Post Race - Reflections

It has been a few weeks since we crossed the finish line on an active volcanic island called Deception. I hope everyone is recovering well. We were very fortunate to have great weather during the entire trip.

The Last Desert was the 4th RTP race that I have finished. This one was challenging because of the ever-changing soft snow we raced on. I’m not sure which is harder to move through, the salt flats of Atacama, the sands of Namibia or the snow of Antarctica. My pack weighed 2-3 kg not including what I was wearing or water, depending on the temperature and wind. This pack weight was like the pack weight during the final days of the other desert races. My pack never felt like a burden except taking it off in the Zodiac boats, praying it wouldn’t drop overboard.

Meeting up in Ushuaia with so many friends from previous races was a great reunion and a chance to catch up.  What races have you done? What races do you have planned for next year? The walk as a group from the hotel to the ship was filled with anticipation. The M/V Plancius is a refurbished research vessel that has room for 108 passengers. It was dwarfed by the mega cruise ships that were docked next to it.  This time RTP filled the entire ship with racers for the Last Desert, the Ultramarathon, and Friends and Family. It was the perfect size for our expedition.

 Our first up close glimpse of the Plancius

Safety was extremely important. One of the first things we did onboard was an Abandon Ship Drill. When the ship was rocking and we were moving around the ship, we were told to have “one hand on the ship”.

Abandon Ship Drill move to the lifeboats

The Drake Lake. After leaving Ushuaia, we moved through the calm Beagle Channel, and then around midnight entered the Drake Passage. We were very fortunate going and returning through a very calm Drake Passage. Truth be told, I was hoping for a little bit of the Drake Shake.

Stage 1 – Half Moon Island. 5 am breakfast. This was our first time on the Zodiac boats and organizing all our gear to get from the ship to the shore. On land there were two large tarpaulin sheets for us to put our drop bag and food bag. There was chaos that first day on shore changing into our running shoes from our waterproof boots we wore on the Zodiacs, putting on the micro spikes, and gaiters. On the first day we did a mostly flat, ~5K loop for ~11 hrs. Towards the end of the loop there was a large penguin colony and depending on the direction of the wind we got a whiff of something very smelly. Back to the ship on the Zodiacs. Just before entering the ship, we dipped our shoes, boots, and poles in a disinfectant solution. Then up anchor and we moved to the next location. Having a shower and eating delicious food prepared for us was so different from the other RTP races.

First day chaos getting ready to race

Fer captures Ben’s “I’m the King of the World” Titanic moment, a very popular photo op

Stage 2 – Portal Point. Our first steps on the continent! From the ship we could see the course and realized there was going to be a lot of ascents and descents. It was a relatively short loop. We raced in the morning and returned to the ship by about 1 pm for lunch. We then moved to Damoy Point.

Stages 3 – Damoy Point/Port Lockroy. 5 am breakfast again. We raced in the morning and then were back on the ship for the afternoon. That day we had various activities, including a Zodiac boat tour, learning about Port Lockroy from the 5 resident staff members, and sending postcards through the Port Lockroy post office. I got an Antarctica stamp on my passport from Port Lockroy. Later we had a BBQ with great food and some brave people ate on the tables on the back deck. I retreated with my plate loaded with food to the warm dining room.

December 1 is Antarctica Day

Stage 4 – Danco Island – A Dream Day. The view while on the course was stunning. The water was like glass with icebergs and floating ice. The clouds parted to let in the sunshine. The penguins in multiple large colonies up the slopes were squawking so much it became background noise. They were constantly moving up and down their highways to the sea. Then I heard whales spouting which stopped me in my tracks. From the tails, we could see they were humpback whales. The people kayaking at the time we so fortunate to see this. Then within the same minute the thunder of a glacier fracturing but I could not see where it had occurred. It was like a dream. Oh yeah, I’m in a race, keep moving! We were racing for about 9 hrs. Before getting on the Zodiacs we were offered the chance to do the Polar Plunge from the shore. As a swimmer being in Antarctica, I had no choice but to participate. The challenge was walking on the slippery stones to get deep enough to dunk myself. Yes, the water was stunningly cold. Getting out was tricky because of the stones and my feet getting numb. Anne was so kind to lend a shoulder to lean on getting out of the water.

On course at Danco Island with Plancius anchored

Photo by Sarah Oh who knows how to frame a scene

Many times, the water was like glass, creating perfect reflections

Stage 5 – Deception Island. Early in the morning we sailed through Neptune’s Bellows into the center of Deception Island, an active volcanic island. The terrain was a mix of areas that were covered by snow and parts that were gravel. The course was relatively flat. I didn’t use my micro spikes that day. It didn’t seem to make a difference. Once Reinhold completed 250K, everyone after him completed their race when they got to the finish line. Our medals were waiting for us!

Running on snow and gravel

The Finish

After we returned to the ship to get cleaned up and lunch, Plancius moved to Whaler’s Bay and then we went onshore to walk around. The beach was steaming and there was water bubbling up in places that was hot because of the volcanic activity. Many of us walked up to Neptune’s Window and were rewarded with a clear view of the continent. Penguins, seals, piles of whale bones, and abandoned buildings filled out the rest of the visit. Then we boarded Plancius one more time for the trip back to Ushuaia.

A few more thoughts: Sometimes our food in our drop bags didn’t freeze but sometimes it did, depending on the weather. I had a vague nutrition plan that became ad-hoc (meaning random). I used Power Crunch protein energy bars, Pop-Tarts, and chocolate covered almonds and Infinit sports drink. Training in the heat of Houston for a race in snow was in retrospect questionable. At the end of each stage, crossing the finish line, I was always hoping they would ask me to do one more loop to continue the adventure.

Thank you to Mary, all the RTP staff, the expedition leaders, and crew of the Plancius. Everyone was so wonderful and supportive, always encouraging us.

It was great to have so many Friends and Family on the trip. My Rice University swim teammates, Cyd and Elizabeth, had a great time.

Friends and Family - Cyd and Elizabeth

The 3Rs from Houston, Royce, Richard, and Rafiq, were back together again 

It was great to race with my tentmates from the Namib Race, Patty and Sam, both Canadians who were in their element, racing on the snow.

With Sam and Patty

My cabin mate, Michele Ufer from Germany, finished the Last Desert to join the 4 Deserts Club. This was a tremendous accomplishment because two years ago, he suffered a stroke that caused him to lose his ability to speak, read, and write. His rehabilitation from that starting point to completing a very challenging multi-stage ultramarathon in Antarctica is an astonishing achievement that will encourage others. On top of this, he succeeded even with sleep deprivation caused by my snoring. 

 With Michele Ufer

It was wonderful to race with friends from the Gobi March, Atacama Crossing, Namib Race. Fer, Rafiq, and Ivan were at each of the 4 races I completed, joining the 4 Deserts Club together.

Congratulations to everyone. It is a giant achievement. My descriptions of this experience to friends back home are completely inadequate. There is so much to tell. It is only us who competed who really know what we experienced during this incredible race.

OK, it is time to really check my gear and make sure I have everything ready for Antarctica. Tomorrow’s weather forecast at noon for King George Island is 30oF, 5 mph wind, feels like 27oF, moderate UV index, no precipitation, ~90% humidity. Here in Houston, it is still ~80oF (26.7oC) and it’s humid. No chance for cold weather training here unless you have access to a walk-in freezer (Rafiq).

I had to buy a good amount of cold weather clothing because it rarely gets too cold in Houston. It’s time to put them on individually and together. I also need to load up my backpack to get a feel for how much it will weigh.

All of us have completed two or more RTP races to qualify for this race. We all know how to get to the finish line of the warm/hot weather races, but The Last Desert is different. One of the many differences in this race is nutrition during each stage. “Food is left in a named plastic tub that you can eat when at the Checkpoint”. Our nutrition will be cold and perhaps frozen solid. I put some gel packets, almond butter, and a sports bar in my freezer. All of them were too solid to eat. Zach had a great suggestion – Pop-Tarts! Calories, carbs, sodium. I put some Pop-Tarts into my freezer, and they were thin enough to easily eat. I also froze some Twinkies and although frozen they were still soft to eat, and the filling did not freeze. Bonus: there is a chocolate version. I still need to get my plastic container.

Wow, only two more weeks before my flights to Ushuaia! Time to scramble to pull everything together!

My current time frame is defined by months. One month until the US elections. Two months until the Last Desert. I have been weighing gear and calculating pack weight. Well, this was a surprise. If I did it correctly, my pack each day will weigh between 2-3 kg (not including water), depending on weather conditions. If it is colder, the pack will be lighter because I’ll be wearing more of the required gear. This is because a portion of our required gear will be in the Drop and Food bags while we are on course. This means that unlike the other Desert Races where our food makes up more than half the weight of our packs, pack weight for the Last Desert will not be a big issue.

I need to keep an eye on my flight reservations. I recently received an email in Spanish from Aerolineas Argentinas. I used Google translate to learn that the times of one of my flights had changed. Fortunately, it was only by 15 minutes.

Now is the time to get time on feet with my pack and hydration/nutrition during the weekends. Last week during the run of my Half-Ironman triathlon it was very hot. So, I was pouring water on myself to cool down. I had forgotten that the first thing that happens is that the water drains directly into your shoes. I had wet socks for the entire half-marathon. Fortunately, it was warm weather but in Antarctica it will be very cold. I have never used waterproof socks or shoes. I will put them on and dip them in water to see what happens!

Congratulations in everyone who participated in the 20-year Race in Jordan. It looked awesome but sounded really tough.

I have a triathlon race in a few weeks. Last weekend I was cycling in a group ride that I have done numerous times. We were switching lanes when my front tire went into a gap between the lanes and suddenly I was down. Then the rider behind me ran over my leg. My participation in the Last Desert flashed before my eyes! Fortunately, we were heading uphill and not going very fast. I skinned my knee and got road rash on my hip. Otherwise, I was OK. It is amazing how one little slip can jeopardize months of planning.

I just finished reading the book Endurance about the Shackleton expedition, attempting to cross the Antarctic continent. It described Antarctica in a way I had not appreciated. It is a great read, an incredible story of survival and persistence, in one of the most extreme environments. I have also been watching YouTube videos about crossing the Drake Passage (Drake Lake vs Drake Shake) and Antarctica. Those videos have been very helpful for me to wrap my head around what it will be like in Antarctica.

I almost have all my required equipment. Houston is a very warm climate. Today the heat index is 105 F (>40 C). Mostly, I have been purchasing a lot of cold weather clothing. I got my waterproof trail shoes (Hoka Speedgoat 5 GTX) that are a half size larger than my usual size because the waterproof socks are very thick. Time to start weighing the required equipment to figure out how much my pack will weigh. The structure of the Last Desert race is a bit different than what we have become familiar with for the Gobi, Atacama, Namibia races. Best wishes with everyone’s training.

Looking down from the plateau above the enormous sand dune just before CP3, I was just trying to survive. Instead of gliding down the dune with joy, I was sliding down on my butt, knowing that I had to withdraw. The wheels had fallen off. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, I was bonking. I was not taking in enough calories and electrolytes, mainly because my very heavy pack was not configured well to access my nutrition. Antarctica was the farthest thing from my mind.

I spent the rest of my time during the race in the comfort of the host hotel, trying to figure out why things went wrong. The following year I decided to attempt the Gobi March in Mongolia. I retooled with a well-configured, much lighter pack, a tested nutrition plan, and a coach. I completed the 2023 Gobi March with a smile on my face. This gave me the confidence to go back to Atacama in 2023 for redemption. Truth be told, the Slot Canyon water crossings during Stage 2 is my most favorite RTP experience. Btw, on this second attempt I did glide down the dune with great joy! Finishing the Atacama Crossing gave me two races completed, qualifying me for the Last Desert but doing loops in the snow didn’t sound appealing. However, sometime between finishing the Atacama Crossing and before the Namib Race in 2024, things changed. My goal became to complete the Last Desert this year and join the 4 Deserts Club. Now I am thrilled to be going to Antarctica and doing loops in the snow in the middle of incredible scenery. I think the race will be epic especially because so many of my friends from previous races will also be there to share the experience. Today is the official start of my training!