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!