The Antarctica Marathon: Part 2

The Antartica Marathon is the ultimate adventure marathon

There are fewer more dangerous sea crossings anywhere in the world than the infamous Drake Passage. It is the two days of this crossing that you have to experience before tackling one of the toughest marathons around, the Antarctica Marathon. This is a time in your life that you'll never forget.

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The ship was functional, a former ice-breaker now converted to take visitors to this remarkable continent. It's one of seven continents and the first of my 'marathon on every continent' adventure. The ensuite cabin, that was to be a shared home for two days, had bunks, with the addition of an interesting feature, the equivalent of seat belts. They didn't warrant more than a passing comment until the middle of the night and then it was clear why they had been provided.

The Drake Passage, also known as Pasaje de Drake in Spanish, is a body of water that lies between Cape Horn, specifically Chile and Argentina, and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. It connects the southeastern part of the Pacific Ocean with the southwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean, extending into the Southern Ocean. The passage was named after Sir Francis Drake, an English explorer and privateer of the 16th century. Despite its beauty, the Drake Passage is considered one of the most dangerous voyages for ships due to its strong currents and waves that can reach up to 40 feet (12 m). The passage's narrowness around Antarctica influences the global circulation of water and climate, making its bathymetry an essential factor in the global mixing of oceanic water.

As we left port all was calm. Around 8 hours later it was not. My cabin mate who was visiting the bathroom was thrown into the sink and then hell was unleashed. The bed 'seat belts' were rapidly buckled and for the next few hours and until daylight we stared at the ceiling struggling to believe what was happening. Waves were crashing over the top of the boat with a noise that made the sinking of the vessel likely at any time. It was terrifying.

Breakfast was strange. Barely half the runners appeared, most were clinging on to their beds and making rapid trips to the bathroom. Those that did venture out were met with bowls and glasses sliding across the tables as the waves continued to batter the boat. It was a surreal experience and the first breakfast I've experienced where clinging on to your bowl was the most important part of your meal. Trying to drink coffee was especially difficult. The rest of the day was spent finding ways to fight the impact of a constantly swaying ship. Many people were seriously sea sick and didn't appear. Others tried various drug remedies and others sat in the library, which was supposed to be the best place to avoid the carnage. 'Be near the front and look straight ahead'. That was the advice. And it worked to an extent.

Eventually things settled. Shaken, and bleary eyed people emerged and began attending sessions on the history of the area, its wildlife and its climate. Fascinating they were too, although there was still nervousness that chaos would hit us again soon. It didn't and a sense of normality returned. The following day, and now 'race eve', gave us a chance to take in the absolutely stunning beauty of this place. A leopard seal grabbing a penguin on an iceberg summed up the uniqueness of everything we were experiencing.

Icebergs are large pieces of freshwater ice that have broken off from glaciers or ice shelves and are now floating freely in open salt water. These icebergs can be more than 15 meters long and are often accompanied by smaller chunks of glacially-derived ice known as "growlers" or "bergy bits". The sinking of the Titanic in 1912 led to the formation of the International Ice Patrol in 1914, highlighting the serious maritime hazard that icebergs pose. It is important to note that much of an iceberg is below the surface, often more than two thirds of it, which has led to the commonly used expression "tip of the iceberg" to illustrate a small part of a larger unseen issue. We hit a few of them as we travelled through, but aside from a significant bump and plenty of noise there was nothing for anyone to worry about. A ship's captain here really does earn their salary.

We arrived at King George's Island, where the race is held, on the second afternoon. The organisers head off to get everything prepared and we spend some time acclimatising. It's a truly breathtaking place, but tomorrow there's a marathon. For a small number unfortunately the crossing was all too much and they didn't make it out of their cabins for the event itself. Severe sea sickness can be debilitating and whilst it isn't an issue for any other marathon it can be for this one, so be prepared. In some years the crossing can be tame, but assume it isn't going to be and come ready. It was an early night and then it was time for action. Depending on your wave you can be starting as early as 7am and from well before that the place is humming with the sound of zodiacs ferrying runners and organisers to shore. Zodiacs are the motorised inflatable craft that are a key part of any trip like this. You become very familiar with them.

It's hard to comprehend what to wear for a race like this, but clearly it involved lots. Layering is key. For us, thankfully it was relatively sunny, but still extremely cold, despite being in the middle of 'summer'. In other years there can be little sun and lots of heavy rain/snow so you need to prepare for every eventuality. Today it was sunglasses, woolly hat, jacket, two shirts, gloves, leggings and trail running shoes. As with any marathon there were a lot of nerves in the minutes before we got started. It was different this time as you almost felt you'd done the worst bit by crossing The Drake Passage, but what was to come was no easy ride.

Check out Part 3 of the Antarctica Marathon adventure.