McMurdo Marathon
Today was the annual McMurdo marathon and 1/2 marathon. The extreme location inspires a decidedly relaxed atmosphere for the race. Racers can bicycle, ski or run the track out on the Ross Ice Shelf. The historic route has been an out and back run to Pegasus Field which is one of the airplane landing strips near McMurdo. This year the road conditions to Pegasus field had deteriorated enough that they had to place the turn around spot at mile 6.55 so full marathon runners had to make the trip twice. There was an aid station at the starting line, mile 3 and at mile 6.55. The aid station at mile 6.55 had music, a warming hut and a barbecue serving hot dogs and hamburgers. There was also a snowmobile, van and a Hagglund patrolling the route ready to offer aid to anyone that needed it.
Race Weather
The race can only happen in condition 3 weather and it would have been canceled in condition 2 weather. Condition 2 is reached when visibility is <1/4 mile, wind speeds are > 55 mph, or wind chill is < -75 F. We stayed in condition 3 all day but the weather was still nasty with winds up to 37 mph and wind chill getting down to 9 F. The cloud cover made for flat light and it was difficult to see the uneven surface. There were lots of snow drifts from mile 5 to mile 6.5.
My First Marathon
Most of the 60 racers that competed this year did the 1/2 marathon. I decided to run the full marathon. During the second lap the winds were strong and I was using a lot of energy just keeping warm. By the time I got too the aid station I was cold and hungry. I stopped in the warming hut and ate two hamburgers, two Hershey bars, a homemade energy bar and I drank five glasses of Gatorade. The food was good and it along with a strong tailwind pushed me the last 6.5 miles to the finish line. I managed to come in 9th place for the runners. Not too bad for my first marathon (full disclosure: there were only 10 runners that finished the full marathon).
Post Race Dunk Tank
After the race they provided a dunk tank for us to cool our aching muscles. The tank is filled with water that is pumped directly from McMurdo Sound. The water temperature is only 28 F. It was painfully cold but refreshing.
McMurdo Recreation Department
The marathon was an activity sponsored by the McMurdo Recreation Department which is responsible for coordinating activities that boost morale and help maintain wellness. This department is really just one person, Kelly Swanson, and she does a fantastic job. Some of the activities provided include: theme and holiday parties, sports leagues and exercise classes, live music and concerts, game nights, outdoor sports (e.g. hiking and skiing), runs and races, off station recreation travel and historic tours, classes and lectures, and films.
Coordinating all of these activities for a population of 1000 is a big enough job on its own but Kelly also oversees the station library, band room, craft room and four gyms. She was the first McMurdo Station employee of the week in 2017 which is an honor well deserved. Thanks Kelly.
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