Fairly safe bet it will be wetsuit legal.

It is probably a long shot that I could make it work, but that sounds very intriguing. Would the bikes be provided?

I'm just going to point out that the eighth continent already has quite a strong tri scene. Of course, we're not letting foreigners in right now, but once the rest of the world gets itself sorted you'll easily be able to complete the set.

Your Antarctic concept sounds really cool, I hope you can make it happen.

Cool idea, hope you will have succes. But it is not the first time: https://www.projecticeman.com/

Logistics and safety sounds like challenges.

I triathlon in such a sensitive ecosystem? Why?

We would have to bring our own bikes, which is one of the many challenges in making this happen. Due to cargo size and weight restrictions on the plane to Antarctica (a BAe-146 jet), a full size mountain bike in a standard bike box may be too big/heavy. Not to mention getting the bike from the USA to Chile (I looked into sourcing mountain bikes locally in Punta Arenas, but that seemed too risky). So I've been looking into folding bikes, which would fit in a standard size suitcase and makes the travel logistics easier. Some effort is required to change it from a commuter bike to a snow/gravel bike! This past winter I modified and tested one with knobby tires (see photo), which work in 1-2" of snow, and the next step is to try fat tires, which may or may not be necessary. Stay tuned!

Yes, I look forward to completing the new 8th continent as well. I've toured the south island a few years ago, which was fantastic. Look forward to completing a tri somewhere in NZ once it's possible to travel again. Stay safe and be well!

Yes, not to take anything away from Anders and his amazing accomplishment, but by his own design Project Iceman wasn't a race or a competition. There were also time gaps between disciplines, which is understandable given what he was trying to accomplish and where he was trying to do it. I'm trying to put together the first competitive triathlon that will be open to multiple athletes and will be run under more or less normal race rules.

You raise an excellent point. Much of Antarctica is indeed a very sensitive ecosystem, which ruled out a lot of promising race sites (finding a spot with swimmable water, and an existing trail or road in close proximity was challenging). And some locations were OK with swimming and running, but were uncomfortable with biking, as the effect of tire treads was not known. King George Island is not particularly eco sensitive. It has an air strip (which we will be flying into), a harbor (where we will be swimming), and an existing road/trail between numerous scientific sites (which have permanent buildings and are occupied year round), which is where the marathon is held and where we will be biking and running at the same time as them. There are already two marathons a year held on this site, which attract many tens of athletes (close to 100 per year combined), and other tourists regularly visit King George Island as well (fly-ins as well as off of expedition and cruise ships). We will be doing this with the permission of local authorities, which is one of the main reasons we are tagging along with the White Continent Marathon folks, who have successfully obtained permits for eight years in a row. Of course, as one should do at all triathlons anywhere, our goal is to leave no trace other than footprints (or tread marks from the bike). Zero litter.

As to the "why" behind this, there are basically three reasons: 1) marathoners and ice swimmers have their own 7 continent challenges, with Antarctica being one of the stops, so why shouldn't triathletes? 2) I've always wanted to go to Antarctica, and pulling off a triathlon there seemed like an interesting challenge. 3) I like to have a sense of purpose for my triathlon life, so I put together challenges like this to benefit some of my favorite charities and non-profits. My 50 States plus DC triathlon challenge was a fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, World T.E.A.M. Sports, and the Challenged Athletes Foundation. Since my triathlon race calendar has been shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, I've done a Virtual Challenge of completing a Virtual 5K run in each of the 50 states plus DC, to benefit local charities/non-profits and local race directors. My 7x7 Challenge (7 triathlons on 7 continents, with Antarctica being the capstone) has a goal of raising $49K for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Thanks for asking!

Dry suit legal

This sounds like a really cool idea! Is it a one time thing, or does it have the possibility of becoming an annual event (in conjunction with the marathon) if it works out? I love the idea of doing a triathlon in Antarctica, but I don't have the money right now, I'm wary of international travel at the moment, and honestly, if I were putting that kind of time and money into it, I'd want to do something longer than a sprint.

I actually did the Antarctica Marathon in 2013 (the one organized by Marathon Tours, which is also on King George Island). I've often wondered if it would be possible to do a full Ironman there. As mentioned earlier, Anders Hofman did an Antarctic Ironman earlier this year, despite some really tough conditions, though still no one has done it in the traditional 17-hour cut-off time.

There would definitely be a balancing act between following some semblance of normal tri rules, and making the experience survivable. For example, you mentioned wetsuit gloves, and I agree those would be necessary, even though they would never be allowed in any other race. Ditto for wetsuit hoods - and probably a mask and snorkel to keep your face from freezing. (Did some open water swimming in Massachusetts starting in early April this year, when the water temp was 41F, and did a lot of trial and error with cold water gear... though obviously Antarctica would be colder.)

Other ideas for surviving the swim: maybe it could be broken into short segments. Swim a few minutes, warm up a few minutes, repeat. So in an Ironman, if the time cut-off is 2:20 but you can do it in an hour, that leaves 1:20 to spend warming up, right? Oh, and is it "legal" to go into a warm building, or would you have to hang out in the cold wind?? I guess it wouldn't really be an issue if you're doing a sprint, but brainstorming how to survive an Ironman swim in that temp... Also, pouring warm water into your wetsuit every few minutes could help keep you warm, though if that's considered outside assistance you could just drink a bunch of fluids before the race and pee a lot while swimming, which would kind of work the same way...

Besides the cold, the other issue I would forsee on the swim would be leopard seals. Those things are scary! Might be good to have someone on a boat keeping an eye out for those, though they move pretty fast, so not sure what you could actually do if one were to get you. In any case, staying really close to shore seems like a good idea.

As far as the bike, I actually saw someone riding a mountain bike down there, while we were running the marathon. (Regular knobby tires, not fat tires.) I think he was one of the scientists from the Russian station, Bellingshausen, and he rode along the marathon course for a while to spectate and cheer. I saw him take at least one spill, though not a bad one. It was really slippery, and I fell probably half a dozen times during the marathon. Many of the other runners had falls, too - at least those of us who were trying to actually race each other! On the bright side, you have a bunch of layers on, so chances are you won't hurt yourself very much.

As you mentioned, the only paved road is the airport runway. The marathon course is dirt, snow, and ice - and it's really freaking hilly! I think the bike splits would be ridiculously slow - unless you could somehow get permission to include the airport runway as part of the course. Sounds like this wouldn't be an issue in the race you're planning, though hypothetically in an Ironman race, using the airport runway as part of each bike lap might be a deciding factor in whether it was possible to meet traditional cut-off times or not.

The run has a lot less issues to sort out than the swim & bike, though again, it is slow going. A couple of data points: when I went to Antarctica, my normal marathon time was around 3:30. I ran 4:24. My mom went 6:48, and in a normal marathon she can break 5 hrs. At least you get a lot of hours of daylight down there in January!

To touch on the comments about the environment: yes, Antarctica is very pristine, and they work hard to keep it that way. We had to follow very strict rules - for example, no wrappers of any sort could come onshore. We could carry an unwrapped Clif bar, for example, in a pocket, but not the wrapper, because it might blow away (yes, this rule was created because of some idiot a few years before). We brought our own hydration in bottles labeled with our name, and left them for ourselves in a designated area at the start/finish line, which we passed multiple times. They strictly enforced the "take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints" rule. The bathroom was simply a bucket with a tent set up over it. On the way across the Drake Passage, we had a "vacuum party", where we vacuumed the pockets of anything we would be wearing onshore, to remove anything that might contaminate the Antarctic environment. We also scrubbed the bottoms of our running shoes, got them inspected, and then some of us had to go scrub them again... 🤪

As I mentioned, this was with Marathon Tours, and I'm not sure how much the logistics are standardized between companies. I think they did a great job with it, and am glad they enforced the regulations so well (though it might be tricky if they make you unpack and scrub your bike to get it approved!)

This sounds like an amazing adventure. I don't think I can make it work this winter, but would love to hear how it goes, and to take part eventually if it becomes an annual thing!

Cheers,
Ginger Howell

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https://www.instagram.com/gingerhowellracing/
If you find yourself thinking "What if I can't", instead think "What if I can!"

The OP actually said wetsuit, though I agree with you.

I can't imagine stripping down to put on a wettie after the run and bike. Would it be easier to wear it the entire race?

Good points, and I went back and forth on the wetsuit vs. drysuit issue. My conclusion was wetsuit because:
a) drysuits are expensive and more awkward to swim in;
b) after getting some advice from experienced ice swimmers, for the short duration of the swim contemplated, a wetsuit should be sufficient;
c) I have a wetsuit and I don't have a drysuit (not a great reason, but thought I'd throw it in there).

As to imagining the race, and in what order, that's also something I've thought a lot about, gone back-and-forth on, and came to the conclusion that putting the swim last made the most sense. Here's my reasoning:
a) Can't really imagine wanting to do anything after the swim other than getting into warm dry clothing and staying warm and dry;
b) While cold, the air temperature won't be that bad (warmer than the water temperature, and likely 30-40 degrees F); after the bike and run one should feel nice and warm;
c) It won't be a complete strip down to get into the wetsuit; I'm thinking there will be a thin base layer of microfiber long johns that will stay on throughout the race, and will be kept on under the wetsuit for added warmth.

Of course I've never done this before (although I have raced in cold and wet conditions and have some personal experience with hypothermia), so there is a lot of speculation on my part (informed by seeking advice from experts in the various disciplines). Any constructive thoughts or critiques from people who have more experience than I have with racing in freezing temperatures would be welcome. Thanks!

Dear Ginger:

Thanks for the comments and great feedback. Very helpful. Let me try and address some of the questions you raised:
1) For me this is probably a one-time thing, although Steve, the White Continent Marathon organizer, seems interested in making it a regular addition to his marathon expedition if it works out.
2) Agree with you about getting on an airplane for a long flight not being the most appealing idea right now. Hopefully by January 2021 the situation will be better, although good trip insurance is highly recommended because you never know when flights might get shut down or borders closed.
3) In theory it would be nice to do something longer than a Sprint, but for the first time ever, the Sprint distances seem daunting enough. Maybe if everything turns out well and the logistics aren't too horrific, an Olympic distance event might be possible, but the swim would be pretty risky without a lot of experience and training for the ice cold water.
4) I think what Anders was able to do was amazing. Honestly, I don't have that level of physical ability or dedication to training and expedition planning to pull that off. And I suspect that there's not more than a small handful of people who could or would be interested in something like that. I'm trying to put together something that resembles an actual swim/bike/run triathlon race that multiple athletes can compete in (and would be open to mere mortals, not super heroes). That is proving to be challenging enough, and with a very limited audience of interested participants.
5) You are 100% correct about the balancing act between following traditional triathlon rules and making sensible adaptations so that we don't die trying to do this (or lose fingers/toes to frostbite). Would love to hear more about your gear choices and experiences in 41F water. I'm also planning on using a swim mask and swim snorkel (which would be race legal in conventional triathlons).
6) I've spent a fair amount of time researching and thinking about the swim, and the balance between what would qualify as a legitimate race and what would be life threatening. There really aren't any warming huts or structures around the swim area. It's probably going to be get in, swim, get out, change into dry clothes, try to warm up, and head back to the plane. See also my other reply on the wetsuit vs. drysuit debate. Bottom line, without substantial experience and training in ice swimming (which, I've learned, is actually a thing), a 10 minute time limit on the swim is going to be mandatory for safety reasons. And yes, pre-charging the wetsuit with hot water (I'll be bringing a couple of thermos bottles) is highly recommended to make even the 10 minutes bearable.
7) Yes, the leopard seals are one of the local hazards that has limited the options in terms of where to swim and what the course will look like. Having someone in a Zodiac between the swim course and open water would be helpful. Not sure if we'll be able to have that or not. The real key to safety is that the swim course is going to be in a pretty high traffic part of the harbor, parallel to shore, in shallow water (4-5 ft max depth), and short (multiple laps along a 50 meter rope) so it will be easy to bail out in case of predators, hypothermia, or other issues. Hopefully that will keep us away from where the leopard seals and other critters like to play.
8) This past winter I tested out the best knobby tires I could find for my proposed bike and found that I could manage 1-2" of snow at most. The good news is that based on reports from marathoners (and we would be riding on the marathon course), there's typically not a lot of snow, mostly slush, gravel, mud, and some icy patches. I'm going to try fat tires too, and see if that works better than knobby tires.
9) Again, I'm trying to keep the courses short and in multiple loops to reduce the risk. The plan is to mark the first 2.5Km of the marathon course, which I understand is fairly flat. You might be able to provide a better perspective on that thought, please! One out-and-back loop for the run, 4 out-and-back loops for the bike.
10) The environmental logistics you describe about wrappers, hydration, shoe bottoms, etc. are what I am anticipating we would be dealing with as well. Bike and tire scrubbing would likely be required as well. And the tent-over-bucket port-a-potties seems pretty standard. You had exactly the words I was searching for, for the guiding rule: "take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints" (and some bike tire treads in our case).
11) I am curious as to what gear you found worked for you on the marathon. Number of layers, what they were, type of running shoes, etc. Any detail that you can share would be much appreciated!

Thanks so much for your feedback and for sharing your marathon experiences. That was super helpful. I hope this triathlon adventure works and becomes a regular thing, so that you can take part in the future. I will continue to post updates so people know what happens.

Kind regards,

Dave

This is a serious question. Why is Anarctica any more a sensitive ecosystem than a swamp beside Houston, the Thames flowing through London or the Pearl River in South China. I THINK we believe less developed places are "sensitive ecosystems" because we're OK destroying places that we're already destroying, but we feel guilty touching parts of the world that are unspoiled, but we're spoiling both poles all the time the way we live. The New York City marathon, or Ironman Hawaii are also destructive on ecosystems....we just view them as less sensitive because we're OK destroying what we already are in the process of degrading.

There is a full blown US research base right at the South Pole (https://en.wikipedia.org/...t_South_Pole_Station). I have a friend who was the base doctor there for two years. The amount of diesel fuel flown in to power that place is insane. But there is a lot of fundamental research going on there, to help humanity for which we're spewing diesel soot at the South Pole.

Anyway food for thought. Lot's of stuff going on in Antarctica. I don't think a triahtlete going for a challenge should be too worried given the ecotourists, researchers etc etc.

Edit: Base is powered by Jet Fuel in its generators, not diesel. Makes sense since you end up with one source of fuel for electricity, heating and air transport.

The amount of fuel for one place might seem insane if you only have one place like that, in an environment which needs constant heating. But think amount the amount of fuel needed to heat or cool a buildling. Cut if off from mains electricity and let it run on generators.

Besides that, the more biodiverse an area is, the better resistance it has against change and disturbance. It just has many more options to bounce back with. Places like Antarctica have huge amounts of life, but at very concentrated places, and very few species actually. So they are more sensitive to disturbance, than most of the temperate areas where many cities are.

But there is (high cost, low volume) tourism to Antarctica, the place is big, and any event very likely to be small. They do a marathon too, so why not something else. Tricky place to bike and swim though.

Any chance of this taking place in 2022? There was no response from anyone at White Continent Marathon.

I'm hoping that once we are past the pandemic, not only in the USA but in the jumping off places for Antarctica like Chile and/or Argentina, travel and endurance events like marathons and triathlons will become possible once again. Through at least June 15, non-resident foreigners can't travel to Chile, and even returning Chilean citizens/residents have to have a negative COVID test and quarantine for 5 days in a "transit hotel" and then take a second COVID test before quarantining for another 5 days. Under the current restrictions it doesn't look like the triathlon trip logistics would be possible. I would still like to do the sprint triathlon in Antarctica at King George Island, flying there from Punta Arenas Chile, as originally planned. Can we pull it off in January or February 2022? Might be a little bit too soon, but maybe a possibility. The situation is pretty fluid right now. Marathon Adventures hasn't posted a date for the 2022 White Continent Marathon yet. I'll post updates to this forum as I find out more. Thanks for the continued interest in this crazy adventure/project!

Sound like a great experience.

Regarding how far a distance, you safely can swim, it a lot more than 200 m. Due to closed swimlanes, outdoor swimseason this year begun (for me) at 0,5 degrees C. Standard wet suit, 3 mm hood, 5 mm gloves and boots. 800 m was cold, but achiveable. Wind was 8 m/s, - 3 degrees C as air temp and snowing.
The undress/dressing was pretty cold without a dryrobe.

Thanks for the data point; very helpful advice. How long were you in the water for, to achieve 800m swim? Thanks, Dave

17 minutes. It was tough getting started.
Later in the season, i got used to the shock (cold water in the face), and stopped doing any kind of breast strokes.
The first minutes are crucial, as your body try hyperventilate.

I have come down to 2:05 min/100 m in sub 5 degrees water.

Try this page: https://internationaliceswimming.com/

Burn massive amounts of carbon to go to Antartica and do a fetish race. Sounds like a plan.

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

Dane82, thanks for the update, and congrats on your swim! Ram from the International Ice Swimming group has been very helpful with advice on swimming in Antarctica for triathletes (who are not experienced ice swimmers). He was the person who suggested/recommended the 10 minute cut-off time for safety. Did you pre-charge your wetsuit with warm water? If I can make it through 400-500 meters, I would be ecstatic!

No hot water in suit. But I was swimming between two piers, 70 m apart. And submerged to see how the body reacted, before the swim started.