Twas the night before the race and all through the boat, 99 runners were stressing about what gel to eat and the appropriate thickness of their running coat. Soon the decontaminated shoes were stored in vacuumed bags at the foot of each bed, and visions of muddy trails, penguins and puddles were running through their head....
We just finished our pre-race meeting and everyone is very excited about the race tomorrow. The winds were too fierce today for us to go ashore but the forecast tomorrow looks better: light winds and temperatures in the mid to upper 30s. As long as the winds stay calm, it will be fairly comfortable running weather. The windchill can be quite fierce though if the wind picks up. The race organizers set up the course today in a way that complies with all the environmental and political restrictions (such as, no running through any of the scientific research stations or on the glacier). It will be an out-and-back course of 2 loops for the half-marathoners (for a total of 13.1 miles) and 4 loops for the marathoners (for a total of 26.2 miles). Thom Gilligan’s has described the course as the most difficult course they have ever laid out. In some places the route is over a well-packed dirt road but much of the route is filled with LOTS of mud, puddles, some snow between 12-18” deep and glacier stream crossings up to our knees. The first mile is supposed to be the most difficult, with a 250 meter steep hill that has lots of mud at the bottom. Can you believe that 99 people paid thousands of dollars and spent a week traveling half-way around the world to have this much fun?
As I mentioned, there are strict environmental controls placed on the race and runners. There are two rules that will result in instant disqualification: 1) no littering (hence no gel, gu, or powerbar wrappers can be brought on shore) and 2) no urinating on the course other than in the port-a-potties at the start/finish area, 1.75 mile marker and the turn-around point at 3.28 miles. We must also stay on the course and not step on the delicate moss on the land. That may mean running through a huge mud puddle in order to protect the moss. A footprint in the moss will last for 1,000 years but wet shoes will clean up overnight.
Because this is such a difficult course there is a real possibility that some of the marathoners will not be able to complete the course by the 7 hour cut-off mark. To meet that goal, there are time checks along the way--you have to reach the 13.1 mile mark by 3 hours and 20 minutes and the 19 mile mark by 5 hours and 10 minutes. Failure to meet those time hacks will result in a runner being pulled from the race. However, a marathoner who does complete at least 13.1 miles will be able to get credit for completing a half marathon (but they are not eligible for the top finishing spots for the half marathon).
The final topic of discussion was about whether runners could wear an ipod during the race. The running purists were inclined to say no--it should just be you, the course, and the camraderie of your fellow runners. Others felt strongly that music makes the hard parts of the race not quite as hard or alternatively, makes the experience more like having a movie soundtrack going on that matches your life. The end result was that runners could use them if they want but are encouraged to keep the volume at a reasonable level so as to still connect with others around you, as well as to not be surprised if a skua bird attacks you. Oh, did I mention that there are big birds that like to dive bomb the runners?
So now we are laying out our race clothing, packing our bags with dry clothes to change into after the race, and marking our water bottles that we can bring out and place along the course as we run. The ship will make a wake-up call over the loud speaker at 5:30am, breakfast is available from 6-8am, and then we will start shuttling to land via the zodiaks at 8:15am. The race will begin around 9am or when everyone is on shore and ready to go. It's going to be GREAT!
In case you were wondering what runners think about before the race, check out the video link below. This was taken the morning of the race as we were getting ready.
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