RACE DAY IN ANTARCTICA!!!!!

20 December 2007
Start at 7:12 a.m. Preparing last night, people sent snacks and extra gear out to the three aid stations. My choice was to carry whatever I needed in the small backpack that they gave me in Punta Arenas. After starting my watch and adjusting gloves, etc. I ended up at the back of the pack for the start. Gradually I passed a few of the others and settled into a pace. I was feeling great after too-many-days rest.

The previous day they had driven one of the big cats over the course to mark it for us, and over about 18 hours it solidified quite well and kept us from sinking in. Still, there was no push-off because the snow would give way under the pressure of our shoes and loosen under our feet. It would be slow-going all day.

The first loop of the course was around the small mountain range, the Patriot Hills. We ran out of camp, keeping the mountains on our right, toward the first aid station tent, five or six miles out. Even that short distance seemed like a long time. Finally, after an hour and 22 minutes I got there. I only got about half a cup of liquid there. Kinda reminded me of Chicago. They told us that someone would be along on a snowmobile soon to give us some more.

Weather conditions were cool, maybe around ten degrees Fahrenheit, with a light wind in our faces for the first leg. A mist of snow was falling, and before the first aid station a little glaze of ice covered my glasses. Quite foggy, so the beautiful course we heard of was mostly obscured by the low visibility.

I pulled out the sleeve of cookies from my pack and ate a couple of them as I continued. Now the mountains were between us and the camp. We were actually between two mountain ridges at the time, but the low visibility and poor contrast kept us constantly vigilant in finding the next orange flag.

With the wind at our backs, I soon realized that I was getting too warm and stopped to take off my outer jacket--my wind layer--to allow the sweat to evaporate instead of pooling in my sleeves and soaking my gloves as it ran out. After nearly an hour, the promised snowmobile arrived with some hot lemonade. I didn't drink a lot, because he told me that the next aid station was only about 2 Ks away.

Well, the "two kilometers" was a bit off. After a while the trail curved around to the right and headed slightly up hill through a pass in the mountains. Nearly an hour after seeing the snowmobile I finally reached the next tent. I drank a couple of glasses of hot liquid, but had to be very careful to avoid burning my mouth. Now we were headed back to camp.

Nearly 11:00, still no camp. The sweat from my body wicked away from my skin into the outer layers, so the sleeves on my outer shirt were now frozen. Still, I was comfortable as I kept my legs in constant motion through the loose snow. I knew the camp should be visible soon, but with the fog and the low- contrast conditions it was impossible to see. I ran, alone in a world of white, only a couple of runners in the distance in front of me.

At 11:15, I could make out the camp in the distance. Just after 11:30 I arrived at the finish banner, nearly 4.5 hours for the first 27 kilometers. Still feeling fresh and strong. I went into the dining tent, drank four glasses of "juice" (orange flavored sugar water) and scarfed down three cookies and went back out the door before my outer layer thawed out. I actually passed three people at that point by keeping the stop short. We headed out of camp for the final loop, toward a DC6 plane that crashed a few years back. Soon Susan Holiday caught up with me, and together we searched the all-white horizon for the next orange marker. The contrast was getting worse, and in this direction there were no mountains for landmarks. Only white.

We struggled to see the trail, but would frequently wander off to the side, beginning to sink into the snow. The markers weren't frequent enough to keep them always in site, so working together felt pretty good at that point. Because the loop was long and narrow, occasionally we could see some of the other runners heading back toward the finish, letting out a whoop and raising our arms to encourage each other. We were too far apart for words, but the sentiments we felt.

Finally, after an hour and a half, we could see the final aid station tent. Fred and Sue Morris were there, waiting with warm drinks. We stopped for a minute and made the turn for home.

Toshio caught up with us and passed us. As we headed back toward camp, the wind picked up, hitting us in the face from the left, and blowing snow into our faces. I slowed down for a minute to put my wind jacket back on. Now the markers were even farther apart and harder to spot. Toshio passed Susan, and I kept them both in site, along with a couple more runners farther ahead. At least I knew I was going in the right direction. More and more I would loose the track and end up in the soft snow. Still, I made my way toward the finish. 2:25 p.m. The end is in site, but still a long way. Gradually specks in the distance became tents, people came into focus, and finally I spotted the finish line. At 2:40, seven hours and twenty-eight minutes after starting, I raised my arms and crossed the finish line. I stood under the banner for everyone to take pictures.

William was there in his wheelchair, and I went over to give him a hug. Unfortunately, I seriously misjudged the stability of the chair, and the next thing I knew we were both flat on our backs, lying in the snow laughing like crazy. People tried to help us up, but William was waving them off and telling them "Take a picture."

My mission now is nearly complete, the only thing remaining is to get home. No, I didn't make the world record I had planned on, but I did accomplish a few things.

I took two days off my personal record, completing the seven continents in just under 33 days.
I set a world record by running all seven continents TWICE in only 307 days.
I'm the only human on the planet who has ever run all seven continents twice in one year.

And to top that off, a beautiful woman, proud of me, her heart filled with love, waits for me to come home.