UVU Antarctic Ice Marathon 2012

The UVU Antarctic Ice Marathon is offered as a regular (26.2 miles) marathon, or a 100K race for the more ambitious. While the 26.2 miler may appear short, the environmental conditions are far from pedestrian, making it an exceptionally difficult race. Runners face wind chill temperatures of -20C, an elevation of 700m, and Katabatic winds blowing down from the mountains can hamper runners’ fluid movement.

The 100km course consists of a 25km loop followed by an inner loop of 17.2km. Aid stations are every 8km approximately on the first loop, although there is a shorter distance between them on the second loop. Competitors in the 100km must cover the 25km loop four times.

The race is often the final hurdle for aspiring runners to join the exclusive ‘Seven Continents Marathon Club' or ‘Grand Slam Club’. This marathon holds a special place in many committed runners’ itinerary and ‘to do’ list, owing to the fact that the Ice race is often the last one to be completed, being the only official marathon in the Antarctic Circle.
— itt: Union Glacier Camp - Antarctica.