Going Nowhere Fast

I have now had a chance to experience a significant travel delay and how an airline responds accordingly. I arrived in Miami at about 3:45pm and made my way to the Argentina Airlines desk to check in. I knew I was in the right place when I saw a line of people with the same Antarctica Marathon backpack --it is blue and has penguins and icebergs embroidered on it and the words: Antarctica--The Last Marathon. I joined the line behind a couple from, where else, but Washington, DC! They let me know that our flight had been delayed from 7pm to 1am. We have no idea why the flight is delayed. I was not looking forward to spending the next 9 hours in the airport but then I got the good news--the airline was giving us each a room at the local Doubletree Hotel and a dinner voucher. Pretty cool! At least a quarter of the 100 runners going on the trip were in the line, providing an opportunity for us to start to get know each other. One guy flew in from Paris just to do the race. I also met a couple from Denver, two guys from Chicago, a guy from Minnesota, and a gal from Boston. It looks like it will be a great group to travel with.



If all goes well, my next posting should be from Buenos Aires.