New PR thanks to a wet garmin

I think my Garmin was having some issues with the pouring rain this morning, because when I looked at the end of my run, it said I had run 25.23 miles in 58:00. I knew I was feeling good these days, but dang!

Another Video and Shameless Plea

Here is another great video of the race (warning it's from the perspective of a runner while running, so it's a little bumpy!)

Tony's Race Video

And now I will shamelessly beg: Does anyone have a way to get me a spot in Boston?? Pretty please! I am feeling so good after Antarctica, I just want to keep running!

Pics on Snapfish

All our pictures are now on facebook and Snapfish. Here are the snapfish links:

Buenos Aires and Colonia

Ushuaia and Boarding the Boat

Aitcho Islands

Race Day

Cuverville Island

Neko Harbor, Paradise Bay, Port Lockroy


Lemaire and Peterman


The Drake, The Polar Plunge, and the End

Penny the Penguin

When I said that I won my age group, I should have clarified that I was the first HUMAN. No one could beat Penny the Penguin.

Watch the Video!

More pictures

I've had a request for more pictures. Easily done, since we took more than 1,000! Here you go!

Fur seal letting us know not to get any closer!

Dirty little Gentoo penguin chick

Massive ice berg

Arched ice berg

Mom and pup crab eater seals on an ice berg

Pictures!

It's 5 am and we are back in the USA! We're in Miami waiting for our flight to Boston. We figured out why the seats were so small in coach going to Buenos Aires.... it's because the seats in first class are SO big. Kier cashed in all her miles to get us in first class on the way home. Our seats literally became beds. Talk about a great way to end the trip. And now since we have some time to kill, and have real internet, we'll post some pics.

A chilly ending

After a rough day and half in the Drake we finally hit calmer waters yesterday afternoon. People we hadn't seen in days started emerging from their cabins. Calm waters meant we could do the one thing still left on the itinerary.......... THE POLAR PLUNGE.

The Quark staff issued us a challenge. If more than half the passengers jumped, they would too. We didn't want to let the group down, so we both plunged. We changed into bathing suits and stood shivering on the deck waiting to be strapped into a harness. The water is so cold that you basically can't swim once you're in, so after you jump they haul you in. Well over half of us braved the waters, so the whole Quark staff went in. We then ended the day with a sunset reception with the Captain on the lido deck, and a wonderful last dinner.

We left the ship early this morning, and are waiting in a long, unmoving line at the airport in Ushuaia. From here we fly to Buenos Aires, switch airports, fly to Miami, and then finally connect to Boston.

Continental Contact

Things were looking grim this morning: the wind was still blowing over 50 mph and it was still sleeting so the morning excursion was delayed. Luckily, around 10:30 the winds dropped and we headed out into Neko Harbor. Braving the snow and waves, we cruised the harbor in the zodiacs, getting right up under the ice-bergs. The bergs in this harbor were very irregularly shaped, with neat little arches, pockets, and faults to examine. There was a crab-eater seal sleeping on top of one and several playing in the water around the bases of the bergs. Then we made an adventurous landing, plowing through many ice chunks, to set foot on the continent proper. We got to climb up a glacial hill, crossing the penguin highway on the way up. The sore marathoners plodding up the hill, hoods up against the snow, looked a lot like penguins waddling up to molt. On the way back to the boat, our driver Shane, made sure we got a nice icy shower. Braving the weather again, we had a festive barbeque lunch on the outside deck. We danced to country music and chowed down on grilled chicken and ribs surrounded by glacial cliffs. As we left the sky got brighter and we cruised through Paradise passage, a spectacular area with rugged mountains, glaciers with blue rifts, and icy blue ice-bergs on both sides.

The shocker of the afternoon was the race awards ceremony- Kier won FIRST for the full marathon in her age division, 0-39! YEAH, KIERSTEN!!

We're now heading back to Port Lockory, where we were unable to land yesterday afternoon. We're hoping to be able to go ashore because this is where we get our passports stamped with the Antarctica stamp!

The REAL Antarctic

After the race yesterday we left King George Island and headed towards the
Antarctic Peninsula. We woke up early this morning to a wonderland. We were
in the middle of a channel with glaciers rising up on either side and
ice-bergs floating all around us. The sun was just rising over the
mountains. We went ashore on Cuverville Island, which is one of the largest
gentoo penguin breeding grounds. Because we are so much further south, the
penguin chicks were much younger than the chicks we saw on Aicho Island.
They were still grey and fluffy and absolutely adorable. Many of them were
curled up together in the rookeries waiting for their parents to come feed
them. There were also 5 or fur seals who would occasionally get up and hop
around and bark before they went back to sleep. Then we got to go out in the
zodiacs and cruise around the ice-bergs. Each ice-berg is beautiful and
unique in its own way. Our favorite are the oldest ones, because the ice is
the bluest. After lunch the weather changed drastically. The wind is now
howling and it's sleeting. So the plan to go ashore at Fort Lockory will
likely be scrapped. We braved the wind for about 30 minutes to watch a trio
of finback whales, but it was pretty difficult not to blow away!