The Antarctic Ice Marathon was completed on the original planned date December 13, 2023. With the flight and running plans being so dependent on the weather systems to and from the most southern Continent, the fact that the race and travel dates went as planned was miraculous. This was also my biggest fear.. if a bad weather system came through and I would either be forced to miss the race or (worse) have gotten stuck in Antarctica and was racing to get home. If you know me and my Christmas obsession, the fear of missing Christmas is very real. Don’t worry… I made sure to bring some Christmas spirit with me.
Location Location Location
We landed in Union Glacier, Antarctica on December 12th. As we landed, the view was mesmerizing. It looked like something Elsa came up with. The beauty of looming snow-covered mountains coming out of a vast ice land was indescribable. Remember, most of the continent is covered in glaciers, so we literally land on a “runway” made of ice. If it wasn’t the most beautiful landing in the world I would have been terrified.
After a short ride over to base and a tour of the coolest place to stay ever (I’ll be doing a whole post on that later) we geared up for a practice run. The marathon coordinators had us do this for several reasons… having a chance to test our gear in race conditions, getting some awesome photos, and testing out the terrain. It turned out to actually be very HOT (yes I said hot) as the winds were near 0 mph. When the sun is beating down 24 hours a day and there is no wind, it’s actually fairly warm. I ran in just a single layer on top with fleece leggings, no gloves, single socks and was SWEATING in the short run we ran.
This test run ended up giving us no indication for what we should wear as the winds shifted greatly overnight, dropping the temps and creating much more difficult footing as the winds swept loose snow and ice over the course…
The Race
We awoke to fairly heavy winds gusting against our tents (-30 degrees C). With hopes of them dying down, we planned to start mid day. The race went off but without the relief of calmer winds. It was a little guess work on what to wear. The prior nights conditions were so different and we knew how hot it could get if the winds died down. I think most people took on the layering approach so we had options to remove clothing as we went. I started with my prior night race gear and added: a jacket, a second set of thick gloves, a neck cover and goggles. It turned out to be a little warm depending on which direction we turned, but overall the right call. I never overheated or froze. 
This gear lasted 3+ miles to the first rest area, where I was able to drop the thicker gloves and neck cover once I warmed up. The race was 4 large loops with a check point halfway. There was electrolyte (WARMED- amazing), water, soft drinks, gels, cookies, pretzels and so much more at both the start and mid-point. So every 3+ miles you could drop and pickup gear (or change your clothes) as well as get anything you needed. With the chill, carrying drinks could freeze.
Let me just say… The race coordinators really thought of absolutely everything. I’ve run 98 marathons and countless races, and I’ve never seen any race carried out with so much precision, thought, and support… the natural complexities of running a race in Antarctica are far more challenging than any I’ve seen, and they really thought of absolutely everything to ensure the runners were SAFE, supported, and ready to finish this race.
The Course
This course is tough, I won’t lie. But isn’t that why we went there? For the challenge? YES. The course was less loop and more hard turns taking you in and out of wind. There were amazing stretches that had great foot traction.. and there were sections that put you head on into the wind or that had rough footing with loose snow and ice blowing over it constantly.
It was also extremely flat. There were minor grades up and down but nothing compared to most road races. Flat is good for such an ice course but using the same muscle group over and over becomes tough after a while.
Loop 1: I’d be lying if I said the voice in my head was kind after loop one. The frustration from Footing struggles was real. Seeing your pace drop as you pushed hard against the wind was demoralizing. And 3 more to go was daunting. I also fell into third place for women at this point and felt a little defeated.
Loop 2: rounding into loop 2 I made a conscious decision to run my best race. I had done a lap and knew what to expect. I accepted the tough parts and decided to really push in the easier areas. If there was good footing and/or low winds I PUSHED. In the tougher traction areas, I started doing 1/2 mile pushes and 30 second walks to try and break them up nd give my muscles a break. At the halfway point I was in 3rd for women but I was catching quite a few men with my strategy
Loop 3: winds had started picking up in the back part of this loop and more and more footing was blowing away. I came into the start and found out that I had made more progress than I thought… my strategy had brought my very close to first place. Despite the soreness, exhaustion, and frustration, I took off.
Loop 4: I haven’t been a competitive runner since before kids. I had semi given up on it being a possibility but had hoped that the tough conditions would land in my favor. With the potential to prove something to myself (I can still do hard things even though I’m a mom) I set out to leave everything on the table…. And IT HURT. The conditions were deteriorating as was our footing. But I had a chance to prove so much to myself. The last 5-6 miles of marathons has been a struggle since I came out of retirement. To win this race, that wasn’t an option. I pushed my pace on the good terrain and leaned into the wind in the tough spots…
Pulling through with a very emotional win 🏅 I can honestly say that this is one of my most proud races. Was it my fastest? Not by a long shot! But I found a new level of grit in my post-baby body.
The Racers (and crew)
The race, the scenery, the crew, the grit, the challenge- all amazing parts of this race. But what made this experience next level were the people. I should have expected some pretty amazing people when 80 individuals from across the globe said ✅ YES ✅ to 26.2, to an adventure and to a TOUGH course… but this crew set a new bar for me. Such an amazing group of inspiring, resilient, supportive, adventurous souls. Just to share a FEW:
Becca Pizzi: Race Director and international world record holder in some of the toughest endurance challenges. She knows what it means for a race to be GREAT and she (and the rest of the crew) have gone above and beyond to make it happen. You can follow Becca on the next world marathon challenge, where she was the first US woman to complete and the current record holder.
Sagi Rotem: Sagi is from Israel & with the current conflict going on, Sagi made a point to use the marathon as a platform to remind people that the conflict is just that... current. He ran with a photo of an Israeli prisoner to remind us all that there are still people being held. 
Sarah Hoyt: US Army officer, West Point grad, ultra endurance athlete, and overall badass... also the tent-mate to one Stephanie Estridge during this Antarctic Ice Marathon
Kunal Bhardwaj: As of the Ice Marathon, Kunal became the first gay to complete a marathon on all 7 continents.... and using this experience as a platform to remind people that in India, same-sex marriage is not recognized. Aside from this, Kunal is one of my most favorite people from the trip. He's sweet, interesting, worldly, FUN... and willing to split a 1,000 layer cake with me :) I cannot wait to plan a future marathon adventure with Kunal.
Michael Higgins: WINNER of the Antarctic Ice Marathon!! Also a parent of 3 little guys at home. We took home the gold for the US in the mens and womens divisions.
(below) Left to Right: Myself, Kavitha Reddy (Competitive marathoner in India), Mike, Kunal, Scot Buell (in his 60's and was SECOND overall. Marathon majors & 7 continents club finisher, adventure seeker and overall SERIOUS bad ass), Sagi, and Daniel Beck (became a 7 continents finisher 2 days later at the marathon in South America, mountain climber, and overall adventure seeker!).
Ted Jackson: Ted has had more endurance accomplishments than I could imagine completing in a lifetime. As part of our race crew he brought an exceptional level of: inspiration, entertainment, and LIFE. There are quite a few articles and videos on him, but definitely check out this one:
https://vimeo.com/176409763
Overall Results:
So much more to write about... not the least of all being ANOTHER MARATHON... yes, a surprise marathon #98 and completion of South America. More on that, Union Glacier, and more in upcoming posts.
Also... what's next? Hopefully an even bigger adventure!
Keep Running
Stephanie
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