Seven Continents/Seven Marathons

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T19:54:00.001-05:00

I'm HOME!! Finally. Flew overnight to Dallas, this afternoon arrived back in GR. The lovely Francine picked me up at the airport.

Quick update

2007-12-23T20:40:00.001-05:00

Arrived back in Punta Arenas at 8:00 p.m. Catching up on my blog, then tomorrow going to the airport and figuring out how to get home as quickly as possible. We'll see how it goes.

Henri's Finish!

2007-12-23T20:31:00.000-05:00

22 December 2007

MAYBE they'll bring the Iluyshin in today. Well, actually in the very early hours of tomorrow. They're waiting for some more weather info. By 11:00 they still haven't made the call, before lunch they are talking like it's going to happen. Probably tomorrow morning. They are starting to clear the runway now.

We have the afternoon to ourselves, so Brent and PH Staffer Rachel decided to talk Henri to finish his marathon. Finally, our photographer Bertrand convinced him by agreeing to do it with him. So, Brent, Rachel, Susan, Christian and I went out on the snowmobile with a sled behind it and dropped Henri and Bertrand off on the course. Because the first loop around the mountain range was still marked, we used that part of the course.

We stopped every 2K to set up aid stations. The whiteout conditions of race day had been replaced with a beautiful clear day. We got to see all the mountains that we missed on Thursday. It was great.

When we rounded the last pass in the mountains, you could see Patriot Hills camp. It was still nearly 8 kilometers away. The other day I couldn't see it until just about 15 minutes before I got there. Quite a difference.

So, Henri, seventy-two years old! finished his marathon. And Bertrand did a half-marathon. Nice ending to a nice trip.

Tomorrow, the Ilyusion lands and we go home!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Home

And now, my mission finished
The most important part awaits.
Home!

Where love awaits
The arms I've missed
The lips I long to kiss.

Adventures
Always fun
Always interesting
Rarely predictable

But adventures only count
If you make it.
Home

More life at Patriot Hills

2007-12-23T20:30:00.000-05:00

21 December 2007 Friday.

Our mission done, we now await the weather conditions for our transport back to Punta Arenas. As soon as it's suitable, the Iluyshin will be here, bringing in a load of fuel for the camp and taking a load of passengers back.

Everyone here is anxious to get home for Christmas, speculating on tomorrow's weather, wondering about the logistics to clear the runway, get the plane here, and get us back out. Antarctica, however, isn't like anywhere else on earth. There are no scheduled flights. We're at the mercy of the weather and the logistics people to get us out of here.

The Four Poles

If you've seen the South Pole on TV, you've probably seen the "Ceremonial South Pole." It's that striped pole with the silver ball on top of it, surrounded by the flags of several nations.

A few meters away is the actual Geographic South Pole, where all of the lines of latitude converge. The marker is a metal post with a medallion on top of it. Because it's located on nearly two miles of ice, the post drifts northward a few feet every year. Every January first, a new post with a new medallion is positioned over the exact pole. From there you can see the row of posts from previous years, going off into the distance.

The South Magnetic Pole, exactly opposite of the one in the north, is actually located off the coast of Antarctica in the ocean. It tends to move a little every year, roughly in a circle. In the center of the circle is the Russian base, Vladavostock. (CHECK THESE FACTS)

The other one, the "Pole of Relative Inaccessibility," is a human-contrived point that is the farthest average distance from all the coastlines of Antarctica. It's the closest thing man has come up with to being "in the middle of nowhere."

We spent the day recovering from our marathon efforts, relaxing a bit, enjoying the great food. We had a short meeting after lunch to award everyone with a finisher medal, and after dinner we drank up the wine and beer they had for us, then I broke out the bottle of Chivas Regal that I brought from Punta Arenas to celebrate our marathon. A few of the guys played cards late into the night, some of them loosing thousands in the process. Thousands of Chilean Pesos, that is. Ten thousand is roughly twenty dollars in the U.S.

After midnight, the train left for the South Pole, then to the Pole of Relative Inaccessibility. What a neat adventure for them! Fred and Sue are on that train.

RACE DAY IN ANTARCTICA!!!!!

2007-12-23T20:25:00.002-05:00

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.

Life in Patriot Hills Camp

2007-12-23T20:25:00.001-05:00

19 December 2007
By definition, it's a nice day whenever the plane arrives here. That's because the plane can only fly on nice days.

It was warm in the sunshine after we arrived yesterday, so Brent went out to the runway and marked off a half-mile course so William Tan could do his marathon in his wheelchair. Most of the group went out and supported him, walking the one-mile loop, starting somewhere just after 5:00 p.m. He continued to roll, back and forth, until at around 3:00 this morning he became the first man ever to complete marathons on all seven continents in a wheelchair. Twice he has tried to do Antarctica on King George Island, but the course and the time restrictions have stopped him. But now, he's a world record holder, doing all seven in less than 29 days.

Patriot Hills Camp. Getting off the plane was almost like coming home. I lived here for most of January in 2002, along with Brent. It's been updated a bit since then. The "ice toilets" are much nicer, two of them in a small arched tent with a wall down the middle. All of our waste is sent back to Chile for disposal, so we relieve ourselves in numerical order--#1 in the urinal which goes into a small drum, and #2 into another toilet. There's a sit-down toilet for women and then they can dump their pee-bucket into the urinal. The solid wastes go into black plastic bags to be bundled up and sent back on the planes. At night, we keep pee bottles in our tents to avoid having to get bundled up and going out.

"Night" is relative here. It's really light twenty-four hours a day here, and we run our clocks on Chilean time, since that's where the HQ is for our tour company.

All the water here comes from melted snow. There's a big pile of it outside that they shovel it into bins and bring it in to melt in a big metal bin near the stove.

We always have lots to drink, hot water, cold water and "juice" in big coolers. The kitchen staff are all amazing--every meal here has lots of variety, and is very well prepared. We also have snacks available all the time. Meals at 8:00, 13:00, and 19:00.

9:30, the morning briefing. Weather at the South Pole isn't too promising for today. At 11:00 we'll get a camp tour. As to running the marathon, they have to groom and mark the trail, so we won't be running today. The two feet of new snow has totally wiped out the trail that they had for us last week. After driving over the trail, it needs to freeze over and solidify so we're not sinking in as far. MAYBE we'll run tomorrow.

11:00 Tour. The runways for the Twin Otter airplanes that they use to take the smaller planes to the Pole, to Mt. Vinson, and for other expeditions are the first stop. Then on to the ice cave. It's a dugout area, about then feet below the surface, where they store food for the season. It's a constant negative 20 degrees Celsius (-4 F). Strings of 12V Christmas lights powered a car battery light up the chambers. Solar panels are used to recharge the battery. There are many of them around the camp, as everything here runs on battery power. No lights are needed other than in the cave, of course.

12:45 Weather briefing. Looks like some winds coming in tomorrow afternoon, so we'll try and start the marathon first thing in the morning.

Arriving in Antarctica

2007-12-23T20:24:00.001-05:00

18 December 2007
4:50 a.m. William called me. "Did you get the phone call?" "No." "Me neither, I guess I'll go back to sleep."

5:00 a.m. Brent called. Be in the lobby at ten to six. Bring your passport.

We're leaving for Antarctica, finally. Officially, my world record attempt is over, having expired at 6:17 local time last night. Aroud 7:30, we boarded a Russian Iluyshin plane. Not your normal commercial flight. The whole plane is open, no panels on the ceiling, overhead cranes on rails running down each side. Stacked down the center is all the cargo, strapped down by cargo nets and tarps. A big snow cat in the back, about the width of a semi truck.

There were rows of seats running along each side of the plane. We strapped ourselves in for the 4.5 hour flight to the Patriot Hills.

Seat backs and tray tables? No problem. There weren't any. Just the bench-like seats where we would hang out for the next few hours. At 12:40 we got the word: "Get your gear on, we're about to land.

It was nearly a half-mile walk from the blue-ice runway across to the camp. Soon though, they came along with a big tractor and wagon that we all jumped on. We met at the Patriot Hills camp dining tent for a lunch and a briefing. Steve Jones, the camp manager, gave us a briefing. We're now in a world that few people will ever be. About 800 meters (2600 feet) above sea level. 500 meters of that is snow and ice.

The dining tent is a long, arched tent with the kitchen area in the back. It's where we'll eat, read, fellowship for the next few days. Accommodations were in clam-shell tents, plenty roomy with two beds in each one. Quite nice. Brent and I teamed up--we're used to each other and know that we can sleep in the same room.

Don's Anticipated Arrival Home

2007-12-23T18:46:00.001-05:00

Posted by Francine Robinson on Sunday, 12/23/07:

RESULTS FOR 2007 ANTARCTIC ICE MARATHON -and-
UPDATE ON DON'S ANTICIPATED ARRIVAL HOME

The results are in for the 2007 Antarctic Ice Marathon and 100K. They can be found at: http://www.icemarathon.com/live/169.html. You can read some interesting details about the events--including information about some of the participants, as well as the weather conditions--by clicking on the following link, which will take you to the "Live Updates" page: http://www.icemarathon.com/live/164.html.

As to Don's expected arrival home, the latest update indicates that the Ilyushin-76 (IL-76) plane landed in the Antarctic today and the race participants should be back in Punta Arenas, Chile, between 19:00 and 20:00 Chile time. I spoke with Don last night, and he said there is usually an early flight out of Punta Arenas each day to Santiago, and he will try to get on that flight Monday morning. From Santiago he will book the first possible flight back home, probably connecting through Dallas. So...it looks like he will be home for Christmas! Once Don has the specific flight information, I will post it here.

Don has done it again!

2007-12-20T23:56:00.001-05:00

Thursday, 12/20/07, 11:45 p.m.

CONGRATULATIONS TO DON! For the second time this year, he has completed seven marathons on seven continents.

On Thursday morning, the Antarctic Ice Marathon participants began the marathon at 07:00 Chile time. The website indicated they were running under "tough conditions and snowfalls." Don called me briefly around 2:45 p.m. ET to say that he had finished somewhere around 7-1/2 hours. I don't know much more than that, because he was using a satellite phone with limited minutes, plus I was in the middle of a 3rd grade Christmas party at Carly's school which was a bit noisy, as you might imagine!

At this point, Don believes it will be Saturday before they will be able to leave Antarctica, and of course, it will depend on the weather conditions.

I will check the marathon website tomorrow for any more updates and post anything pertinent to this blog.

Again--please join me in congratulating Don for another amazing accomplishment!

Update on Antarctic Ice Marathon

2007-12-19T23:26:00.001-05:00

Posted by Francine Robinson:

Wednesday, 12/19/07, 10:30 p.m. ET

I just checked the Antarctic Ice Marathon website for the latest update on the marathon. Some of you who have been reading Don's blog regularly may be aware that Neuroscientist Dr. William Tan, of Singapore, was competing to become the first wheelchair participant to complete a marathon on all seven continents. I had the pleasure of meeting William at the Atlanta Marathon on Thanksgiving Day. He's a super nice guy! And I'm pleased to say that HE DID IT! Congratulations, William! He finished in 9:48:52. Apparently the weather conditions were pretty good for Antarctica when he began early Wednesday morning: -8C, clear blue skies, and no wind.

The website further indicates that there will be a briefing on Thursday for the rest of the marathon participants at "06:00 Chile time" (two hours ahead of the Eastern Time Zone). It is hopeful the race will begin at 08:00, since the storm that was predicted never materialized, and the weather is "quite balmy for Antarctica."

Don will try to call me (on a satellite phone that will be available to the participants) as soon as possible after he has completed this marathon. I'll post something after I hear from him.

6:30 pm phone call

2007-12-17T18:51:00.000-05:00

Brent came over and told us to pay our bills tonight. It looks like we'll get a 4:30 wakeup call and fly south. Looks good. We'll see how it goes.

Cautiously Optimistic

2007-12-17T13:51:00.000-05:00

We had a briefing today at 3:00. Runway is being cleared. Possibility that we can fly in tomorrow morning. We'll get an update at 6:30 tonight, and may leave tomorrow morning sometime between 4 and 6.

Maybe it will work yet. We'll see.

Corrida Enap 2007 10K race. Sunday, 16 December 2007

2007-12-16T15:36:00.000-05:00

Before breakfast, we ran into Vick, a guy who's staying at the hotel here, also a runner. He told us about a 10K race this morning here in PA. So, we ate breakfast and grabbed a taxi out to the race.

The day was rainy, and we soon found out that there were a lot of different races, but divided by age groups, not by choice. People over 51 were supposed to run the 6.5K race. The 10K was (I think) men only under 50. Vick, Brent and I told them we were going to do the 10K anyway.

The start wasn't until 11:00, so we hung out with some of the local guys who spoke some English. The shorter races all started before the 10K. At 11:05 we all started. About a block into the run, they diverted the "Senior division" runners around the corner as the 10K continued straight. Seeing Brent's white beard they assumed he was a "senior" and the guy was quite insistant that he make the turn. So he did. Vick and I continued on. (Vick's 67, by the way.)

I was running dead last for the first 4K. Actually, during that time four young guys realized that they were in over their heads and dropped out. So I had a motorcycle escort. I kept Vick and a doctor from the hospital across the street from the race in site, and just ran steady, knowing I'd catch up sooner or later. Finally some of the youngsters started loosing steam and we reeled a few of them in. As we got to the center of town I finally caught up to Vick and we ran the rest of the way together. We also picked up an adventure racer who had just finished a 4-person 1000K relay in Patagonia, and ran with him for most of the rest of the race. Around the Plaza and back toward the start/finish line, a little over 3K to go. Runners in front of us weren't very far away--we were doing well for a couple old guys. Finally the finish line, just over 55 minutes. Vick said it's the fastest 10K he's done in a long time.

We were greeted as if we were heroes. They really appreciate that we would run the race with them. Somehow they got wind of the fact that Brent and I were heading to Antarctica.

We stayed for the awards, but really weren't sure why, other than MAYBE Brent would win an award in his race. He didn't. The awards were great though--first, second, third got medals and wrapped presents. DFL (Dead Freakin' Last) in each race got a really nice medal. But at the end of the ceremony there was a surprise. They called the three of us and one other guy who's recently moved to Punta Arenas for work, recognized us for coming, made a big deal about Antarctica. They gave us each a small medal and a present--a small running backpack. Every clapped and made us feel pretty welcome, then afterwards many came up and wished us well and congratulated us.

So, that was my morning. We hopped a taxi and came back, soaking wet and cold. The hot shower felt great.

Saturday 16 December

2007-12-16T15:23:00.000-05:00

Nice morning. Brent and I took a taxi up to Magellanes National Reserve to run some trails. We were last up there together in 2002 and had a pretty good run there, so we were excited to get back. We really picked the right day too, sunny, not too windy.

We started following a row on orange stakes marking a mountain bike trail through the woods. Trees are mostly deciduous, but with very small leaves. Big leaves wouldn't stand a chance--the heavy winds that are nearly constant here would strip them bare in a few minutes. Trees are gnarled and twisted, many are covered with beard-like moss that hangs from them.

We followed the trail through the woods and it turned uphill, slowing us to a walk for about half a mile. As we climbed the mountain, at any break we could look down over the town of Punta Arenas and the straights of Magellan.

Switching to another trail marked with red markers, we continued to the top of the ridge. We took a chance on another trail coming back down, and soon found ourselves on something that may have been a long, gradually winding ski run which took us all the way to the bottom again. We had to work our way down a bank and cross a small stream and climb a fence to get up onto a gravel road. Looking up the road, we spotted orange stakes again a few yards up and got back onto the trail. A nice run/walk of about 5 miles.

Back at the hotel for the 5:00 briefing. Things are looking better at Patriot Hills. Maybe we'll be able to fly there on Tuesday. My world record quest will officially fall short this time. Next briefing at 3:00 Monday. I wonder if this hotel rents rooms by the month?

Perspective.

2007-12-15T08:22:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning (Friday) I slept in a little bit, watched a little TV before breakfast. For a few minutes I was feeling bad--something I've worked hard for this year is starting to look out of reach.

Around noon, I went for a run. Up the hills, heading out of town onto the gravel roads for about 5 miles before turning around. I replayed all the events of the last month in my mind as I ran. The great friends I made in Beirut. Winding through the streets in taxis which narrowly (but always) avoided colliding with each other. Eating at the Palm with my favorite woman in the whole world, and finishing a marathon with with her by my side. Being "stuck inside a postcard" in Florence. Hanging out with friends in South Africa, seeing rhinos, zebras, giraffes. Driving through the New Zealand countryside, running a marathon with my best friend in Vina del Mar. And even coming down here, stuck in Punta Arenas with some really great people.

Most people get nothing like this in their lives. In fact, most people don't even do things like this in their imagination. And this is the SECOND time this year that I've run all the continents.

All the while, as I run around the globe, something even better waits for me at home. No matter how far away I get, people who love me back home are still there.

Life is so wonderful. Sometimes I wonder if I must be in a movie or something. I've got some great writers. Wonder what they'll come up with next year?

So, record or no record, I'm good. It's an amazing year. An amazing life.

13 December 2007

2007-12-15T07:54:00.000-05:00

On Thursday, Brent, Christian, and I went to see some penguins at Magdalena Island. It was about a two hour boat ride there, and we had about an hour to wander around, getting acquainted with the locals. They were a formal lot, most of them wearing tuxedos.

They were Magellanic penguins. Cute little guys, about a foot and a half tall. One of them tried to eat my shoe. I found out something cool about penguins. They're white on the front and black on the back. Why? Predators seeing them from the bottom while they're swimming see white, which blends in with the light of the sky. Predators seeing them from the top see black, which blends in with the dark of the ocean. So their coloration is actually a way of protecting them from getting eaten. Cool, eh?

These penguins raise their chicks in burrows to protect them from predators. They dig them out with their feet. We saw one penguin digging, dirt was flying everywhere.

2007-12-13T12:42:00.000-05:00

At 1:00 we had a briefing. Doesn't look good. We're definitely not leaving for the ice today. Or tomorrow. Or Saturday. I have until Monday at 4:17 pm Eastern time to finish the marathon in Antarctica. Otherwise, the only world record I'll have is for running all seven continents twice in the shortest amount of time. A bit of a disappointment. Still have some hope of flying on Sunday, and most everyone on the trip is game for running within an hour of when we get off the plane. Everyone would like to be home before Christmas. Me included.

So, this afternoon, Brent and I are going to go see some penguins. Just what I need. More penguins.

Anyone know of any marathons in South America in the next three weeks or so? Maybe I start on 17 December in Antarctica and finish on 13 January in Disney World. That means I have to do a bunch of marathons between now and then. I'm only half serious about this, but I can't shut my brain off. Oh well.

From today's La Prensa Austral

2007-12-12T21:35:00.000-05:00

CORRERAN 42 KILOMETROS EN EL SECTOR DE PATRIOT HILLS

20 maratonistas de todo el mundo desafían al continente antártico

- Entre ellos figura un corredor de 71 años de edad y el primer parapléjico en hacer maratones en los siete continentes.
Por Roberto Hofer rhofer@laprensaaustral.cl

Durante esta semana, Punta Arenas es la puerta de entrada a un poco usual certamen deportivo, el cual nuevamente llevará a una veintena de atletas de todo el globo a correr una maratón en territorio antártico.

Se trata de la tercera versión de la “Antarctic Ice Marathon & 100k” (Maratón de Hielo y 100 Kilómetros Antártica 2007), evento internacional que tendrá lugar en Patriot Hills, y el cual debería haber comenzado ayer. Sin embargo, la mala condición meteorológica, con nieve cayendo durante más de un día, mantenía a los corredores en Punta Arenas a la espera de poder salir mañana con destino a la península antártica.

Esta prueba congrega a competidores de Estados Unidos, Bélgica, Francia, Australia, Suecia, Malasia, Japón, India, Irlanda, Austria, Brasil, Gran Bretaña y Singapur, entre ellos una mujer. Menos de la mitad de ellos ha ido a la Antártida con anterioridad. Además de ganarle al frío, ya que correrán 42 kilómetros con 196 metros a temperaturas bajo cero, vienen motivados por distintos fines benéficos.

El certamen es promovido por Polar Running Adventures, entidad organizadora de la Maratón Anual al Polo Norte, y tendrá el apoyo logístico de Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions (ex Adventure Network International).

El atleta senior Brent Weigner, profesor de geografía, 58 años, coordina esta atípica maratón, con el currículo de haber completado más de 150 maratones. Será su sexto verano en la Antártida, adonde ha corrido maratones o tramos de 100 kilómetros en la isla Rey Jorge, Esperanza (Península Antártica) y en isla Decepción.

Este nuevo trayecto, cercano a las montañas Ellsworth, abarcará desde Hercules Inlet a Patriot Hills. Más que prepararse, él vive en medio del frío en Wyoming, a 2 mil metros de altura, y al igual que la generalidad de los corredores ya ha corrido en el Polo Norte. Todas las personas además vienen con la ropa apropiada, y es probable que los cuatro días planificados se vean acortados a tres.

HOMBRE DEL “GUINNESS”

El estadounidense Don Kern, experto en computación, 51 años, busca batir un nuevo Récord Mundial de Guinness, al cerrar un ciclo de maratones en los siete continentes en 25 días (la actual marca mundial es de 30 días). Este verdadero “ironman” completará la cifra de 156 maratones o carreras más largas durante este periplo antártico.

Desde 2002 que viene viajando al continente antártico, y el verano pasado hizo también maratones en los siete continentes (febrero-marzo de 2007), pero en 35 días. Será su segunda vez este año en unir el mundo, tras partir el mes pasado en Beirut, corriendo luego en Georgia (Estados Unidos), Sudáfrica, Nueva Zelanda y Viña del Mar.

ENTUSIASMO A TODA PRUEBA

Tener una edad avanzada o estar postrado tampoco son impedimentos para participar de esta prueba.

A sus 71 años, Henri Girault, uno de los tres participantes franceses, será el corredor más longevo que recorrerá las planicies antárticas. A los 43 años empezó a correr y desde entonces en 560 oportunidades ha cumplido trayectos de 100 kilómetros. Su año más movido ha sido 1988, señaló, ya que hizo 37 veces dicha distancia.

Otro caso excepcional es el de William Tan, médico y neurocientífico procedente de Singapur. A sus 50 años, este atleta paraolímpico intentará ser la primera persona en una silla de ruedas en completar una maratón en los siete continentes.

También espera poder completar una distancia de 100 kilómetros en la pista de aterrizaje antártica, longitud suprema a completar dentro de las ultramaratones. Su impulso permitirá destinar 10 millones de dólares a distintas causas benéficas como los niños con leucemia, la prevención del Sida y la compra de sillas de ruedas para niños de países pobres. Esto, además de dedicar este desafío a su suegro, quien sufre de cáncer.

Los atletas

La siguiente es la nómina de los competidores: Susan Holliday (Gran Bretaña), Don Kern (USA), Mike Ketchmark (USA), Gavin Melgaard (Australia), Fredrik Nerbrand (Suecia), Seow Kong Ng (Malasia), Toshio Ohmori (Japón), Raj Patel (India), Mark Scanlon (Irlanda), Christian Schiester (Austria), Adriano Seabra (Brasil), Neil Standring (Gran Bretaña), William Tan (Singapur), Brent Weigner (USA), Mark Andresen (USA), Peter Bell (Irlanda), Marc de Keyser (Bélgica), Bernardo Fonseca (Brasil), Henri Girault (Francia) y James Heddle (Gran Bretaña).

Late on 12 December

2007-12-12T21:25:00.000-05:00

When we got back to the Hotel Diego del Amagro, the guys from ANI were there. They told us that we definitely won't go tomorrow, maybe 50% chance for Friday, possibly Saturday. We'll see what happens. Meanwhile, we're stuck in Punta Arenas for a bit longer. Darn it!

12 December 2007

2007-12-12T21:09:00.000-05:00

I was supposed to break the record today. Instead, we're still in Chile.

Yesterday we got the news that we wouldn't be going Tuesday or Wednesday, so eight of us got a minibus and driver and went to Torres del Paine National Park. It was nearly noon by the time we left, and the speed our driver went it was quite a long drive there. It was worth it though. Pretty nice scenery, with the mountains in the distance, becoming more snow-capped as we approached. The trip was over six hours.

Frederick, Susan, Peter, James, Mark, Mark, and Mike were with me. (Check icemarathon.com for more info on the team and daily updates.)

Many of the trees along the way were stripped bare by relentless winds in the area. A lot of them look like they're growing sideways.

(Around noon)
I'm sitting at the Hosteria Las Torres, in a beautiful lodge with amazing views of the mountains in every direction.
When we arrived last night around 7:00 p.m. it was raining a little and the wind was stiff enough that we had to fight to reach the front door. We rented some rooms and then proceeded to the hotel restaurant for a meal. Well, meal might be a bit of an understatement. Their buffet is amazing. Fresh salads, smoked salmon, leg of lamb, roast pork, chicken, beef. And a dessert table where you could easily hurt yourself.

Mike decided that we needed a bottle of wine for the table. Then another one. We ended up with five bottles of Terrunyo Carmenere before we were finished drinking it. And that was just because they ran out of stock. So we switched to a nice Pino Noir for a few more bottles. Somewhere around 11 or so we moved over the bar. I finally called it a night around 12:30. A couple hours later Peter and Susan came back to the room. Most of the other guys were still at it. (For those of you who might be concerned, keep in mind that the drinking was over the course of five hours or so, and there was plenty of food and water involved along the way, so I never got drunk. This time, anyway.)

It's raining sideways this morning, but we decided to hike the trails anyway. We were just going to go up an hour and back then drive around some other parts of the park, but decided to spend more time hiking. The higher we got, the better the scenery. Still, I have a mission to accomplish so I didn't hike for too long. Probably about 2 1/2 hours. We grabbed some lunch when everyone got back and headed back toward Punta Arenas.

Don is still in Punta Arenas.

2007-12-11T10:03:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, December 11, 2007. (Posted by Francine Robinson)

Don called this morning from Punta Arenas. The Antarctic Ice Marathon group is still unable to get to the race site because of the weather conditions in Antarctica. There is a meeting scheduled early this afternoon to let the group know what is going on, but it appears it will be at least two full days before they can even think about going. Don said that the best case scenario is that they will be running on Friday, which would still keep him under the current world record. Stay tuned for future developments!

Tuesday morning in Punta Arenas

2007-12-11T07:57:00.000-05:00

Hey--we'll find out in a few minutes if we go this morning. Waiting on Antarctica weather.

If you want to follow the adventure on the marathon website, go to www.icemarathon.com and click on the live updates link. Pretty cool. Plus you'll meet a bunch of my travelling companions.

More later.

The Nature of Antarctic Travel

2007-12-10T21:52:00.000-05:00

Well, we were supposed to go to Antarctica today, but it didn't happen. We have to have a good window in the weather first. So, we hung out around Punta Arenas instead. Did a little shopping, went out with a few of the guys for some beers and some dinner. Ran into a couple Americans who are driving motorcycles from Santiago to Ushuaia and then up to Bolivia and talked to them for quite a while.

You kids in Carly's class and in Mr. Long's class--have you located Punta Arenas on the map yet? We're at the very south end of Chile in South America. My hotel is right on the Pacific ocean. Pretty windy here too.

10 December 2007

2007-12-10T10:26:00.000-05:00

What a weekend! Saturday I woke up in Wanganui, New Zealand at about 1:30 a.m. and with my body so far off schedule, there was no getting back to sleep. The marathon was tough, I didn't have a particularly good run, but I did stay strong all day.

A quick shower and trip to the airport, arriving in plenty of time for my 1:00 p.m. flight to Auckland. Then an overnight flight took us back to Friday for a little bit before starting Saturday all over again. Dr. William Tan and I are now travelling companions for the last three marathons. He will set the world record for doing the same thing I'm doing, but in a wheelchair.

Santiago, and my secret weapon--one of my best friends, Paul Ruesch (see Australian and Seoul from the previous record attempt) picked us up at the airport. He traded his smaller car for a Toyota Forerunner at Avis, and we loaded up all our stuff, including William's racing chair and headed for Viña del Mar for the Costa del Pacifico marathon.

We picked up our numbers, met Rodrigo, the race director, and went to the next room for a pasta dinner. Pasta, sauce, soft drinks. That was it, but it was free. We left William there and went over to our hotel where Paul had a small but comfortable room for us. We went out for a beer, then headed back and called it a night.

Marathon #6

We got up early and had breakfast and went back to the headquarters hotel to catch the shuttle to the starting line, about 30 miles away. Got William loaded on the same bus with us, started talking to Diana, a pretty young Irish girl who had been travelling around South America for a couple months. She ended up running the whole marathon with Paul and me.

The early marathon was pretty hilly, but none of the hills were especially steep. I was amazed at how good I felt, right from the start. Legs were a little sore, but not bad. It was a great day, overcast, comfortable temperature. We ran through the farm country, then past a big industrial area where mountains of coal were used at a power plant. The ash from the coal would go across the road to be used in cement. The sand in the area was used there in a big glass plant we ran by.
Paul would talk to everybody in Spanish as we went by them. We just talked the whole way, enjoying the day, enjoying the extra company. With about 18K to go, we turned along the coast and followed the ocean all the way to the finish line. At 33K or so, William sent me a text message telling us that he had finished. We continued on, picking off a runner or two along the way, all of us still running strong. At just past 32K there were "to go" distances painted on the road every half kilometer. We followed the countdown. Just before the 42K mark, I called Francine and put her on speaker phone so she hear us finish. YES! Six down, one to go! We met a couple of Diana's friends, and the five of us got a beer at a little bar right by the finish line and watched the rest of the people finish.

Now, we were about 8K from the hotels and couldn't find a taxi, but Paul managed to help a guy back out of a parking spot, and then negotiated a ride most of the way back for us. Then we walked a couple of blocks and caught a taxi. I'm sure that guy didn't appreciate how his car smelled after he had three sweaty, stinky runners in it, but we sure did appreciate the ride.

After we cleaned up, we went and picked up William for the ride back to Santiago. He and I landed in Punta Arenas at 12:30 this morning, and we're ready for number seven. Hopefully we get to the ice real soon. Today isn't looking too promising, but there is a possible window in the weather this evening.

Hello Ashley and Amber. I love you. (My grand daughters!) Love you too, Carly.

Notes from Mr. Long's class

2007-12-10T10:18:00.000-05:00

What was your favorite animal you saw on the safari? Maria & Christine
Probably the rhino's. They're pretty cool.

Did the cheetahs do anything other than lie there? Julie & Miranda
Not really, but when they got up I sure rolled the window up fast!

Is it hard to run in warmer weather when you are not used to it? Emily & Vicky
Yes, warmer weather does slow me down a little bit.

Did you see any type of deer on your safari? Taylor & Rocco
Yes, a lot of gazelles.

Do you like kiwi fruit? Did you try any in New Zealand? Julius & Sean
Yes and no.

How far ahead in time is New Zealand from Michigan? What will be the time difference from New Zealand to Chile? Caitlen & Sandy
NZ is 18 hours ahead of Michigan. Chile is 2 hours ahead of Michigan.

Have you ever played rugby? Will you watch the All Blacks while you are in New Zealand? John & Shawn
I haven't played rugby, but I do like to watch the All Blacks. Expecially like the Maori chant that they do before the game.

Do you think you will enjoy running in a New Zealand marathon? Is a marathon organized differently in NZ than in the US? Crystal & Cierra
It's about the same--but every marathon has its own character. You can read my report on it that I posted on Saturday.

Other than sheep, what other animals have you seen in New Zealand? Brandi & Rachael
Just cattle and a few birds.

What has been your favorite wine that you have had in; Italy, S. Africa and New Zealand? Will you have some in Chile? Mr. Long
I really couldn't tell you the names of them very well, but I really enjoyed the wine at my friend Hans' place in South Africa. In Chile, I only had beer so far.

Are you nervous about trying to break the world record? Which marathon have you liked the most on your current trip? Daniel & Chris
I don't usually get nervous--whatever happens, happens. I think Florence was the best marathon, but then running in Atlanta side by side with Francine was pretty special.

What is the main food you eat the night before a marathon? What about the morning of the race? James & Trenton
Unlike a lot of marathon runners that load up on pasta the night before, I pretty much eat whatever I feel like eating. The morning of--same thing. If it's an early start, I might just have a power bar or some Fig Newtons or something.

SIX DOWN

2007-12-09T13:11:00.000-05:00

Quick note--finished marathon in Viña del Mar in just over 5 hours. A couple minutes faster than yesterday. More when I get to Punta Arenas I hope.

Six down, one to go. Everybody pray for good weather so we can get to Antarctica!!!

Short report on New Zealand

2007-12-08T17:48:00.000-05:00

Hey! Five down, 2 to go.

Today I finished the marathon in Wanganui, took a quick shower, drove to the airport and got on a plane to Santiago. Arrived in Santiago just before I left Wanganui. Pretty cool, eh?

Paul picked us (William Tan and me) up at the airport and will be joining us for this marathon. William is on the same quest as I am, but he's doing it in a wheelchair. We're doing the last three marathons together.

Back to NZ for a minute. Several runners joined the walkers in the early start at 6:30. A 1:00 flight meant that starting at 7:30 would be too late.

The course was four loops of about 10.5K each. Along the river, we headed north to the first of three bridges. We crossed it, then went north a bit further for a loop through a park on a combination of grass, gravel, paved paths. Back under the bridge heading south to bridge #2 in the middle of town near the start. We crossed it, looped around under it, and crossed back. Then went on south to the third bridge. Again, we crossed under it and looped back onto the bridge to cross it, then looped back under it again and continued on to the finish. Three more times. Same course.

I wasn't feeling near as good today as I have the last couple marathons, but still stayed strong all day. Just needed to get through it in time to get on the plane. The lack of kilometer markers made it difficult to maintain a regular pace. Oh well. No sports drink on the course for the first two loops either. However, about 3K into the third loop I found a little baggie of chocolate pieces that some unfortunate runner had dropped. Cool! So, now I had a little more energy to burn.

Two, then three loops, only a little over 10K to go. I gave up on time goals and just concentrated on finishing. About 5:03 and I was done!

Now I'm in Viña del Mar, Chile, have my race number, met the race director, and ready to run in the morning. Got a bit of sleep on the plane, but hoping to get a good night tonight. Then it's off to Punta Arenas tomorrow night for the trip to Antarctica. All is good.

5 - 6 December 2007

2007-12-05T23:03:00.000-05:00

Wednesday. Now it feels like I've lost a day. Oh well, I'll get it back on Saturday.

Drove around for a bit, shoping, getting some local cash from the ATM, picking up a plug so I can use my computer and charge my batteries here.

On the way back to the airport to get my suitcase, I spotted the Cock and Bull, an English style pub and BREWERY. Had a couple tastes, then bought a pint of Classic Draught and a bowl of soup.

Got my bag and headed south toward Wanganui.

New Zealand is a rugged country. Beautiful, mountainous--ancient volcanoes worn down by millennia make up the lush green hills and valleys. Herds of cattle and flocks of sheep dot the countryside. I made my way south on two lane roads through little towns along the way.

I'm driving on the left side of the road. The steering wheel is on the right. And it's a standard transmission. Kinda fun. They can tell I'm an American here because when I want to turn I turn on the windshield wipers. :-)

I stopped for the night in the town of Taumarunui. It's a pleasant, roll-up-the-streets at 9:00 town. Decided to snooze a bit from 7 - 8:30 then head out for a bite to eat. I've given up on getting over jet lag--I'm only going to be here for three days anyway. So I'll eat, sleep, and whatever else when I feel like it.

Ate a nice little dinner and watched a movie on TV until midnight. Slept for two hours, then was wide awake until after 5:00 a.m. Oh well. Read half of a Sherlock Holmes book I bought in Auckland. Slept for three more hours and got up around 8:30 before heading out for some breakfast and to continue my way south.

Arrived in Wanganui, the next marathon site, at around 2:30. Found a room at a backpacker inn, and walked around town in the rain for a couple hours.

That's about what I know for now. Maybe I'll do something interesting later.

Notes from Carly's class

2007-12-05T22:48:00.000-05:00

Hello Marathon Don and Flat Stanley! We wish you well in your adventures and thank you for showing Flat Stanley these new and interesting places. We have some questions for you too. Have you met any children or visited any schools in the towns that you have been racing? Does Flat Stanley get to run with you?

I haven't visited any schools anywhere. And Stanley hasn't really been training for marathons, so I let him just hang out while I'm running. :-)

Are you going to any other places? From Amanda

Keep reading Amanda. There are a few places to go.

When are you coming back? And did you have a good time so far? from Abigail.

I will be home around the 19th of December.

Are you having fun.
Taylor

I wonder if you are having a good time? You could blog me back.
Evan, Carly's friend

Hi Taylor and Evan. Yes, I always have fun, it's one of my rules.

Dear Don
Hey it's me Carly Just saying (or asking) what was your fastest marathon?? I also wanted to ask if you have seen any snow or rain yet?? I love you and miss you very much.
Love Carly

Haven't seen any snow yet, but it's been raining the last two days here in New Zealand. I'm hoping it stops before the marathon on Saturday.
Love you too, Sweetie.

Go back to 30 November

2007-12-04T16:47:00.001-05:00

Hey--I just updated my story from 30 November. In case you're interested.

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday

2007-12-04T16:23:00.000-05:00

The days kind of ran together--lots of travel.

Saturday after the race, we went to Irene's mom & dad's house for dinner. Wonderful people, and her mom is a GREAT cook.

Sunday after breakfast, I left for the airport, got a few minutes to shop through an open-air bazaar. Bought a set of rhino bookends.

I arrived back at Cape Town airport and Hans picked me up there. He had spent part of the weekend diving for crayfish (think lobster without the big claws). So Sunday dinner would include some pretty good seafood, along with good wine and conversation.
Friends Nicoloa and Henri were there, with their new 2-year-old son Alex. Alex's father is a relative of Henri, and is dying very soon, so they're busy adapting to the new adventure of parenthood.

After dinner, Hans and I sat finishing the bottles of wine that were currently opened, discussing adventures past and future. We took a break for an hour or so for a rest break, then reconvened for more conversation until bed time.

I borrowed a short book from the bookshelf, "The Marathon" by Dieter Streckor and read it overnight. Morning and Hans was off to work, and I hung out with the family until Kim picked me up for the trip the airport.

I started flying at 1:40 or so on Monday afternoon. Got into Auckland, New Zealand after 10:00 last night. Finally got a room and laid down to sleep just after midnight. My luggage took a later flight from Johannesburg to Sydney, so I'm hanging around Auckland for the day until I get it.

1 December 2007 Aspen Pharmacare Crusaders Port Elizabeth City Marathon

2007-12-03T05:55:00.001-05:00

Marathon #4 of 7
Overcast and comfortable for the 5:00 a.m. start. Jan and I walked from his house about three blocks to the race site. His wife Irene was doing the official results for the race. I made a point of going to meet Graham, one of the race coordinators. They all knew I was coming, it seemed. My big goal for the day was to finish under the 5 hour cutoff. Next was to finish faster than in Florence on Sunday and keep my streak going of doing each marathon faster.

The marathon had only about 340 people. They wore their license numbers, mostly sewn onto their singlets. In South Africa, everyone is in a club, and they buy a license for the year. So they don't have specific race numbers for any given race. We got little tags that we'd pin to our shirts and turn in at the end so they could post our results. I had to buy a "temporary license" in order to run in SA.

The weather was fairly comfortable, and I went out just a fraction faster than in Florence. I was feeling strong, even though my previous marathon was only 6 days ago. At about 18K, the sun came out for about three kilometers. As I approached the half-way mark, it occurred to me that the way I was feeling, I could run another negative split. It was getting warmer, but I felt good and was still running steady. It was along straight run from 17 to 21K, and at 21K my split was 2:17:20. that would make the half-way mark right about at 2:18, over a minute ahead of Florence.

"OK, Marathon Don, let's see what you've got."

I stayed on it. Kept my pace and didn't spend much time at that aid stations. Every three kilometers another aid station, serving water in little plastic sachets and little glasses of Coke. I carried packets of energy gel with me and used one about every hour. At 25K, I was still a little ahead of pace. Keep pushing. The 27K aid station took me by surprise, I was thinking it would be at 28K. (Divide by 3, Don.) I grabbed a quick coke and a bag of water and kept going. Still not fading.

30K, and still on pace. 33K I got a cookie and a couple jelly babies (think gummy bears) at the aid station. 9K to go and I'm at 3:35:28. No time to goof around. At 38 I was starting to feel fatigued, but turned a corner and thought about what it would feel like to say "Two negative splits in the same week!" The final aid station would be at 39K, but it was a little early. I breezed through it, taking a final drink and setting my sights on the guys in front of me. "Relax your legs and run, Don." 40K. "DON'T SLOW DOWN." I encouraged other runners as I passed them, trying to get someone to pace with me to the end. No takers. Past Jan & Irene's house into the last kilometer. Made the final turn back toward the start line. 42K - 4:33:50. Got it! 195 meters to go as I turned onto the grass to the finish. 4:34:47! YES!

First half - 2:18:00 Second half - 2:16:47. Did it!

Post race, Jan was there a the Harmony club tent. I went over there and had a couple beers with the guys and made some new friends. Before too long, Irene came over and got me. They called me up to the announcing stand, introduced and interviewed me and made a big deal about my record attempt. Pretty neat. Later on they called me up and gave me one of the staff shirts. (The race didn't have a shirt for the runners.)

Oh, did I mention that I was the first American finisher of the race? (Yeah, yeah, the answer to your next question is "one," but the rest of you COULD have entered.)

Lots more to report when I get to New Zealand on Tuesday or so.

4 down. 3 to go.

Kragga Kama Game Park 30 November 2007

2007-12-03T05:52:00.000-05:00

I arrived at Jan and Irene's house in the early afternoon after a relaxing morning. Irene suggested a trip to Kragga Kamma Game Park, about 5K away from their place. I went there to have a look.

Driving up to the booth, before even entering the park, an enormous ostrich came up to check me out. He kept coming closer, just to see who was there.

As soon a I entered the park and rounded the first bend, four giraffes were waiting for me. They were just sitting around, seemingly looking at something off in the distance. Around the next bend were white rhinos. Then wildebeasts.

The whole park was like that--one group of animals after another. Gazelles, zebras, warthogs. In the middle of the park is a cheetah enclosure. Double gates guarded the entrance & exit. The sign said "Do not open if there are cheetahs between the gates." "Duh!" I thought.

I drove around the short loop, and not one cheetah. OK, I'll drive around again. This time, around the back side of the loop, two cheetahs were just hanging out, walked out in front of my car and just flopped down on the road in the shade in front of my car. They decided I could just wait a while if I wanted to go anywhere. Finally, I revved my engine a little bit and they got up. I rolled up my window pretty fast at that point.

The whole trip took only a little over 2 hours, but what a bunch of great animals!

Note to Carly's class

2007-11-30T04:26:00.000-05:00

Hey, Flat Stanley is here with me. So far he's been to Beirut, Atlanta, and Florence, now he's in South Africa. I'll post some pictures of him and his around-the-world trip soon.

It's summer here, somewhere in the upper seventies. Hope you're all enjoying the snow back in Michigan.

and the adventure continues....
Marathon Don.

Friday, 30 November - Morning

2007-11-30T04:15:00.000-05:00

I didn't manage to hook up with my local contact, so I got a hotel, enjoyed a nice quiet meal at a bar called Finnezz just a short walk away. Nice steak, baked potato, glass of the house cabernet. Quiet evening.

Hanging out for a bit, just stopped and got a hair cut. Pretty exciting, eh?

Next stop is at the race site to pick up my race number this afternoon. Between now and then perhaps a bit of siteseeing and shopping.

Oh--at breakfast this morning I heard Christmas music. White Christmas, Sleigh Ride, Winter Wonderland were among the selection. What's interesting about that? It never snows here, except sometimes inland on the higher mountains.

If all goes to plan, in the next 12 days I'll run 4 marathons. Geez, just typing that last sentence was scary.

and the adventure continues....

Mr. Long's class

2007-11-29T06:12:00.001-05:00

Again, Michael Long's kids are hanging out with me for the trip. They sent me some questions:

-Did you see any exotic animals in Lebanon? Christine & Maria
You mean like fifth graders? Nope. No other animals either except a few stray cats.

-What did you NOT like about Beirut? Rocco & Daniel
I don't like that so many of the buildings have been bombed due to the political stuff between Israel, Syria, and Lebanon.

-What kind of food do they have in Lebanon? Shawn & John
It was pretty much like what we get at home.

-What was your best time for an Asian marathon? How many marathons have you ran in Asia? Justin & Kyle
I've done three marathons in Asia now--Israel in 1998 in about 4:40, South Korea last March in around 4:35, and this one in Lebanon in 4:57.

-Did you see any wild animals in Italy? Brandi & Rachael
No. I was in downtown Florence. I did see a lot of artwork though.

-Have you ever run a marathon in Italy before? If so, where? Vicky & Crystal
Nope.

-Are the people friendly in Italy? Would it be a nice place to live? Noah & Julius
Yes, I thought they were friendly. If I were going to live there I think I'd work on my Italian a bit though. :-)

-Is the pizza in Italy different from the pizza served in America? Sean & Taylor
It's thin crust, and I never saw anything with pepperoni on it.

-Is there anything you didn't like about Italy? Emily & Natalee
Trying to get out of the country. The check in people at the airport left me quite frustrated.

-Did you like your finisher medal in Florence? James & Trenton
Yes, it was pretty nice.

-Is that blood I see on your shirt after the Florence marathon? I bet the medal is not as nice as the GR marathon! Mr. Long
Yes to the first question. And you're right--GR Marathon medals are MUCH cooler!

-How many marathons have you ran in Africa? What is you PR for Africa? Sandy, Chris & Dominik
Two so far--in Tanzania and in Egypt. Best time was in Egypt in February.

-How much money does it take to do a marathon on all 7 continents? Miranda & Julie
Won't know for sure until I get all my credit card bills. What would it cost you if you didn't live out your dreams????

-How did you start running? Caitlen & Cierra
I started with my kids at the beginning of track season one year.

Thursday, 29 November 2007 in Port Elizabeth

2007-11-29T06:11:00.000-05:00

Arrived safely in Port Elizabeth. So far, I've spent 50 hours in the air, and I'm at my destination for my 4th marathon.

It's pretty amazing so far. Yesterday I arrived in Cape Town (Kapstadt in German and Afrikaans) and was met at the airport by Kim, one of Hans' staff. She dropped me off at Hans' house--more of a villa, actually. Beatrice (the cook/housekeeper) made me a sandwich and some tea, and shortly, S'jane (Hans' wife) came home. She's a ball of fire--wanting me to experience as much as possible in the short time I'd be there. We started at the winerys--first to Groot Constantia, walking around the grounds and through some of the buildings. Then a drive around another winery.

Here's something interesting--at the end of each row of grape vines, they plant roses. It is supposed to ward off diseases and keep insects away from the grapevines too. Plus they look pretty. Then she dropped me off at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens so I could see the Bob Dylan Hard Rain exhibit and wander the grounds a bit while she picked up one of the boys from school.

Back to the house, and Hans was home. Hans and I met only once before, on a trip to the North Pole in 2003. They had to go to an art function of some kind at 7:00, so still it was a bit of a rush. But S'jane had a plan. They dropped me a Table Mountain so I could take the cable car to the top. From up there, you could see the Cape of Good Hope, the dividing point between the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. I watched the sun set over the Atlantic Ocean for my first time.

A quick taxi ride took me down to the waterfront to Ferryman's Tavern, which just happens to have (believe it or not) a brewery. I had a couple pints of Ferryman's Ale and some smoked salmon, and soon Hans and S'jane joined me.

Back at the house, Hans and I sat and enjoyed a glass of wine and discussed our adventures, past and future. A nice end to a nice day.

Finally out of Italy

2007-11-27T17:12:00.000-05:00

Well, I was pretty happy with Lufthansa until I tried to get out of Italy with them. After FOUR+ HOURS in line yesterday, I ended up back at my hotel, then taking a train to Bologna today. Nicer airport, same inefficient check in procedures, just without any cancelled flights. Anyway, I'm in Frankfort at the airport and heading for South Africa in a few minutes (I hope) if they get the plane maintained. We're delayed about an hour. I think it's another 12 or 13 hour flight. Hope I sleep good.

It's all part of the adventure

2007-11-27T03:56:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm still in Florence. The flights from the Florence airport were all cancelled yesterday due to the fog. So, after 4 hours in line I got booked out of Bologna tonight, so I have one less day in South Africa. Darn it! Took a taxi back to the Hotel Unicorno, sent a couple emails to South Africa to let Hans know I won't be there this morning, and went to get some supper.

Had some Nastro Azzurro beer brewed in Rome and a roast beef and spinach sandwich at 15 Tavoli. Nice, low-key tavern, not very expensive.

So, today I went to the train station and found out that at 1:14 there's a train to Bologna. 15 Euros for a ticket. Now all I have to do is get to the airport when I get there. Should be easy.

and the adventure continues....

26 November 2007 Last day in Italy

2007-11-26T08:30:00.000-05:00

I'm here in Florence, sitting in La Borsa ristorante for lunch, enjoying a beer and a pizza.

This morning, I just walked around, enjoying the day, seeing the sites, taking pictures. The city is full of statues and sculptures, many of which were old when the America was discovered. Florence is a beautiful city. It's like being stuck inside a piece of artwork--pastel colors, ancient architecture, narrow streets. Stone structures built hundreds of years ago, still in use.

Lots of beautiful little cafes. Lots of shopping opportunities. Someday I'll be back to run again, but to spend more time here, just taking in the sites.

Tonight my flight leaves for Cape Town, South Africa.

25 November 2007 RACE DAY!

2007-11-25T14:34:00.000-05:00

Check this out!

Ciao DONALD,
Firenze Marathon, Fastum gel and Groupama will thank you for your participation in XXIV Firenze Marathon.Here following your result.
Largo Gennarelli (1/2 mar.)
2.19.12
Piazza Santa Croce
4.36.13

Yes, that's right folks, NEGATIVE SPLITS.

So, this week it's 4:57, 4:42, 4:36 for the first three of seven!

9:20 a.m. race time. My calculations were that I could walk to the end of my street, follow the river and walk to the race venue. And, sure enough, at the end of the street I saw all kinds of marathon runners walking exactly the direction I planned on! Cool.

After depositing my bag at the appropriate truck, I walked a bit farther and there were busses to shuttle us to the start about 1K away. Nice. Got there and met a few Americans--there were bunches of people with the AIDS training team. Nice to hear some English.

The whole day was like being in a painting. The beautiful architecture and pastel shades were amazing. I started behind the 4:45 pace team--red balloons flying high. Managed to stay about the same distance back for a long time. Ran back and forth with a bunch of the same people, including a couple name Graziano and Nicoleta (their names were on their backs) until about 20K. Aid stations only ever 5K, so I made sure to really tank-up on liquids when I found an aid station. "Salts", "The" and "Acqua" at each one. The salts were some kind of sports drink. The is tea--sweetened and hot. Nice. Figure out acqua for yourself. After 15K there was some food as well--bananas, little chocolate pies, even some little ham sandwiches. It's the first time I've had a ham sandwich during a marathon. I don't know what happened, but around 19K the baloney levels in my blood increased, and I started running faster. Finished the first half in 2:19:12, and kicked it into another gear. I felt GOOD! Just kept rolling. At 31K I passed the red balloons and never saw them again. Long loop around a beautiful park along the river, turning toward the finish at around 34K. Still rolling! I was passing people the whole second half, and feeling amazing! 39K and we ran past the baggage claim area. I picked up some more. 41K was my fastest split of the day--until I hit the 42K split! Wow! 195 meters to go and I picked it up some more. My third marathon in a week, my fastest, and a NEGATIVE SPLIT!!!!!

I'm having fun in Italy. Hung out near the baggage claim at the Aids training tent, cheering on runners until past the 6 hour mark. I had already picked up my bag and was hanging out for a while when Graziano and Nicoleta came through. Headed back for a shower and some rest, then went to a ristorante and had some pizza and a whole bottle of wine. Surprisingly, I can still type!

Three continents down. Four to go!

and the adventure continues....

24 November 2007

2007-11-25T14:27:00.000-05:00

Arrived Florence early pm. Taxi to hotel was regulated, however, due to the really bad exchange rate still cost me about $50 to get to the hotel.

Walked about .5K to the central station and caught the #10 bus to the expo. Nice expo. Met one of the race officials who told me the race director would be in around 5:00, but after about 5:30, I got tired of waiting and really needed some rest. Caught #10 back to the Hotel Unicorno. Sleep came easily, snoozed for a while and then read the rest of Digital Fortress by Dan Brown, and slept some more.

23 November 2007

2007-11-25T14:26:00.000-05:00

Down day - Travel day. Hit the airport for a flight to Frankfort-Florence.

Hills for Breakfast. Turkey for Dinner

2007-11-23T06:40:00.000-05:00

It was a rainy morning in Atlanta. About time, the locals would say--they've been in a drought for a long time. Holding off for one more day might have been nice.

It wasn't bad though. Not a downpour, just a little rain. Marathon number two of seven would get underway at 7:30.

The lovely Francine was running with me, and it made the day a lot more fun. We looked for Brian before the race but didn't find him. Didn't see him after the turnaround either. Don't know how we missed each other. William started the wheelchair race about 10 minutes before the rest of us. We did see him on our way out--he was probably 6 or 8 miles ahead of us.

The race was small--around 600. The half-marathon was the bigger race, starting 13 miles away and a half-hour earlier. So by the time we would finish they'd all be home eating turkey.

The course--rolling hills all the way. Not a lot of flat spots. They even name the hills to make them feel "friendly." It didn't help.

Attitude. We ran the hills together, pretty much ignoring them. No choice--we were just there to have a great time and finish the race. The rain continued for most of the first half, then the sky brightened a bit.

Thirteen miles, Francine had gone on ahead so she could make a pit stop. I passed her, and got to the half-marathon split mats. I stood there and waited, we crossed the mats together and then stopped for our traditional half-way kiss. Over halfway done! Cool!

From just past 18 to just past 20 is a long, gradual downhill. It's a good idea, but what goes down must come up. But 20 miles--the day seemed to be going by fast. We looked ahead and saw a long uphill ahead of us.

A few months ago, while running a 5K with Carly, I taught her something about hills and attitude. On the next hill we came to, Francine asked her if she wanted to walk up it, and Carly said, "This ain't no hill, Mom" and proceeded to kick our butts running up it.

So I said to Francine, "This ain't no hill, Mom." We smiled and dedicated the hill to Carly, running uphill for about a full mile, one of our best miles of the day. We also passed a ton of people on the way up. In fact, we ran the whole rest of the way passing people.

I started to bog down just a bit at around 22, so I started singing. That always brings the baloney level in my blood up the proper range, and the course suddenly got easier. Next thing we knew, we were at the 25 mile mark. Another surge. I was running on pure attitude and having a blast. Rolling hills in the 26th mile let us pass another 20 people or so. We looked for the 26 mile mark, but instead looked up and saw the FINISH LINE. Mile 26 must have been our fastest mile of the day! We kicked for the line, raised our arms together in victory. Just under 4:42. My second marathon of the week was about 15 minutes faster than the first. Continent # 2 is now complete.

We waited at the finish area until Brian came in at about 5:38. Officially beyond the course limit, but he managed to talk them into putting his results into the computer. That was state #16 for him.

We laid around for a bit, recovered, went out for some really good food at a tavern down the street. And at the end of the day, hearing noise outside, we looked out the window to see one of the greatest fireworks displays I've ever witnessed for the lighting of the Christmas tree at Macy's. It was a wonderful day.

and the adventure continues....

Wednesday

2007-11-22T05:47:00.000-05:00

Another relaxation day. Coffee at Caribou Coffee, a bit of shopping, a nice lunch at a deli.

William Tan is here! A friend from my last Antarctica trip, and he's trying to break the same record as me, except in a wheelchair! I ran into him at the expo last night. We'll be doing the last three marathons together!

Dinner with the lovely Francine and my friend from back home, Brian Molroney at Rock Bottom Brewery. Alas, they have no beer glasses, so I'll just have to come back to Georgia sometime to collect a beer glass. Darn it.

Press Release

2007-11-21T16:54:00.000-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Donald Kern
Phone 616 293 3145
cooladventures@aol.com
http://www.cooladventures.net/

After being denied world record in March, Don Kern from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Attempt Guinness World Record™ By Running Marathons On Seven Continents In 25 Days
Grand Rapids, Michigan, 21 November 2007.

On 18 November, 2007, "Marathon" Don Kern will begin an attempt to break the Guinness World Record "Marathon on each continent - Shortest duration to complete (Men)" by running in organized marathons on each of the seven continents in 25 days. Scheduled conclusion is 12 December 2007.

In February and March 2007, Kern successfully attempted finishing marathons on all seven continents in 35 days, only to be denied the world record by Richard Takata of Canada, who finished the feat in 30 days.

Details of the tour and tour blog are online at www.cooladventures.net/sevencontinents.htm. The first of seven marathons was completed on 18 November in Beirut, Lebanon. The second will be attempted on Thanksgiving Day in Atlanta, Georgia.

To meet the criteria for the Guinness World Record ™, all of the marathons are officially organized events, recognized by the Association of International Marathons and Road Races (AIMS) or other international running bodies. None are contrived just for the purpose of this world record attempt.

Affiliated charity: Alternatives in Motion, a local Grand Rapids charity provides new made-to-order wheelchairs and other mobility devices to people who need them. Any funds raised will go directly to Alternatives in Motion.

Kern is an IT Consultant, freelance writer, and the Race Director of the Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon. He has run 150 marathon or longer races, in all fifty states, in sixteen countries, and at the North Pole.

For additional information, contact Don Kern, or visit www.cooladventures.net/sevencontinents.htm

Tuesday

2007-11-21T08:13:00.000-05:00

Back in the USA and well rested, today was just a pleasant day. Sat at Caribou coffee reading for a while, went to the airport and picked up the lovely Francine & Carly, who will be joining me for leg 2 of my quest. We got back to the hotel, of course Carly was starving so we went out to a nice little restaurant for breakfast before Carly's dad Jim picked her up. (Jim lives in Alabama.) So Carly's off to spend the holiday with relatives she hasn't seen before and to meet some more of her cousins. TLF and I spent the day shopping and doing a little cross-training.

Dinner was special. The Palm Restaurant. The Palm is one of the world's nicest restaurants, coincidentally started by Dr. Rick's grandfather. (Rick is one of my training partners, Grand Rapids Marathon pace team guy, legendary pickle juice mogel.) When we arrived, there was a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, compliments of the Ganzi family to accompany our meal.

A great relaxing day. Nice.

Monday, 19 November

2007-11-21T08:01:00.000-05:00

It was pretty much a blur, since I left my hotel at 12:30 am in Beirut, which is 5:30 pm in Atlanta. About 3 hours flight at 3:30 to Frankfort, then 9 hours from Frankfort to Atlanta. My total flight time so far is about 24 hours. That's just air time.

Sunday was a pleasant end of a marathon day. After a little R-and-R back at the room, I went over to the Radisson. Just as I arrived Mark (race director) was getting out of his car. We walked in together, and sat in the big lobby/lounge area. Quite a cast--Marek (Warsaw RD), Massimo (RD of a 12K in Italy that is run in many cities simultaneously), Norrie from South Africa (Course measurer for this course and, among others, the Atlanta Olympic marathon course), John Tyszkiewicz from England (Nearly as crazy as me when it comes to adventure stuff). Great conversation over a couple of the local Almaza beers. Then Mark took me over to his office, giving me a great education on sponsorships and media enroute. He wrote a verification letter for me to document my finish for the Guinness people.

Back at the Radisson afterward, John was still sitting and talking when I walked back in. We walked about a mile or so to Gammayzeh area and found a restaurant, Copper, where we could get some steak. Somewhere around 10:00 we headed back, where I finished packing, set my watch to wake me up in 1 1/2 hours, and snoozed for a bit.

Sunday night - One down, 6 to go.

2007-11-18T15:28:00.000-05:00

Well, sleeping last night wasn't very productive. Jet lag and resting earlier in the day had me wide awake at bed time. So, I laid there, relaxing, knowing that rest would be good. Sometime after one o'clock I fell asleep. And between 2 and 3, Paul called me. "Hey man, it's the middle of the night." "Dude, where are you?" "I'm in Beirut." "Oh, this phone call must be costing you a fortune. I got your Antarctica stuff. Look forward to seeing you in South America."

Two hours later, my alarm went off. As I walked out the door of my hotel to head over to the Radisson to catch the shuttle, a small bus with four runners saw me, stopped and asked where the Radisson was. "Come ride with us." They gave me a ride in exchange for the right directions. Good thing too, because the bus driver was going to turn right when he should have turned left if I hadn't been there.

Andy Kotulski was there, celebrating his 68th birthday by running his 590th marathon. We boarded the buses and as I was talking to a young couple behind me, someone lifted up my cap to see who I was. "I thought that was you!" Scott McIvor said. Scott is the only guy I know who has done a marathon on all seven continents AND summitted all seven summits. We ran the Inca Trail together in 2004 and met again in Luxor last February. His wife Suzette was there as well.

Race time! Still cool and comfortable for the start. The Lebanese national anthem played and we were off. The first 5K was a spectator-friendly run around a park, back past the starting line. Water every 2K or so, with separate Gatorade stations occasional as well. Several times we were fed bananas and dates as well. The dates were delicious. I ran back and forth with a young Lebanese guy until about 10K before going on ahead of him. By 16K, the field had stretched out to where I couldn't see anyone in front or behind me. (Note: While there were 18000 in the event, only about 340 of them were in the full marathon. About 13000 in the 10K and 5000 in the 5K.) Fortunately, with the blue line to follow there was no danger of getting lost. At around 18K, we would start a long out-and-back section. Just as I got there, the lead vehicle came through and I saw the leaders. They were about 11K ahead of me at that time. We continued on to Golden beach where we would make a 3.5K loop around the parking lot. On the way back, however, water suddenly got scarce, and the temperature climbed to 35C degrees by 10:30. I started picking up half-empty water and Gatorade bottles to make sure I stayed hydrated in the heat. The next time I would get a fresh bottle of Gatorade was around 32K. I had plenty, but was no longer throwing away bottles without using them all. Between 34 & 35K the course would take us within site of the finish line, then just past 35K we would head up an incline called "Horror Hill" on the map. It really wasn't that bad, and in fact it was kinda nice after running flat for so long. We then started down a street that was a 2K long party of sorts, lots of music and people. 35K and I picked up a kid doing his first marathon. He stuck with me for about 3K as we made the turn and followed the Mediterranean the rest of the way toward the finish line. At 40K I took a long swig from the Gatorade bottle I was carrying, then handed it to a fellow runner who looked like he needed it. At about 41K we finally passed a water station with WATER! I drained a bottle and headed for home.

A big Polish guy was just ahead of me and I worked to catch him. We ran together for a little bit, and I managed to find out that he spoke 4 languages, just that none of them were English. We made the turn for the finish line, and he took off like a shot, and in spite of the fact that he probably outweighed me by 50 pounds, there was no catching him. FINISH at 4:57, not bad for the heat. Marathon #1 is in the books.

Saturday

2007-11-17T10:55:00.000-05:00

Spent most of the morning walking around, seeing some of the sites of Beirut. It's really a beautiful city, and if the political stuff would get over with it would be much better. A lot of the downtown area is barricaded, so navigating is a little hard at times. There are armed guards all over the place keeping things safe, so no need to worry walking around the streets.

Walked all the way to ABC Mall to pick up my race number and the kid at the registration desk gave me the number of Mark Dickinson, the race director. I called him and he invited me to go to lunch with them. He's excited to have me start my journey here. I also found out that out of the 18000 or so people in the race, only 340 are in the marathon. Around 13800 in the 10K, and 5200 in the 5K. Get this--on official registration closing date, only 1000 were registered. Talk about screwing up the logistics!!

I also met Marek Tronina, the race director of the Warsaw marathon. I may go run his marathon next September. Might be fun.

Spent the rest of the day just hanging out, doing a little siteseeing. Time to catch a beer, a light supper, and wind down for the night. Looking forward to a nice day tomorrow.

and the adventure continues....

Arrived in Beirut

2007-11-16T10:29:00.000-05:00

Got here just fine, but had a bit of an adventure coming to the hotel from the airport. The taxi ride was pretty intense. Seems that no one here cares about lanes, lights, or any of those other nice things that we've become so accustomed to in the US. Oh well.

The taxis have no meters here, so you need to negotiate ahead of time. I never learn. Anyway, I paid about twice what I should have to get to the hotel, but arrived safely nonetheless. There's no visa requirement here (for Americans), so customs was a breeze. The only thing they check for is if you have a stamp from Israel in your passport. Fortunately, I've gotten a new passport since I was in Israel in 1998.

The rest of this day is unplanned. I'm going to find some supper pretty soon (we're 7 hours ahead of home here) and do a little jet-lag recovering.

One more time.

2007-11-16T10:03:00.000-05:00

It's November 15, 2007, and I' sitting at O'Hare Airport. November already. I've spent most of 2007 on a continual high.

It started some time early in 2006, when I hatched a scheme to set a world record by running marathons on all seven continents in thirty-five days. The ensuing months brought a lot of planning, searching for marathons, preparing for the trip. I had already signed up for the marathon in Antarctica throudh Marathon Tours. Now the plan is to find other marathons on either side of it to complete the process.

If you followed my progress, you know that I was successful in my quest, except for one thing--Richard Takata beat me to the world record, finishing in 30 days, a few minutes before I finished my fifth of seven in Ushuaia, Argentina. Maybe I shouldn't have publicized so much ahead of time.

There are two marathons held regularly on the Antarctic continent. The second one is being held on December 12th at Patriot Hills. It's organized by one of my bi-polar friends Richard Donovan. (Richard and I have been to BOTH poles together.) After the slight disappointment last winter, my brain wouldn't let it rest--I had to search both sides of the Antarctic Ice Marathon and find out if it was possible to do it in less than 30 days.

It's pretty easy to find marathons in the US, Europe, and Asia. Africa, South America, and Oceania aren't quite as easy. But after a few hours on the Internet, and a few emails back and forth to South Africa and New Zealand, the plan came together. (To see the whole plan, go to www.cooladventures.net/sevencontinents.htm) I called Marathon Tours and had them book the flights.

16 November, early in the morning in Frankfort, Germany.
Carly's class is studying geography this year by doing a "Flat Stanley" project. Seems that Stanley was flattened when something fell on him and it made it quite easy to mail himself to far away places. So while Stanleys are in the mail this week to parts unknown, I have a Stanley with me, ready to travel around the world. First stop--Beirut, Lebanon

Email from Smiles...

2007-03-22T18:47:00.000-04:00

You've read her comments on my blog after every marathon, here's an exchange we had today:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Smiles: My classes really feel for you, tons read about you yesterday in the paper. Any chance that other guy ran a bad marathon?

Me: No, he's legit. Just did what he had to do. I appreciate the way they feel for me too, but I'm really just fine. What record I'm going for next? Maybe the longest chain of paper clips. Or maybe I'll start growing my fingernails. I'm sure I'll come up with something at some point, but probably not today.

Let your kids know that sometimes we get disappointed, but it's really about the attitude. I've had an AMAZING journey, inspired hundreds of people, made a positive impact on people I love, and met tons of new friends.

So, Richard got the record. Things like that happen. I'm cool. Well, mostly.:-)

Smiles: I said thanks for the message to my students already, but I actually ended up reading it to them. They thought you were very cool and collected. You truly do inspire, even in these moments where the recent adventure needs to be put in perspective. I don't think I have admired you more than I did during a moment 6th hour when the students were saying things like "Wow, he has a really cool attitude, that is even cooler than all the races". My heart just felt proud to know you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Article from "MyNextRace.com"

2007-03-22T18:30:00.000-04:00

Word on the Street

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don Kern Runs 7 Marathons on 7 Continents in 35 Days!

by Nick Arcieri - MyNextRace.com

"Marathon" Don Kern has completed his quest for the Guinness World Record of "Marathon on each continent - Shortest duration to complete (Men)" by running seven marathons on seven continents in 35 days. Don finished the Donga Seoul International Marathon in Seoul, South Korea on March 18, his seventh in 35 days.

However, in a strange twist of fate, Etobicoke, Ontario's own Richard Takata, a fellow marathoner who actually ran in Egypt, Spain, Antarctica, and Argentina along with Don, achieved the same feat in a shorter time span. Richard's attempt was completed in 31 days on March 6 at the Fin del Mundo Marathon in Ushuaia, Argentina. Confirmation from Guinness is pending but for now, it looks as if Richard holds the record.

I spoke to both Don and Richard earlier today via phone and they were both extremely thankful for the fact that they could amaze and inspire so many people while experiencing the culture and beauty of this world. Don harbours no resentment towards Richard, even thanking him for not letting him know of his accomplishment until after Don completed his trek to keep him focused on his goal.

Both men completed their astounding achievements on behalf of their respective charities, Alternatives in Motion, who provide mobility devices to those in need (Don Kern) and Power 2 Cure for cancer research and care at the Princess Margaret Hospital (Richard Takata)

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt

To read about his adventures including daily updates of his marathons, visit Don Kern's blog.

To learn more about Richard Takata and his fundraising efforts, click here.

Special thanks to both Don Kern and Richard Takata for sharing their experiences with me as the inspiration for writing this article.

Darn it!

2007-03-22T10:20:00.000-04:00

Well, I learned this morning that Richard Takata, a fellow traveller to Egypt, Spain, Antarctica, and Argentina had finished his quest to do 7 continents in 31 days, beating my attempt for 35 days at the marathon we ran together in Ushuaia.

Darn it!

Thankfully, he was kind enough not to tell me about his accomplishment and allowed me to complete my quest before I found out. It made the rest of my trip more fun that way. I suppose I'll have to go after another world record now. As I always say, "the adventure continues...."

Congrats Richard--All the best on your future endeavors.
(Read of Richard's quest at www.power2cure.com)

Home!!!

2007-03-20T10:16:00.000-04:00

After a VERY LONG day flying home from South Korea, I was met at the airport by a bunch of friends, and, of course, the lovely Francine. My granddaughters were there, signs welcoming me home, and they even made up special shirts for the occasion. After a half-hour or so, we all headed to Schmohz for a beer or two to celebrate. (Back of tshirt design in the picture)

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!!!

2007-03-18T04:09:00.001-04:00

(Insert dramatic opening sentence here) OK, probably the most traumatic thing that happened all day was walking into the portajohn and finding that you had to climb up on a platform and squat over the hole in the floor. Pretty strange.

It was a perfect day in Seoul. High 30s to start, somewhere in the 50s when we finished. And everything in between went like clockwork. Our wave left around 8:20 a.m. Paul and Brent and I spent the whole race together, running easy in a very crowded field. Bands (mostly banging drums) played in numerous places along the course. Many times Koreans would see us and practice the few words of English they knew, making us feel welcomed all day long. If we made an effort to go to the side and "high-five" the young girls there, they would scream and giggle in delight.

The kilometers just clicked off, and before we knew it we were half done. About 2:18 on the half-way mat. Paul commented that last we were saying "Darn, this is only half way! This week we're saying, "Hey, we're already half way." We continued a the same pace for the rest of the race, with Brent running in front of us setting the pace, Paul and I working hard to keep up. It started to look like we could do a negative split, finishing under 4:36, so I worked to keep pace and finish continent # 7 in style. 41K, and the final turn to the Olympic Stadium. We turned into the complex and ran into the track and field stadium for a final turn around the track. We had passed hundreds of people in the last 10K, and on the track we were smokin'. Finish time around 4:35 something, looks like negative splits, a positive marathon experience, and...

A NEW WORLD RECORD!

Marathon # 7!!!

2007-03-17T16:20:00.001-04:00

It's Sunday morning in Seoul. I woke up with the theme from Rocky playing in my head. Ready to run. We're pinning on our numbers and heading for the subway. It's RACE DAY. If everything goes according to plan, 7 hours from now I'll be a world record holder.

Here's something interesting

2007-03-16T18:56:00.001-04:00

On this journey, I ran three marathons in the winter, three marathons in summer so far. The winter ones, in Alabama, Egypt, and Spain, I ran in shorts. The first two summer ones, I wore long pants. I saw snow during summer marathons in Antarctica and Argentina. I watched crops being harvested in the winter in Egypt and saw ripe fruit hanging during the winter in Spain.

What's with this weather? Maybe some of you fifth graders can figure that out????

Weather forecast for tomorrow--low in the 30s, high in the 50s. In Michigan, we call that perfect running weather.

Love to everyone back home. See you all soon.

Closing in on # 7

2007-03-16T07:52:00.001-04:00

Nice day today, just goofing off a bit. We slept in, picked up our race packets, did a little shopping, just basically relaxing all day. Well, relaxing on our feet, I suppose--we did do quite a bit of walking. Paul's cousin Matt is over here teaching English, so he joined us in the middle of the night last night. Good having someone for a guide. We found out a couple more friends will be over here too when we picked up our race numbers. All is well. One more day before marathon # 7.

Arrived in Korea

2007-03-15T19:03:00.001-04:00

Not a lot to report from yesterday except spending about 11 hours on a plane. Arrived safely in Seoul and Incheon Airport, and took the bus to the hotel. Had a couple beers and went to bed. Maybe something will happen today. :-)

Back to Sydney

2007-03-14T16:05:00.001-04:00

Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty easy goof off days. We worked our way back to Marcus' house and Tuesday night had lots of meat on the barbie and a few beers. We drove to the back of his property and watched the sunset and the kangaroos run. Then up to Canberra for the night.

Wednesday the big mission was to head to Kangaroo Valley on a mission. Brent had specific instructions to buy a rocking kangaroo for one of his grandchildren, and to not come home without it. Mission successful. A nice little town in the middle of Australia. We worked our way back to Sydney, and just hung out on the beach for a while.

Thursday morning--we're at the airport, checked in for our trip to Seoul and MARATHON #7

Mt. Kosciuszko

2007-03-12T08:27:00.000-04:00

Time for another thing on the life list, climbing Mt. Kosciuszko, the highest mountain in Australia. We spent most of yesterday driving, stopping for a couple hours at an old friend's place on the way. Marcus is a guy we met on a trip to the North Pole in 2003, and he just bought a small ranch south of Canberra. We had a couple beers, toured his new Alpha Dog Ranch on 4-wheelers, saw a bunch of kangaroos, and had a nice supper. This morning, we drove down to Threadbo to knock of a mountain. At about noon, we jumped on the chairlift to the lodge partway up the mountain, where we'd hike 6.2Km to the summit. It was a beautiful end-of-summer day here in Australia, full sun shine, and a great hike. We spent about 1.5 hours hiking up on a well-constructed walkway, and at 2:00 p.m. we arrived at the summit.

Like every mountain hike, this one was full of beautiful scenery and a sense of accomplishment that only comes from being completely on top of the world. Especially great because I was with two of my best friends.

OK, it isn't very exciting of a climb, but then it isn't a really tall mountain. Just the tallest in Australia, and my second continental high point. We got a room for the night when we got down and are just hanging out, basking in our accomplishments. Tomorrow night we're hanging out with Marcus again on our way back toward Sydney. One week from tonight I'll be home.

Six Foot Track Marathon

2007-03-12T03:29:00.000-04:00

I expected this one to be tough, possibly the toughest one of the seven, since it was 45K of serious trails and a seven hour cutoff after only 2 days of rest.

(details from the last couple days of travel omitted, but Friday Brent and Paul were there at the airport in Sydney on time and ready to roll.)

We spent the night at Jenolan Caves House, about 4 hours out of Sydney. Early a.m. Saturday, we boarded the bus back to Katomba for the start of the race. At the trailhead, we stopped and talked to race director Kevin Tiller, and got ready for the start of the race. Damper (bread containing fruit, drizzled with honey) and tea or coffee was served as we waited. Because of the narrowness of the trail, the race was started in waves. Ours was the third one, designated with blue race numbers. At the end of every wave, running at 7 hours pace, was "The Sweeper," an experienced trail runner with a broom, signifying that you better darn well stay ahead of him or you wouldn't get an official finish.

At 8:20 our wave started. Slowly, down some steep steps on moss-slickened rocks until we reached some even steeper rock steps which kept us going slowly and single file for about the first 20 minutes. Finally it opened up so we could run freely. The three of us stayed together, just having a great time through some beautiful Australian trails. Soon we came to a more open pasture-like area, and through some woods. Suddenly some pinging, sort of like wind chimes, was all around us. It was really a pretty sound, almost surreal. Our best theory at the moment is some kind of tree frogs.

We moved farther into the course and started a long descent on rocky trails. At the very bottom was a stream, first a small crossing, then one that would get everyone's attention, the water all the way up to our waist. A rope strung across the river kept anyone from getting swept away. I sat on the bank and rinsed the gravel out of my shoes and socks, then through an aid station and we began the first of two very long climbs. It was a long slog, followed by a shorter descent, then another VERY long slog up to the 26K mark. 19K to go, as we went through the aid station. We thought we were making good time, but as I got some food and drink, a guy with a blue number and a BROOM in his hand caught me. "I hope you're ahead of schedule," I said. "Actually, I'm about 1 minute behind." CRAP! As he continued on the trail, I waited for a minute for Paul to dump out his shoes, but Paul could see I was getting impatient, as the sweeper pulled away. "Just go!" he said, seeing the concern in my eyes. I took off after the sweeper. As he passed people with blue numbers, he kept warning them that they needed to finish ahead of him or not get a medal.

I got mad. No, I got DETERMINED! I didn't come all this way to screw it up now. My attitude kicked into overdrive. The next aid station was only about 2K away, and that was the last time I saw the sweeper. I pushed on, working the course along with Brent. Paul never did catch up with us.

I didn't realize it, but we still climbed a lot over the rest of the course, but I never backed off. Only a couple more severe up hill climbs, but relatively short. 7K to go, finally, we crossed the road and began a mostly downhill to the finish. Time to spare, but not to goof around. 3K to go, and it was severe downhill, my quads burning with every step. 1K and I could hear the announcer as I approached Jenolan Caves. I heard them announce Brent's finish, as I headed down the final hill. 6:45!!! beating the cutoff by 15 minutes!!! 6 down. 1 to go.

Brent and I waited at the finish. Finally, with minutes to spare, we heard Paul's name announced coming down the final slope to the finish line, beating the sweeper. Our mission was succesful. Priorities: 1. Beer. 2. Shower. Again, our mission was successful.

March 10, 2007

2007-03-10T12:49:00.000-05:00

Blog posted by Francine Robinson on behalf of Don:

Don called me shortly before midnight on Friday (which was shortly before 4 p.m. Saturday in Australia). He had finished the "Six Foot Track Marathon" (actually a 45K) in Sydney about an hour before he called. I'll let Don fill you in on all the details (he will post in a day or two--the next time he has access to the Internet), but briefly I can tell you it was a very tough course. There were narrow rocky paths, hills, sandy gravel track, dirt fire-trail roads, rivers to cross, etc. He finished in 6:45. Two of his friends joined him for this marathon, Paul Ruesch and Brent Weigner.

So it's six down, one to go! CONGRATULATIONS DON!!!! We're all proud of you!!

Fin del Mundo Marathon

2007-03-07T07:31:00.000-05:00

Feeling much better now. The last few days on the ship, I came down with a cold, which seemed to hit its climax around Monday. Tuesday I got up for the marathon, but felt like crap. I knew it would be a long day, but hey, I've run marathons feeling worse than this.

We were bussed to the start in Tierra del Fuego National Park. It was BEAUTIFUL! Mountains surrounding us, freshly dusted with snow from the previous night. We took some pictures at the sign at the end of Route 3, a road which stretchs all the way from here to Alaska! National Guard soldiers set up tents for us to hang out in, and made us hot tea before the start.

The first 12K was spent inside the park, the most beautiful part of the course. We went up rolling hills, enjoying mountains and running through the forest. Nature at its finest. After leaving the park, we continued on gravel road for another 6K or so before getting onto pavement. Traffic picked up a little bit, but the mountains in the distance still provided us beautiful vistas as we headed toward Ushuaia. The wind picked up as we left the park and got closer to the water in town. At about 20K, we took a turn toward the airport, where the wind picked up SERIOUSLY! We did an out and back to the airport, on curving roads where the wind was rarely at our back. Most of the time it was either in our faces or blowing us sideways. I met Bruce as he hit the 25K aid station, and he yelled across the road at me, "I've never had water blow out of my glass before." Wind was blowing so hard that several people talked about kicking themselves in the ankles as the wind blew their legs when the picked them up. By the time I reached the end of the airport section, I was wiped out. I knew the next 17K was just going to be a slog to the finish.

I ran back and forth for a while with Tee and Richard. Finally I slowed down enough that they went on ahead. Several other friends passed me as I continued along the course. At 28K, we passed near enough to the finish line to hear the announcers, then turned east until nearly the 35K mark. The surface was paved, but we spent most of the time on the shoulder, which was hard, ungraded dirt/gravel. Finally, the turnaround and head back toward the finish. Only 7K to go. At around 39K, Tony Toledo caught up with me, and I worked to stay close to him, making the last part of the race a little faster than I had been going. We worked our way through the last few blocks on uneven sidewalks and through heavy traffic, finally coming into view of the finish. A final turn and we were headed a block to the finish. We finished, side by side, and for me, marathon #5 was in the books.

I met up with Tee, Irish Joe, Richard, and a couple others and we headed into town for some beer and cheeseburgers. After heading back to the hotel, I crashed for a while, partly savoring the finish, but mostly just getting some much needed recovery. Today, my legs are feeling pretty good, with only two more marathons to go.

Fin del Mundo Marathon

2007-03-06T19:14:00.000-05:00

The good news is, I finished. But it wasn't pretty. Extremely high winds, combined with a headcold kicked my butt. Finished in about 5:24 with my good friend Tony Toledo. 5 down, 2 to go!

So, I'm wiped out, ready for bed, and I promise I'll post something more descriptive in the morning.

Love to everyone back home...

Back in Ushuaia

2007-03-05T08:53:00.000-05:00

We departed the ship this morning after some sad goodbyes to our crew and a few of us who are headed home today. Many of the people on our ship are staying for the next marathon here in Ushuaia. Tomorrow is the Fin del Mundo Marathon. (End of the World). Right now it's snowing but we have green grass visible. Hopefully it will be a little nicer tomorrow.

Our crossing of the Drake Passage was very easy--I didn't get seasick once on the trip back.

For results and a video clip of the marathon in Antarctica, go to http://www.marathontour.com/antarctica/index.shtml

Questions from Mr. Long's class:

2007-03-05T08:46:00.000-05:00

Questions from Mr. Long's class:

If you are in Antartica, how about wearing some shorts, I dare you! Cole
No shorts, but I did jump into the plunge pool on the ship, which was filled with freezing water from the ocean.

What is the temperature there? Is it cold? Haley M.
It´s been mostly in the 30s since we´ve been in Antarctica. Not too cold. At the top of the glacier though during the race the wind was 43 miles per hour!

If you see a seal with spots, please tell us! Billy
I saw lots of leopard seals down here with spots. They like to eat penguins for lunch. Dinner and breakfast too.

Do you like to have new adventures or are you going just to run? Danielle
I love having new adventures. When I get to Australia, I'll be climbing Mt. Kosciuszko after I get done doing the marathon.

How cold was it when you were doing the marathon? Branden
About freezing, with really high winds and snow.

Of all the animals in Antarctica, which do you like the most? Tinelle
Penguins are pretty cool, but I think I like the whales best. We saw humpbacks, minkes, fin whales, and I think some of the people saw an orca.

Do you think you will see penguins or polar bears in Antarctica? Julie
The polar bears are all in the north, not the south. But you probably knew that and were just trying to test me, I bet.

Is it cold there? Dayton
Not for somebody as tough as me. :-)

Hey Don, how are you doing is it cold? Jake
Are you nervous to be running a marathon in Antarctica? Haley S.
It was a blast! Cold and snowy, but lots of fun.

Do you think marathons are hard to run? SophieThey're usually a challenge, and you can't just go out and do one tomorrow, but with a lot of training they are not bad.

Did you see any snakes? Hunter
Nope. No snakes in Antarctica.

Do you think you will see a polar bear? Do not fall in the water! Devan
I did jump on the water after we got done with our kayak race. My drysuit had a little hole at the bottom of the zipper, so I got some VERY COLD water inside it.

What is it like in Argentina? Mystique
Argentina is a very nice country. Buenos Aires is a big city, and it was quite hot there, but it's the middle of summer here, so that's to be expected. Down here in Ushuaia, it's much cooler, since we're so far south. Ushuaia is a little tourist town, and the main port for trips to Antarctica.

Are you going to wear a jacket in the Antarctica marathon? Jenner
Yes, I wore a long sleeve tshirt, a light windshirt, and my rain jacket, and was about right the whole time.

Have you seen any animals that we don't see in Michigan? Nicole
Penguins, seals, whales, some other birds like the Antarctic Tern, Albatross. We even saw some porpoises yesterday on the way back across the Drake Passage.

When you go to Antarctica, will you see a lot of animals? Autumn
(see previous answer)

Do you like penguins? Mandy
Yeah, but they really stink.

Are there brick roads in Argentina? Kris
Probably, but most are just like the roads back home

How is the ship, is it 1st class? Douglas
The is ship is a fairly small research ship, not a big cruise ship. It's very comfortable though, and the feed us very well.

What gave you the idea of running marathons around the world? Brandi
It started when I saw that the last time they held this marathon that they were able to run in Ushuaia as well. So I started researching a little bit to find out how quickly someone could do all seven continents. It just kinda grew from there.

How many people race against you in marathons? Justin
This one had about 140 people doing the full marathon. I think the one in Spain had around 1000. In Egypt it was 80. Marathons come in all sizes!

March 3, 2007

2007-03-03T14:02:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon was our last chance to tour in Antarctica, and we did it in zodiacs in a beautiful bay, full of ice, ice bergs, surrounded by glaciers and mountains. The water was flat and calm as we cruised around, finding leopard seals lying about on ice floats. We also found a couple of weddel seals, and even had a fur seal come swimming around us.

This morning was the Iron Penguin Challenge. My old friend, Ben Brown, recruited me for his team, which would consist of us plus Larry and Lari, a father and daughter who are on the trip with us. It was a series of events:
1. Eat a cracker with Vegemite (It's Australian, it's yeast extract, and possible the world's worst tasting substance, but it's really good for you.) and wash it down with bilgewater (really just a mixture of juice that looks brown and disgusting).
2. Go to the bar, and suck on an ice cube until it's totally melted.
3. To the mudroom, put boots on the wrong feet and life jackets on backward, climb to the top deck, make a lap touching all 4 corners of the railing, and back down.
4. Name one species of whale, seal, and penguin that we've seen on the trip.
5. Go to the 5th deck to the plunge pool (filled straight from the ocean with freezing water) and take one lap around to each of the 4 corners.

Then to the sauna to warm up.

Well, we didn't win, but we had lots of fun. Then went up on deck and saw maybe 20 - 30 fin whales off in the distance, blowing and swimming close to the surface. Pretty amazing.

We'll be back in Ushuaia on Monday morning, so I'll be able to post more then. Today is the end of communication from the ship. So, stay tuned until Monday.

March 2, 2007

2007-03-02T11:01:00.000-05:00

After an exhausting morning racing kayaks yesterday, we had an easier afternoon, visiting a Chilean base and, get this, MORE PENGUINS. They (the Chileans) were real happy to see us. Sixteen of them are stationed here for another couple weeks before going home for the winter.

Last night, we got to go camping. No fires or marshmallows, however, just a bivvy sack and a sleeping bag and pad on the cold snow. I slept well for about 4 or 5 hours, but then nature started calling and I had to make my way out of my cold sleeping bag to visit a can that they nicknamed "Mr. Yumyum." By that time, the clouds had cleared and the stars were brilliant. I laid there for a while, just looking up at the night sky. I saw a shooting star. There I was, just lying around in Antarctica. Sometimes I can't get over how cool my life is.

This morning, a lot of ice had moved in around the ship. Flipper (one of our crew members) had spent a lot of the night towing little icebergs away from the ship with a zodiac. The captain didn't want icebergs crashing into his ship!

We heard what sounded like thunder and looked up as a small piece of glacier fell off and crashed into the water. While we were still watching, another HUGE piece fell off, making a loud noise and starting a little tidal wave that came across the bay and nearly flipping one of the zodiacs as it crashed ashore on our side.

It's our last day for landings today. We're at Couverville Island, where most people have gone ashore to see even more penguins. Most of the penguins we've seen have been gentoos. A few chinstraps and a few adelies, but most have been gentoos.

I won't have my own email until Monday, but I can receive mail at crew600372345@marsatmail.com through Saturday, March 3. Be sure to cc my regular email account though, just in case.

March 1, 2007

2007-03-01T13:52:00.000-05:00

What a morning. We woke up in Neko Bay surrounded by floating ice and glaciers. The sunshine reflecting on the glaciers made the blues even more spectacular. Little schools of penguins swam around us here and there, feeding in the cold Antarctic waters. Soon we'd find out just how cold they were.

And the good news--the race is ON! Flat waters, no wind, and at 9:00 we met at the gangway suited up to race. As we sat on the water before the start, we could look all around us at the majesty of our surroundings. Cold water, white and blue glaciers, penguins, the two ships at either end of our race course.

Today was more than twice as long as our prior course, going from the Vavilov to the Ioffe and back again. It was soon clear that Bruce and I were no match for the Vavilov team, but we gave it all we had. Three of them pulled away from us at the start, including my old friend Anita Allen. We gave a valiant chase, but at the half, two more of them caught up to me. Bruce was just a few yards up and losing a bit of steam as we went, but I kept yelling at him to encourage him and let him know where the other two guys were. I stayed with them but just couldn't pull back in front. Finally, I think Bruce was able to hold them off to claim 4th place. I finished in 7th out of 12.

On the way back to the ship, while we were still in our drysuits, we had a chance to jump overboard. Now, in spite of the drysuits, it was still COLD. Plus, around the end of the zipper my suit leaked just a little bit, so some of the near freezing salt water found its way to my feet, as well as a couple other important parts. We played in the water for only a couple minutes before getting pulled out. So, now I've been swimming in the Southern Ocean! Pretty amazing. Can't wait to see what happens next.

February 28, 2007

2007-02-28T16:24:00.000-05:00

Last night was the combined banquet to celebrate the marathon. The people from the Vavilov came over to the Ioffe, and we had a big cookout on the back deck. TONS of food, including chicken, steak, salmon, veggie burgers, and some pretty amazing banana dessert that I didn't even try to exercise restraint with. Also, two of our shipmates got married by the captain last night too. And two humpback whales put on quite a show for us right near the ship. Pretty amazing.

Well, we tried to have the kayak finals today, but after a bunch of getting dressed and into the zodiacs, we tooled around for a while as the winds kept picking up, but finally were cancelled due to high winds. Darn it! Our next chance that the two ships will be together is Friday morning, so maybe we'll race then.

This morning we went to went to Peterman Island. Gentoo penguins, distinguished by orange beaks and little white bonnets on top of their heads, were everywhere. After spending an hour or so on the island, we went cruising for a bit among icebergs and rocks. We saw four different leopard seals. The leopard seals hang out off shore, just waiting for penguins to venture out. One false move, and the penguin is lunch.

Tonight we're supposed to have a campout on the island here. We'll see how that goes--the wind keeps picking up, and weather can change from minute to minute.

February 28, 2007

2007-02-28T11:50:00.000-05:00

[Written by Don the afternoon of Tuesday, 2/27/07.]

I just had the most amazing race--in a KAYAK! They're having the Antarctic Kayak Championship here--it's us against the Vavilov tomorrow. Today was the preliminary heat. We have seven of us competing in the singles, and I'm one of them. As we rafted together to wait for the start, two humpback whales slept only about 100 yards away. We watched as the blew out their spouts and bobbed up and down in the water.

Finally we started the race, a 1 kilometer straight line to the zodiaks waiting at the finish. Starting with slow, steady strokes, then accelerating and digging in, pushing and pulling as we went around as many of the ice chunks as possible. I looked up, and out of the seven in the race, only Bruce was ahead of me! I dug in, trying to catch him as the others disappeared from my peripheral vision. I yelled, encouraging him and letting him know I was right on his tail. We crossed the finish line in 5:52 and 5:59, giving me a second place finish and a place in the finals tomorrow!

Maybe I should give up running and race kayaks. Or not. But it sure was fun.

Antarctica Marathon

2007-02-28T11:46:00.000-05:00

[Written by Don on Tuesday, 2/27/07.] Yesterday was the marathon. Not much for cold temperature--only around freezing, so not bad. The bad part was the wind and snow.

We started at the Russian base and headed out through a mud field toward Collins Glacier. Because of a dusting of fresh snow and a little below freezing temperatures, the mud wasn't bad the first lap. After three miles we reached the base of the glacier. From there, it was a steep climb for a half mile to the turnaround spot, then back to the start/finish area. Seven miles down. Then out through the Chilean base, and a turn after a mile that would take us straight into the wind for the next two miles. We went through a Chinese base as well, where they even had a water station for us for the first lap. The turnaround took us back the same way to the start/finish.

Now do it again, except that the mud had been tramped through enough that it was much harder to keep from getting your feet wet. Pretty much impossible, actually. The glacier seemed like a lot more of a climb this time--the consensus seems to be that they moved the turnaround out by another half mile or so. :-) The surface had gotten a bit colder and so it was just a little more slippery this time too. On the way back, I saw two penguins, a gentoo and a chinstrap. Back to the center, and only 6 miles to go. Same drill, but at the place just before the 25 mile mark where we dropped our water bottles, I had also stashed a beer. There's nothing like a cold beer waiting to pull you through the last miles. After the turn, between 23 & 24, I watched a fur seal actually chasing my friend Tony and a couple others off the course. Pretty funny. By the time I got there, it had gone off a bit and I was able to get some video of it. A couple more chinstraps were near there for crowd support. A mile and a quarter to go, and I stopped to drink a very nice can of Quilmes beer. Actually, I drank half of it and left the rest there for Tee, who was only a half mile behind me. Finally--FINISH LINE--about 6:17 to complete continent 4 of 7!!!

February 23, 2007

2007-02-23T14:24:00.000-05:00

We flew early to Ushuaia, the world's southernmost city. Just had a couple beers from the world's southernmost brewery, the Beagle Brewery, here in Ushuaia.

All is well. We board the ship, Ioffe, at 4:00 p.m. to head to Antarctica. You can find more information about our itinerary for the next 8 days by following the Antarctica link at www.cooladventures.net/sevencontinents.htm.

In Colonia, Uruguay

2007-02-22T15:36:00.000-05:00

"It had a big head on it. At first I thought it was a snake." That was Melanie, describing the huge lizard three of my friends saw on a run this morning. I went out with James a little later, so we missed the lizard, darn it.

So after a nice, hot morning run (about 5 miles and about 80 degrees) I went back to the hotel gym and lifted a few weights and ran another mile on the treadmill. The next plan was an afternoon trip across the Rio de la Plata to the old city of Colonia, Uruguay. The town here is a big contrast to Buenos Aires, with lots of old shops, big trees lining the streets, and beautiful old gardens. It's like stepping back in time--some of the trucks and cars still in use here are older than me!

Interesting stats--this is the sixth country I've been in on this trip. USA, the Netherlands, Egypt, Spain, Argentina, Uruguay. I've slept three nights on airplanes. I've had beer made in every country I've been in. Except for Uruguay. Guess I better sign off now!

Buenos Aires

2007-02-21T16:56:00.000-05:00

This won't be too long because the internet terminal I have isn't the best. Anyway...

It was tough getting out of Spain. Delayed flight from Valencia to Madrid caused me to miss the plane to Buenos Aires, so they routed me through Sao Paulo instead. So, I spent until nearly 2:00 p.m. getting all the way to the hotel in Buenos Aires. And it was my third night sleeping on airplanes in the last week. Sleeping in a real bed last night was pretty darn comfortable!

After checking in, several of us went for a short run, maybe 3-4 miles, to shake out the cobwebs of overnight travel. After a short nap, we all gathered for a reception for all who will be doing the Antarctica Marathon. There are about 185 runners, and we'll be taking two ships from Ushuaia to Antarctica, the Vavilov and the Ioffe. I'll be on the Ioffe. (Pronounced like Coffee, but with a Y at the beginning)

Today started with a bus tour of Buenos Aires, the highlight of which was a visit to the Recoleta district and the cemetary where Eva Peron is buried. A few of us then went and booked a day trip for tomorrow to Colonia, Uruguay, which is a ferry ride across the Rio de la Plata river. So, I'll be collecting another stamp on my passport tomorrow. Tonight, several of us will be attending a dinner and a Tango show. The Tango is the 'National Dance' of Argentina, so since I'm such a cultured guy, I guess I'll just have to check it out. :-)

All the best to everyone back home.

Lazy Monday

2007-02-19T10:51:00.000-05:00

It´s an easy day here in Valencia, most of it spent just goofing around, seeing a few sites, drinking a couple beers. Tonight I have a late flight which will take me from Valencia to Madrid, then at 12:02 I fly to Buenos Aires, Argentina to join the Antarctica Marathon trip.

I found this picture on the Internet of a bunch of kids who are watching me back home. It's Mr. Long's fifth grade, a bunch of party animals, it seems.

Next time you hear from me, I'll be in Argentina.

Marathon #3!!

2007-02-18T10:29:00.000-05:00

Cool and comfortable this morning, as I took a taxi from my hotel to the start of the race. I don´t understand the math on this one, but I had NO soreness left in my legs from the marathon in Luxor only two days ago.

I was there early, so I managed to find a cup of coffee. Not your typical American stuff--it was served in something a bit bigger than a shot glass and was pretty thick. They served two packets of sugar with it, and there was a good reason for that.

All the different running clubs were decked out in their colors. When you sign up for a race here, you give your running club name. I, of course, put Grand Rapids Running Club on mine. I think I´m the only member here.

Starting time was 9:00. I lined up near the 4:15 pace group, led by a guy who was doing a Grouch Marx impression--big cheesy painted on mustache and eyebrows, and a big fake cigar to complete the look. I had no inclination that I could run a 4:15 as my third marathon in a week, but it seemed like a fun group.

Starting gun! The route is all city streets until the last 7K or so. A few nice parks here and there, but lots of city. I fell in with a group of people from Great Britain for a while, welcoming the English speakers. That´s one of the things we take for granted I suppose, but in a country where the dominant language is Spanish (duh, it´s Spain) there are limited numbers of people to talk to. "Animo!" is the common cheer from the sidelines. ("I animate" technically, but more like "look alive, go for it" in context.)

I was feeling good all day, finishing the first 20K in two hours. I had a pretty good idea by then that it would be my fastest of the first three continents. Running a marathon marked in kilometers is fun too, because they go by a lot faster than miles. OK, there´s 42 of them instead of 26, but what the heck. All day I was following a member of the 100 marathon club (it was his 180th today) and I used him to pull me along. Somewhere between 35 and 36K I lost him. I think I passed him actually, but I just don´t know. It was about that time that we went off road and thorough what looked like a campus for the last 7K. People who had passed me all day were now in front of me, slowing down as we counted the kilometers up to 41. I encouraged lots of people as I passed, most of whom couldn't understand me but smiled anyway and were happy to have someone there. At 41, we started running down a long walkway which led by the stadium. I could look over and see the finish line inside the stadium, then ran past it and around the outside, finally moving over and down the ramp. Just 3/4 lap to go, past the 42K mark, 195 more meters to the FINISH. YES! Somewhere around 4:26 chip time, and 4:29 on the gun. Marathon #3 in the books!

The finisher medal was real nice--not a medal at all, but a crystal "trophy" with runners in the middle and the name of the marathon on the bottom. Very cool!

I wandered around until I found a taxi for the trip back. Legs still feel good. Not quite sure why, but I hope it keeps up. I get a week off now--Antarctica is scheduled for the 26th. Tomorrow I get to goof off all day in Valencia before heading for Argentina to meet the Marathon Tours Group.

Hey. Maybe I should mention this: CITY TO CITY RUN to Defeat Malaria. Donating Bti (bacillus thurengiensis var israelensis) to Equator Belt Countries. This bacteria naturally kills mosquitoes without disrupting personal health or environment, as opposed to spraying DDT. More info at http://malaria.pledgepage.org/

In Valencia

2007-02-17T15:33:00.000-05:00

Today was spent travelling. About 12 hours before finally landing at the Valencia airport. I figured my air time so far in this adventure is about 22 hours. Total travel time including airports, taxis, etc. is probably closer to 35.

Something I forgot to talk about yesterday in Luxor. Much of the area we ran in is farm country, growing sugar cane, clover, and other various crops. People would be piling clover onto donkey-drawn carts to feed their animals. Other carts were loaded with sugar cane. On my third of the four loops, near the end, two older men were sitting beside the road keeping an eye on a couple piles of onions. By the time I was in the fourth loop, the pile had grown to enormous, with younger people down in the field bringing them up an armload at a time to add to the pile. Life in the area is simple, but everyone along the way was nice to us.

I finally checked into my hotel tonight, then took a taxi to the race HQ to pick up my race number and packet. Met my contact, Paco Borao, and he helped me out with directions and times, so I can get to the race on time tomorrow. My legs are feeling great, like I hadn´t even done a marathon yesterday. Don´t know why, but I´m not complaining.

Love to everybody back home. I never did see any scorpions or quicksand. The worst thing that happened to me in Egypt is that my shower didn´t work quite right and I had to take a bath instead. Oh well--maybe it will get more exciting later.

Marathon Number 2 - Luxor Egypt

2007-02-16T10:33:00.001-05:00

Early morning breakfast, then a 45 minute bus ride to the start. Sunshine. Low of 50, high of 82. Sorry about all you people back home enjoying the snowstorms. The marathon started from a temple in some beautiful sunshine. (I'm really tired right now, so please excuse me if my lack of enthusiasm shows through.)

The course is a short (around 1K) out from the start/finish to a loop we would repeat four times. Turning right we went out past a variety of alabaster factories for the first kilimeter or so. To the right were some traditional Egyptian houses, similar to adobe houses. After about 3-4K was my favorite part of the course. We ran through a winding section, with the ruins of an old temple to the right, and small houses and shops to the left. Goats, sheep, a bull, and lots of donkey carts, and people going about their daily lives. A grandmotherly woman sat beside the road each time I passed in a black dress including head covering, only her face exposed. She smiled at me each time as I ran by and said good morning to her. Children joined us at different points along the course. "Welcome to Egypt." "What's your nationality?" "United States." "Ah. Good people!"

The kids made the marathon fun--running, asking my name, introducing themselves. About 8K into the first loop, I was joined by Nikki who is from England but teaches school in Cairo. She was running the half marathon, but we stayed together all the way through my second loop. When asked her name by some of the children, she said "Nicola." Turns out Nikki doesn´t translate very well into Arabic, but since there´s fifth graders reading this I won´t elaborate. On a short out-and-back, I saw my new friend Geoff, who was only a little bit behind me.

Into the third loop, I came upon Ali, another new friend who plans to do five events in the next short time to raise money for a charity. He was in his fourth and final loop, but had pulled a hamstring so was moving pretty slowly. After passing him I slowed down to do some video in my favorite little neighborhood. Geoff caught up to me and we ran together for a while, on and off for most of the rest of the race. Soon we came upon Robert, who was running on his seventh continent, but moving slowly as we were 8K into our last loop. I was feeling good and moving along well, encouraging him as I passed. Just past the 40K mark through the last aid station, I was still feeling good. The heat was taking a toll, but my body was reacting well. The last 1K as I turned toward the finish was full of traffic by this time, with all the tour busses and taxis. The finish line was a welcome site, as I crossed the line at 4:47:06 on my watch. Marathon number 2. Continent number 2.

My next challenge is to get up in time for my flight to Spain tomorrow.

Yesterday in Amsterdam, today in Egypt

2007-02-15T12:13:00.000-05:00

I'm getting lots of questions from Mr. Long's class. Check the blog comments to see the things they asked me. Some of them are pretty good, many will be answered as I go along, so if I don't address it specifically, keep reading. Some are going to take more thought, so I'll have to get to them later.

-Do you get money for getting into the record book? Kayla & Haley M.
NOPE, Just fame and glory!! (I hope:-))

Yesterday I spent the day in Amsterdam, flying overnight from Detroit and landing around 10:00 a.m. (For those of you back home, it was 4:00 a.m. at the time.) With most of the day to layover in Amsterdam, I left the airport and took the train to Central Station in downtown Amsterdam. My first order of business was to see Anne Frank's house, a place where she and her family were hidden for quite a while from the Nazis. Knowing that part of history is one thing. Being somewhere that it happened, hearing the thoughts and feelings of the people who were there, is sobering. As I walked throught the hidden rooms where for months she was unable to go outside, I felt sad that things like that had to happen in our world. I learned more about her, including the fact that her family was betrayed and they were found and arrested and died in concentration camps. Anne Frank died, only a young girl, but she had a great story to tell and an effect on those of us today. When I get home, I'm going to finally read her diary, something I should have done many years ago.

My next stop was a bus tour of Amsterdam. Having slept on an airplane, I figured this would be a good opportunity to get an overview of the city, as well as catch a couple Zs here and there as I needed. Good call, because I seem to have missed a few minutes of the trip here and there. I DID, however, wake up in time to stop at a big windmill which is now a MICROBREWERY! We stopped for a photo opportunity, and I went in and bought a beer.

Back to the train/airport for the flight to Cairo at 9:00. We landed in Cairo around 2:30 a.m. and went throught customs, then I caught the plane to Luxor at 5:00. At 6:30 we landed in Luxor. Now the fun starts. As I left the terminal building, trying to figure out how to get to the hotel, I was accosted by about 20 taxi drivers, all wanting to take me there, but none of them would tell me how much. They wanted me to tell them how much. I started walking to his car with one of them, then another came up and the two of the started into a heated argument over who was going to do it. I finally just turned and walked away, and as they followed me, more joined in the fray and it was like a committee meeting before they got done with it. They finally all agreed and picked one among themselves. I found out when I got to the hotel that I paid about twice what I should have, but it was about a half-hour and I paid 15 euros (about $1 7) so I'm not totally unsatisfied.

At 10:30, we had the first event of the weekend, the Luxor Breakfast Run. It was really just a warmup run, but with the turnout of the downtown citizens, you'd have thought it was the Olympics or something. Probably only 25 runners or so, but also horses and carts, roller skaters, and lots of little kids joining in to run with us. We started at the Luxor Temple, (a ruins in downtown Luxor) and only ran about 2.5K (1.5 miles). I got interviewed by the local TV people too. Pretty neat.

Back at the Movenpick Hotel, I met an old friend, Scot McIvor, who I ran the Inca Trail with three years ago. We'll be running the marathon tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, I'll keep an eye out for scorpions, cursed mummys, and quicksand. I'll see if I can post a picture now and then, but downloading them from camera to other people's computers is sometimes tricky.

-Are you having fun? Jacob
Everything I do is fun, Jacob. It's one of my rules.

February 14, 2007

2007-02-14T14:53:00.000-05:00

Francine Robinson is posting this blog entry for Don Kern:

February 14, 2007: Don called from Amsterdam at 2 p.m. Eastern Time (8 p.m. in Amsterdam) to say that he had spent the day "getting acquainted with Amsterdam" while he was on layover. He visited the home of Anne Frank, which is now a museum. (For more information about the Anne Frank Museum, and about Anne Frank's life, you can visit the website at http://www.annefrank.org/content.asp?pid=1&lid=2.) Don will leave Amsterdam tonight for an overnight flight to Egypt.

Home for a day

2007-02-12T18:34:00.000-05:00

OK, I was supposed to be home for 2 days, but United Airlines had better ideas. So, I was treated to a night in the Airport Hilton in Chicago.
Today I got home to find a couple great emails. Adam Jacobs at thefinalsprint.com has published a podcast featuring ME! Pretty cool. It's at http://thefinalsprint.com, if you're really bored sometime and would like to listen.

Michael Long's fifth grade class has me on a web page too! It's at http://www.hcs.cgresd.net/hillside/long/pages/class-news.php

And, I also got a very special email from someone I ran with three years ago, Tammy Gaghan:

Don,

I just had to send you an email after seeing your new running adventure posted on my running group's web page.
I have been meaning to send you a note since March 30th 2003.
I just wanted to thank you for running the last 10 or so miles with me during the Ocean Drive Marathon in NJ. It was my first marathon and you made the time fly by with your wonderful marathon stories. During one of your recent blogs you were talking about heroes, well you are sort of a hero to me.
You have inspired both my husband and myself into running all 50 States. I have completed 10 and he has done 18. He also wants to do 50 by 50. Our next one is The Country Music Marathon in April.
Both my husband and I competed on the CBS show The Amazing Race Season 8 along with two of our children who also share a love of running. I swear the reason we were picked was because of our marathons. So I guess this is also a thank you note because of your inspiration I was able to get on a TV show that I loved. .... It was cold that day of the marathon so just imagine me with a funny black baseball cap with ear flaps.

Now, I hope Tammy doesn't mind me sharing this, because things like this just bring tears to my eyes. We never know what influence we'll have on other people. Thanks Tammy!

Mercedes Marathon - North America

2007-02-12T00:03:00.000-05:00

It was a long and hilly day, but the sun shone brightly on the Mercedes Marathon. Talk about Southern Hospitality! These people know how to show you a good time.
I ran into Steve and Paula Boone before the race and managed to get a little film of my start. Steve was, of course, running his second marathon of the weekend.

Somewhere between mile 1 and 2, I came upon four girls from Grand Rapids--including Tammy Nagy, Nancy Sullivan, Amy Vanwagoner, and Cyndi Lyons. Quite a surprise to find some folks from back home! We ran together for a bit before I went on ahead. I had started back in the pack quite a ways, so I gradually passed the 4:45 pace group, then finally the 4:30 pace group. Brian had been running with the 4:30 group, so he caught me and ran with me for a few minutes before dropping back.

About the time he dropped back, I passed George Higgs and we ended up running together for about 8 miles, picking up Terri Menghini along the way. George stopped to shed a layer or two, and Terri and I ran together until almost mile 18. As we ran down a residential street, there were signs in a front yard saying "GO KERN GO" and one with a drawing of the seven continents on it. I had to stop and say hello and get my pictures taken with the Larussa kids. They gave me an American flag bandana and said "Take us with you." I tied the bandana around my neck and finished the race with it.

Around 19 miles, the 4:30 pace team caught up with me again--down to the two pacers and maybe 3 or 4 runners. I stayed with them until we headed up a VERY LONG hill that went from about mile 21 to mile 23. Worked my way up that hill with a guy named Larry. Finally we started back downhil and into town. Just a block before the finish, George caught up with me, and finished just ahead of me. The finish line was a welcome site--and my first milestone on my journey to seven continents. Finish time was 4:30:39. One down, six to go.

Check Out This Page On al.com

2007-02-10T20:50:00.001-05:00

Dear 7 Continents Blog:

Don Kern (cooladventures@aol.com) thought you would be interested in this item from al.com. (This page may also contain advertising.)

http://www.al.com/sports/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/sports/1171103212248860.xml&coll=2&thispage=2

Alabama State High Point

2007-02-10T17:22:00.001-05:00

Cheaha Mountain. Native American word for "high place." This is how I spent Saturday morning. Elevation, only 2407 feet. I travelled about 80 miles east of Birmingham early this morning, and was treated to a great view from the top. It's just a drive-up montain, but still was a nice view. Got back to town and went back to the marathon expo for a bit. Then met Brian for yet another futile attempt at finding a brewery. It seems that they passed a law a couple years ago, and there is no longer any beer brewed in Birmingham. What a travesty!!!

In Birmingham, Alabama

2007-02-09T19:26:00.001-05:00

The adventure begins...

Flew into Birmingham this morning, and at 4:00 I met Sheldon Heygood with Fox 6 News for an interview. We went to the park where the Start/Finish line is and spent a few minutes talking, followed by about 20 short runs up and down the street so he could get some film of me running. Should air on the news tomorrow about 9:45.

I met a friend from Kalamazoo, Brian Molrony, who is also down here for the marathon. We tried to find a brewery, but the one we went to had closed a while back, and the one that a couple girls sent us to down the street still serves beer, but, alas, doesn't make it any more. So my quest for a beer glass from Alabama is fruitless so far. I still have a couple days, however, and WILL NOT BE DENIED!!!

What's going on so far---

2007-02-07T10:32:00.001-05:00

Thursday I sent out a press release. Runner's World responded, they're bring it up in their editorial meetings. WOOD Radio news interviewed me on Friday. John Matlak interviewed me yesterday. Sheldon Heygood from the Fox affiliate in Birmingham set up an interview for Friday when I get down there, and Adam Jacobs from thefinalsprint.com is contacting me on Friday night to do a podcast for his website. This is pretty fun.

Meanwhile, I have a couple friends joining me for the last two legs of the adventure. Paul Ruesch and Brent Weigner are meeting me in Australia, where we'll run, do a little mountain climbing, reconnoiter the local breweries, then continue on to Seoul for more of the same. Paul has become like a brother to me over the last 10 years since we met on our first trip to Antarctica. I think Asia is the only continent where he and I haven't had a beer together. Brent is my bi-polar buddy - we've been to both the South Pole and the North Pole together. And now, I think we've got Nelsen Peterson almost talked into meeting us in Korea.

Still working on the last minute packing and planning, but everything's going well. Michael Long's fifth grade is joining me on a virtual field trip, and I'll post as often as I can from around the world.

The Countdown

2007-02-02T08:46:00.001-05:00

A week from today I start my journey to the far ends of the earth--running seven marathons on seven continents in 35 days. Nelsen Petersen from Kibo Productions was over last night, giving me some insight on how to operate my video equipment, getting me some good advice. My airplane tickets will arrive via DHL today. My passport is up to date. My bags are nearly packed.

Michael Long's fifth grade class will be following my adventure on a "virtual field trip." Anyone else is welcome to do the same. I'll be blogging as often as I can as we go along, and will try to post some pictures too. Last night, I sent out a press release (grab a copy off my website if you want) to try and drum up some good PR.

The journey will start in Alabama, then home for a couple days before heading to Luxor Egypt. If all goes according to plan, before I get home I'll finish seven marathons (26.2 miles or longer), climb a couple mountains, make a bunch of new friends, and sample some tasty beers on every continent.

Question from one of Michael's students--Which marathon are you most looking forward to? My answer--the next one. You do these things one at a time. Hopefully everything will work out the way it's supposed to. If it doesn't, I'm still determined to enjoy the journey. This is gonna be a blast.

Seven Continents/Seven Marathons

Merry Christmas

Quick update

Henri's Finish!

More life at Patriot Hills

RACE DAY IN ANTARCTICA!!!!!

Life in Patriot Hills Camp

Arriving in Antarctica

Don's Anticipated Arrival Home

Don has done it again!

Update on Antarctic Ice Marathon

6:30 pm phone call

Cautiously Optimistic

Corrida Enap 2007 10K race. Sunday, 16 December 2007

Saturday 16 December

Perspective.

13 December 2007

From today's La Prensa Austral

Late on 12 December

12 December 2007

Don is still in Punta Arenas.

Tuesday morning in Punta Arenas

The Nature of Antarctic Travel

10 December 2007

Notes from Mr. Long's class

SIX DOWN

Short report on New Zealand

5 - 6 December 2007

Notes from Carly's class

Go back to 30 November

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday

1 December 2007 Aspen Pharmacare Crusaders Port Elizabeth City Marathon

Kragga Kama Game Park 30 November 2007

Note to Carly's class

Friday, 30 November - Morning

Mr. Long's class

Thursday, 29 November 2007 in Port Elizabeth

Finally out of Italy

It's all part of the adventure

26 November 2007 Last day in Italy

25 November 2007 RACE DAY!

24 November 2007

23 November 2007

Hills for Breakfast. Turkey for Dinner

Wednesday

Press Release

Tuesday

Monday, 19 November

Sunday night - One down, 6 to go.

Saturday

Arrived in Beirut

One more time.

Email from Smiles...

Article from "MyNextRace.com"

Darn it!

Home!!!

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!!!

Marathon # 7!!!

Here's something interesting

Closing in on # 7

More questions from Mr. Long's Class

Arrived in Korea

Back to Sydney

Mt. Kosciuszko

Six Foot Track Marathon

March 10, 2007

Fin del Mundo Marathon

Fin del Mundo Marathon

Back in Ushuaia

Questions from Mr. Long's class:

March 3, 2007

March 2, 2007

March 1, 2007

February 28, 2007

February 28, 2007

Antarctica Marathon

February 23, 2007

In Colonia, Uruguay

Buenos Aires

Lazy Monday