Summertime Snow Blankets the Antarctica Marathon

Summertime Snow Blankets the Antarctica Marathon By Patrice Malloy

KING GEORGE ISLAND, Antarctica - (February 28, 2007) - The White Continent lived up to its shivery reputation when an overnight snowstorm blanketed King George Island for the eighth running of the Antarctica Marathon and Half Marathon. Sponsored by Capella University, an online university, the competitions were held on Monday, February 26, 2007.

A hardy contingent of 188 runners from 19 countries traveled to the bottom of the Earth to challenge the 26.2 and 13.1-mile courses, which included an arduous three-quarter mile ascent of a crusty glacier.

Swathed from head to toe, the runners and race crew were shuttled from two Russian research ships in Zodiacs for the 9:00am start at Bellingshausen, the Russian scientific research base.

Once underway, the participants got a taste of the world's most extreme biosphere as they navigated their way over ice and snow-covered mud, rocks and trails in sub-zero wind chills and occasional white-out conditions.

"These were perfect Antarctic conditions," said Thom Gilligan, race director and expedition leader.

Even weather-robust Minnesotans were affected by the day's onslaught of nature.

"There was a stretch on the course when I could not see anything in front of me because of the swirling snow," said Michelle Johnston, of Lake City, Minn., during an interview via satellite telephone. "That is when I got too close to a huge barking seal." The 33-year-old mother of four finished the frozen jaunt in 5 hours, 33 minutes and 59 seconds.

The marathon was won by Matt Tyler, 33, of Shawnigan Lake, BC, Canada who took the lead about half-way and maintained a strong, steady pace to finish in 3:51:33. Christina Harding, 31, of Weston, Mass., came from behind in the last two miles to win the women's division in 4:54:50.

Jeanne Stawiecki, 56, of Charlton, Mass., finished the marathon in 5:22:08 resulting in a successful bid to run a marathon on all seven continents in the shortest duration of time. Pending verification, she accomplished this feat in 141 days. Ginny Turner, a race walker from Hillsboro, Ore., was the last finisher (8:30:35) but the first woman to complete a marathon on all seven continents - twice.

The brutal conditions prevented Dr. William Tan, the event's lone wheelchair competitor, from completing his second attempt at the marathon. Tan, who has completed marathons on every continent except Antarctica, could not overcome the snow drifts - not even while utilizing a customized racing chair. Tan did, however, complete the half-marathon in 5:59:29. His previous attempt at the marathon in 2005 also resulted in a half-marathon finish.

John O'Malley of Woburn, Mass., won the men's division of the Antarctica Half Marathon with a time of 2:13:10 and Carla Cesaroni of Toronto, Canada captured the women's half-marathon crown in 2:20:20.

Chinstrap penguins, fur seals and scientists were among the few spectators the pristine course. The double out-and-back course also wound through Uruguayan, Chilean and Chinese research bases.

source RunningUSA