Time to Go!

After being on a waiting list since the summer of 2008, I am finally on my way to Antarctica! I am traveling there to compete in my own sort of winter olympic event--the Antarctica Half-Marathon. There is a full marathon for those that prefer that type of pain but for me, 13.1 miles is just enough.

I'm traveling with Marathon Tours, a tour operator who specializes in adventure travel for runners. I'll be flying from Washington DC to Buenos Aires, spend three days exploring the country and perhaps enjoying an excursion into the jungles of Uruguay, then flying to Ushuaia (at the southern tip of Argentina) where we then board our ship. The ship then crosses the notoriously fierce Drake Passage to Antarctica (about a 2 day journey). We'll spend a day exploring while the race support team marks the course, then race day is March 7th. After the race we spend another 5 days cruising along the coast of Antarctica, with zodiak landings twice a day to explore penguin colonies, scientific research stations, and icebergs. Then it is time to go home--cross the Drake Passage, reach Ushuaia, flight to BA, then to Miami, and back to DC.

There was a little scare earlier this week that another winter storm might derail flights but the storm bypassed DC and now all things are a GO! I'm on the plane for the first leg of my trip. This will be a grueling 48 hours to go from Washington, DC to Atlanta to Miami, and then to Buenos Aires. I heard this morning that folks in Buenos Aires felt the effects of the 8.8 magnitue earthquake earlier today in Chile. I wonder whether I'll feel any of those aftershocks when I reach the city?