It's two weeks now since the final stage and I am sure I am not alone in saying Antarctica left a huge impression on me. It really is a special place - extremely fragile and I feel very privileged to have traveled south and seen a very small area of the continent.

It is hard to adjust to the so called real world and 'business as usual' - we (or probably 99% of the global population) really have done our best to distance ourselves as far away as possible from the natural world and ignore the remaining fragile ecosystems, at our peril.

Every action we take impacts the environment and after time in Antarctica I am ever more conscious thatvwe must minimise that impact. Hopefully we the runners, the Racingtheplanet team, the Oceanwide expedition team and ships crew did our very best to ensure we left nothing but footprints. 

While no-one owns Antarctica and treaties can be signed up to or ignored, it's incumbent on everyone travelling or working there to ensure the future of Antarctica is protected. 

All of us who were part of the 10th Edition can, and I know will, raise awareness and be ambassadors for Antarctica now we are back - we have too and that's far more important than any race result or medal.

Sunday 7am, having left Ushuaia at 7pm Friday evening (local time), I am now at Madrid Airport, waiting for my flight to Hong Kong. I should land 7am Monday the 9th December and I am really looking forward to seeing my wife and daughter - it's been a long trip!

Some reflections...

• The travel and journey to 'the end of the world' and Drake's Passage onwards to Antarctica is absolutley worth it and this is 'more than a race' - I recommend you do it.
• 'Endurance', 'Shackelton' and 'Tom Crean - an Unsung Hero' are must reads BEFORE you go, as are a multitude of other Antarctic exploration titles.
• The lectures and presentations on board by the Oceanwide Expedition team were fascinating.
• The kit list is long, but would be needed if the weather hits - we were blessed with very good conditions.
• Having not spent time on a multi-stage 4Desert race for 14 years, I had missed the cameraderie and like minded individuals who do these (and a multitude of other crazy ultramarathons) events.
• Everyone has an interesting story - truly inspirational. It was also nice to meet family and friends of racers. 
• Garmin told me everyday of the race that I had been 'Over reaching'. It's now telling me my training status is 'Strained' and that my sleep score is 'Poor' - things can only get better!
• Running on the snow in Antarctica was not easy on day one and took a while to adapt. The snow was deep in places, icy in others and not compact that often - infact it was uneven and unpredictable! Worked out some sort of shuffle on the inclines, used muscles I had never used before and the micro-spikes were important on 4 of the 5 days.
• An 18 year gap between the first and Last Desert is probably a little excessive.....currently the longest anyone has taken to join the 4Deserts Club or become a 4Deserts Champion?! 
• Achieved my goal of running on a 6th continent before my next birthday, as well as 5 x 50km days in the Year of the Dragon (2 in Wales, 1 in Hong Kong and 2 in Antarctica).
• My physio fixed a torn calf six weeks before the Gobi in 2006 and then worked his magic the last month (a long taper!) to fix my calf's again.
• I had a great cabin mate - Paul Redbourn. We never met during his 14 years in Hong Kong or at any races, and within a few hours of meeting in Ushuaia discovered we had both gone to the same school and had the same teachers - albeit I was a good 11 years ahead, small world! 

Finally a huge thank you to Mary Gadams and the Racingtheplanet team - a fantastic experience and well, never say never - because nearly two decades on, you just might have to eat your words!

The 10th Edition was a very special race.

Rob

Stage 4 and 5 done and dusted and we're now on the way back through the Drakes Passage.

One of the questions I had prior to the race was whether my body would recover for the next day. Well I am very pleased to say it did and am actually feeling pretty good today.

Very happy to reach the 200km mark after the hill repeats of stage 4 and a solid final stage on the flatter Deception Island course. Website and preliminary results are not updated to reflect my final mileage, but am sure it will be should sorted soon.

But to coin a well used phrase, this is "more than a race". It really has been a once in a lifetime trip combining a passion of running and exploring. I have caught the Polar Exploration bug, fascinated with the books I read prior to this past week, and reinforced now that I have been fortunate enough to have travelled here. 

More reflections over the next few days - time to hear some more presentations on 'Sea Ice' and explorers like Amundsen.

Rob

What an amazing experience so far - two days through the Drake Passage (Drake Lake) was long, but we were blessed with calm conditions - not speaking too soon as we still need to go back!

Three stages in the bag and a little over 105km under the belt in unbelievable locations. Half Moon Island for stage 1, Portal point (Antarctica mainland) day 2 and Port Damoy today. 

Lectures on birds, penguins, whales and the British Antarctic Heritage Trust - sightings of chinstrap penguins, Weddell seals, albatrosses. Stunning scenery and surroundings - very privileged to be here and soak it all in.

'The end of the World' - it certainly felt like it travelling here! Not just me, but some shift put in by many to get here, especially from Asia. Hopefully everyone has their luggage now as we board that ship tomorrow, but even if you don't, am sure you'll be able to pull the missing items together.

Great to meet my cabin mate Paul Redbourn - lots in common, having both lived in Hong Kong, discovered we went to the same school (yes, that was a huge surprise!!), lived on the same island and many mutual running friends.

Acclimatising and exploring - a little run this morning and a half day tour yesterday into the Tierra Del Fuego National Park. What an amazing place - a must to comback too and spend longer exploring Patagonia and Chile as well.

Next stage is the Drake's Passage - everyone a little apprehensive over that one, but it's all part of this once in a lifetime journey.

Next blog from the boat, assuming we can access wifi!

Rob

Since a first Trailwalker back in 1997, whenever there was a team 100km race or 250km desert challenge, I’ve partnered with a charity to raise money. For the Last Desert I am excited to be supporting RUN – the Hong Kong charity supporting refugees in the community here. Link to donate is now live and I will be emailing friends, family and colleagues for support this weekend:

 https://runhongkong.kindful.com/fundraise/the-last-desert-antarctica

That count down clock now says 18 Days to go…..so zero benefit in doing any more long training runs!

Which is fortunate because a slight calf strain two weeks ago during a long one is my body saying enough is enough. An enforced rest and recovery a few weeks earlier than planned, but not a bad thing – it is what it is and the challenge with training for a major event has always been balancing enough training with too much. Getting to the start line in one piece, given the significance of a final race in the series being down in Antarctica is the only goal. There is always an upside - I can carbo load and build some stores of fat which could well be of use during this event!

Scott, Shackleton, Crean and all those early explorers didn’t have training schedules, nutritionists, personal trainers’, gym’s, mobile phones or a rather nice cabin on a ship. I am not sure how they did it! They set a date for a ship to meet them at a certain point in a years’ time and that was it! No Gore-Tex, polar fleeces, capelin layers, freeze-dried Expedition Food, GPS and RTP 4 Deserts jacket (picked mine up, very nice thank you Mary).....!

I will bring a few books on Shackelton and Crean with me and happy to share if anyone has not read.

Looking forward to getting there now!

Rob

Traffic on my various Whatsapp groups has ramped up, having been away on events these last 2 weeks. The Last Desert Whatsapp traffic has also definitely increased as everyone’s attention switches from Jordan to the looming November departure date! The discussion around food and kit has been great to catch, even if I’ve not had time to meaningfully contribute - but it highlights how many things I need to finalise over the next 5-6 weeks!

Travel with work has unfortunately exponentially increased as the number of days until the race decrease! The 2025 event schedule has suddenly exploded and everyone wants to conduct site visits before we leave. During a week and a half in Macau, I managed to squeeze in some trail runs and fortunately kept that going this past week in Seoul. The cooler weather in Korea has been welcome (16-20 degrees…) but still nowhere near the temperature we’ll be experiencing in 38 days time. It’s going to be a challenge to fit in runs in the coming few weeks, and I definitely need a few longer back-to-back foray’s with some weight, but it is what it is.

Next week will be an admin week back in Hong Kong, finalising some well overdue paperwork (one being to update my will!!) and launch the charity page.

Finally I took delivery of Michael Smith's book 'An Unsung Hero' Tom Crean, Antarctic survivor, who spent more time in the Antarctic than Scott and Shackleton combined, and a vital member of both their expeditions. I also took Sir Ran Fiennes book ‘Colder’ from the bookshelf and am re-reading – trying at least to get my head around being in the cold!  

Rob

When the count down clock was in the treble digits, I remember thinking that the race was such a long, long way off. Plenty of time to train (would I get bored?!), plenty of time to get kit, sort out the charity element and no need yet to book travel....

7 weeks or 50 days now on that clock and time is disappearing fast and while we've all been here before, just not with such a comprehensive kit list and convoluted flight itinerary! Checked off a few things this past week:

• Mandatory forms all done
• Microspikes and pack sourced
• Flights booked/Hotel booked
• Running assessment done - thank you Joint Dynamics
• Charity progressing
• Mileage in legs......still a work in progress
• Cool weather training - not going to happen
• Books - have pu together a list to take

Finalising food, medical stuff, sea sickness tablets/patches and some odds and ends will need to be done after the next two weels travel is out of the way.....as will some final mileage in the legs!

Popped into the Racingtheplanet office Wednesday, caught up with Mary and had a sneak preview of the Last Desert bibs, medals and jackets, all of which look great!

Counting down...

So my doctor is playing it by the book and sent me for a full once-over before she signs the medical certificate (sorry it's late Mary!). Blood test, Chest X-Ray and the ECG treadmill stress test. Now the last time I did a stress test was after I'd had heat stroke. probably 15 years ago. Prior to that, it was to get my VO2 max and lactate threshold as part of a study when I a sports science student some 40 years ago. Running on a treadmill, wired up and with an airflow mask on while the speed and incline are increased every 3 minutes felt like torture when I was 20. But that was probably due to not enough sleep and a diet of alcohol that was typical of students back then.  

Yesterday's treadmill was relatively sedate in comparison and just 20 wires/electrodes plus blood pressure readings. Results should be fine and then I promise to get that certificate in Mary...

With the temperature still refusing to drop, despite Autumn supposedly having started in Hong Kong, I have found a temposrary solution on my long run to getting some cold air. If I run via two of Hong Kong's shopping malls on Kowloon side at 8am, they are empty aside from some mini-ice hockey games on the ice rink, and have the aircon full blast. A few laps of Elements or Gateway and Harbour City get me some strange looks from the security and cleaning staff, but have a great cooling effect.

Close to just 60 days to go, less than 9 weeks, and gradually working through checklist - there are a lot of small things still to get, but flights and accommodation or done.

Train smart and stay injury free!

Rob 

Spent the weekend going through storage bags looking for kit and I was very excited to come across a lot of items, one being that very small, mandatory piece of kit, the red light. First purchased in 2006, lent to others for their races as well, it's probably done a few thousand kilometres over the years, but having not been used for the past decade it needed a bit of a service before it was good to go. I also dug out my original buff, clearly an army olive green theme back in the mid-2000's, but used for many events over the years and still going strong - you will see it in Antarctica!

One of my goals is not to buy new unless I absolutley need too. Currently managing to pull together rented, used and re-cycled clothing. PATAGONIA came through massively with a great selection of their Worn Wear, so I have supplemented what I already had from past races and skiing.

I won't be modeling the latest Winter season apparel for any brands, but the kit will still be functional and hopefully do the job (even if a little grey and tired looking like myself!).

Need to get a couple of final forms done this week - gradually ticking off the list of things to do!

Rob

Just back to the heat of Hong Kong, some 20 degrees warmer than UK where I was lucky to have six weeks of decent trail running weather and put some miles in the legs.

With 90 days to go, I've been pulling together the mandatory kit. One of my aims is to utilise existing kit or source second hand - a greenrunner pledge. 

Patagonia has been great procuring the items of kit I didn't already have from their used, recycled and worn wear stores, making a major dent in the mandatory equipment list.  

The HOKA Goretex Speedgoats (one with spikes and one without) have arrived. These are brand new, (the one thing I couldn't source used), but will need testing and wearing in. That and keeping the training interesting and focused will be the main challenges over the next few months.

Rob

Last Saturday I did a fourth event of the year, my 'local' 10 miler, the Beast of Llangattock (www.limitlesstrails.co.uk). Limitless Trails organise a year round series of really friendly, low key races in the Black Mountains and around the Brecon Beacons. I highly recommend their events to those of you in UK if you are looking for something well organised and relaxed - the 10km's, canicross, 10 mile, 20 mile, 32 mile or 50 miler options - perfect for any training goal or simply just a great way to spend some time in that part of the world. The pizza food truck at the end of Saturday's race was well received!

I say 'local race' as it's my UK local event and 3 of the four events I have done in 2024 have been in the Brecon Beacons. It was after completing the Beast of Llangattock last year that I really felt increasing the training for Antarctica was achievable.

Fast forward from August 2023 and with just over 100 days or three months now until The Last Desert, the challenge is keeping training varied, maintaining mileage and most importantly remaining injury free. Once back in Hong Kong, the temperatures until October also add in some stress on longer runs outside - compared with 14 degrees here in Wales today!  

Just on the Eurostar back from Paris and what a great few days in the French capital with family. We were fortunate enough to see two amazing swimming sessions these past few days, inbetween sight-seeing and of course lots of eating! 

Paris always has so much to offer, but even more special with the vibe from all the international visitors and the Olympics. Swimming sessions aside, Le Louvre and Les Hotels des Invalides were the highlights in what truly is a beautiful city. 

We walked lots which was a great recovery week after the Beacons Way last weekend. That was a 105km race I'd entered, my first 100km in 15years, and I completed 67km and 2,500m elevation in very warm conditions before deciding to bank the mileage and call it a day.

Very happy with the progress and process of putting in the hours, time on my feet whilst allowing the body not to be overstressed and recover well. I also managed another 7 peaks over 600m to add to the 24 completed since April 2023.

Back then I wrote the following goals to achieve before April 2025:

• 60 summits over 600m

• Complete a race on a sixth continent (already run on 5)

• Run a 60km + distance

Still struggling with eating and distances over 30km - something I need to solve, but otherwise on track to be in decent nick for Novembers trip to Antarctica.

Hope everyone is staying injury free and heading in the right direction.

Happy for anyone to email me separately if they have thoughts or questions about preparing for a multi-stage race or just want to connect and chat:

[email protected]

Rob

A couple of training sessions this week were with visitors from out of town, forcing me to be consider timings and routes that would provide heat mitigation - streams, additional water re-fill points, shade and a breeze/cooler air.

First up was a 21km long run request from a friend over from New York, who religiously follows a marathon training programme and needed to do his long run. He'd frozen the water in his bladder, thinking it would unfreeze at a decent rate during the run, only to be sipping on ice for the first 10km! We started at 7am and duly ticked the box for his long run, but spent the rest of the day re-hydrating! 

The second request was from my wife to accompany her on a work run/hike with one of the founders of Hoka who was in town for the official opening of the Hoka store in Fashion Walk. He'd been to Western States, then Shanghai and had a tight schedule in Hong Kong before returning to France. We met him near the airport, where he left his luggage in a hotel lobby and started the run/hike from the Buddha up and over Lantau Peak. Unfortunately it was at the hottest time of the day, unavoidable due to the schedule, but did mean we were the only three people on Lantau Peak Monday afternoon. They were both wearing bright orange Hoka Speedgoats, but our pace probably didn't do the shoe justice! 

Flying to Europe Sunday for 5 weeks and looking forward to some cooler weather...

Not if you are off to Antarctica and want to do long runs over the next few months! Infact summer in Hong Kong is not ideal for running outside, period. There is a reason no endurance races were traditionally held between May and September - although with the bloated race calendar of recent years, some organisers are edging into the high heat and humidity season. 34 degrees maybe similar to numbers found in the Sahara, Gobi, Namib or Atacama, but not all 34's are equal! Conditions are very different when you combine the stifling humidity of South East Asia. And no, after 30+ years here I still have not acclimitised!! Give me 38 degrees and a dry desert heat over a Hong Kong 34 with 90% humidity any day. The latter ensures an elevated heart rate from the moment you set foot outside, an inability to cool down and increased challenges with hydration - an IV on the menu if you are not careful (although recovery at least is quicker with an IV!).

Heat mitigation measures have already been implemented: routes that have a high percentage of shade/cover and also streams or waterfalls for cooling off in; more time indoors for intensity on the treadmill or spin bike; if outdoors, a slower pace, shorter 'long' runs and no shame in walking or cutting short a planned session. Train smart is always the mantra, especially over a Hong Kong summer, and not a bad idea to head to Europe for a break if you are able too!   

I am definitely sure I won't be able to 'wing it', so time to get some steady mileage back in the legs and knuckle down on the preparation. I got distracted by cycling for a decade after a couple of operations, so not having done any ultra's in the past 8 years, I have gradually started to put some miles in during the past 18 months. Five 25-30km events in 2023 have led to a couple of 50km's so far this year, and those have been a sharp reminder of what can go wrong will go wrong.

As in the past, my aim is not to overdo things and just make sure I can get to the start line - Ushuaia at least - in decent knick and injury free. Couple being 15 years past an ultra-runners prime and having to train through the heat and humidity of a Hong Kong extended summer, what could go possibly wrong?!!

I am looking forward to meeting new people, because I know absolutely no-one who has done a race in the last 10 or so years! As a bit of background, the Gobi March, China 2006 was my first 4 Deserts race. I qualified for Antarctica in 2008, having completed the Atacama and Sahara that year. I was 43 when I raced in 2008, what is considered prime ultra-running years and those who I competed with went on to the Last Desert in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010 - Ahn Byeung-sik (Race Director for UTMB Jeju), Francesco (Checco) Galanzino, Dean Karnazes ('Ultramarathonman') Jimmy Elson (RD for World Trail Majors South Downs that happened this past weekend) and an emerging Ryan Sandes (Red Bull and Salomon athlete), to mention a few. Looking forward to also catching up with the Racing the Planet team and all volunteers - infact,

I am excited to finally be heading to Antarctica and have just finished 'Endurance' - which is an incredible story and a must read.

Would love to hear from fellow travellers heading to Ushaia, do get in touch.

Rob