were necessary unless you were really careful and slow. It was a very positive experience; the Quark expedition was fantastic, friendly and professional, which is a very rare combination. I have to agree with the negative comments regarding the Marathon Tour staff management; this would be the only reason not to go again. | |
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H. D. from Washington, DC
(5/19/2008)
"Fantastic Run in 2008 (with a few exceptions)" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Antarctica Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 What a fantastic experience all around! The course was hilly, well marked, and broken into easy sections (every time you finished a loop you were done with 1/4 of the race). The best part was the camaraderie developed amongst the runners (yeah Orlova!) as we embarked on this crazy adventure together. We were the best cheering section for each other. As we passed one another on the route, we shared Yak Tracks with those who did not have them, and we made new best friends at the great victory BBQ the next day on the Orlova. One guy even walked down the glacier hand-in-hand with a woman who was having difficulty - a true gentleman, as he sacrificed his race time even if she did not bother to thank him. The Quark Expeditions staff and the ship's crew was magnificent. I learned so much beyond the marathon that it was really only one small piece of the journey. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for something a little different for their next marathon! Now for the negative, because there was some: Marathon Tours management, specifically Thom (Bill and Jane on our boat, as well as many of the staff on the other boat, were great and very accommodating). I felt, as did other runners, that we were treated as though we should be thankful with whatever services and amenities were given to us. Services that were promised at the time of sign up that were not delivered (i.e. kayaking and camping), which would not have been a big deal if we had been informed of this before arriving in Buenos Aires. The biggest letdown was that we were given poor information that caused a few injuries (i.e. we were told not to bring Yak Tracks to climb up the icy glacier). Frankly, I paid for a service and I was dissatisfied with it. |
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