The Antarctica Marathon® may have been the first for-profit sporting event held in Antarctica, on January 28, 1995. The event is now held every year in late February or early March. The 42.195-kilometre (26 mi 385 yd) race is held on King George Island, one of the largest Antarctic Islands just off the Antarctic Peninsula. There is also a half-marathon held at the same time. The start and finish is at Bellingshausen Station (the Russian base), and the course passes the Artigas Base (Uruguayan), the Frei Base (Chilean) and the Great Wall Base (Chinese). The course follows a gravel road that connects the bases and changes each year based on the base operations as well as road and weather conditions.[1]
| Antarctica Marathon | |
|---|---|
| Date | March |
| Location | Antarctica (King George Island) |
| Event type | Road |
| Distance | Marathon |
| Established | 1995 |
| Official site | Antarctica Marathon |
| Participants | 116 (2019) |
History edit
Thom Gilligan, Founder and CEO of Marathon Tours & Travel, organized the first race in 1995. In 2001, safety concerns prevented the zodiac boats from transporting race participants from the ship to the shore. The marathon was held by running 442 laps around Deck 6 of the ship.[2] The 22nd running of the Antarctica Marathon & Half-Marathon® took place in January and February 2022.
Other marathons in Antarctica edit
McMurdo Marathon edit
The first marathon held in Antarctica may have been near the American research base, McMurdo Station, in January 1995.[3] The annual marathon is free and is open to employees and grantees of the United States Antarctic Program, United States Air Force personnel on duty at McMurdo Station, as well as Kiwis from New Zealand's nearby research station, Scott Base. Many participants run the full marathon. However, a half marathon option is available. Some participants elect to ski the course.[4] In January 2015, McMurdo Station hosted possibly the first known Ultra Marathon over 48 km (30 mi)[5] on the continent.[3]
South Pole edit
The South Pole has also witnessed runners braving conditions to complete a full 42.195 km (26 mi 385 yd) race.[5][6] Both for-profit and free events have been held outside the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station. The South Pole is possibly the first known location of an ultramarathon on the continent, when defining an Ultra as any race greater in length than a marathon.
Past results edit
| Year | Men's Winner | Time (h:m:s) |
Women's Winner | Time (h:m:s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 |  Matt Tyler (GBR)
|
3:51:33 |  Christina Harding (USA)
|
4:54:50 |
| 2008 |  Robert Celinski (POL)
|
3:09:43 |  Catharina Schilder (NED) Maria Schilder (NED)
|
4:21:42 |
| 2009 | Kornelis Brienne (NED)
|
3:04:50 | Lisa DeYoung (USA)
|
4:07:57 |
| 2010 | Robert Youngren (USA)
|
3:50:02 | Kathryn Youngren (USA)
|
3:58:59 |
| 2011 | Michael Hewitt (GBR)
|
3:25:49 | Diana Kenna (USA)
|
4:26:29 |
| 2012 |  Terence Bell (AUS)
|
3:07:58 | Brooke Curran (USA)
|
4:36:53 |
| 2013 | Alan Nawoj (USA)
|
3:29:56 | Inez-Anne Haagen (NED)
|
3:41:52 |
| 2014 | Bartosz Mazerski (POL)
|
3:17:55 |  Stephanie White (NZL)
|
4:23:03 |
| 2015 | Andrew Morris (USA)
|
3:27:02 | Debra Patskowski (USA)
|
3:57:20 |
| 2016 |  Maxime Bondue (FRA)
|
3:15:24 | Sharon-Elise Ryder (AUS)
|
3:38:03 |
| 2017 |  Luan Huynh (DEN)
|
3:24:22 | Lesley Mettler (USA)
|
4:06:14 |
| 2018 | Todd Lubas (USA)
|
3:07:20 |  Wendi Campbell (CAN)
|
3:58:52 |
| 2019 |  Nikolas Adair (GUA)
|
3:31:01 | Suzanne McKeen (AUS)
|
4:36:55 |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | |||
| 2021 | ||||
| 2022 (Jan) |  Priit Jaagant (EST)
|
3:56:32 | Sandy Lam (USA)
|
4:04:41 |
| 2022 (Feb) | Ryan Beberus (USA)
|
3:58:16 | Ember Verma (USA)
|
4:22:59 |
| 2024 (I) | Joseph Perry (CAN)
|
4:15:11 | Katherine Shank (USA)
|
4:07:32 |
| 2024 (II) | Blake LaBathe (USA)
|
3:38:51 | Candice Brown (USA)
|
4:25:37 |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Event Information". marathontours.com. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
- ^ "Alexandria's Brooke Curran on winning the Antarctica Marathon". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- ^ a b "The Antarctic Sun: News about Antarctica - Running Down a Dream (page 1)". usap.gov. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ "Running Down A Dream". antarcticsun.usap.gov. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- ^ a b "The First South Pole Marathon". southpolestation.com. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ Isaacson, Andy (29 January 2011). "A Marathon on Ice". The New York Times.
External links edit
 | This article about marathons or long-distance running is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |