Marathon-lovers, here’s one for you:  November 30, 2011 will be the running of the seventh annual Antarctica Ice Marathon.  Temperature will be balmy -4 F (-20 C) for your 26 mile run.  And here’s a cheery note from the organizer’s Web site:  “Forget about penguins or crowds cheering you along the route — no penguins live this far south and you will have to rely upon yourself to push onward in the hushed, indomitable surroundings.”  The cost for all this pleasure is 9,000 Euros (U.S. $13,400), which includes airfare and accommodation.

Learning about this marathon was one surprise I got while researching this podcast episode on Antarctica.  I hadn’t known how much tourism was already going on at the South Pole.  Around 40,000 to 50,000 people visit each year via cruise ship. Since there are no hotels (yet), stays tend to be a few hours, minimizing the damage to the environment.  I wonder how that would change if a hotel was built.

I was also very interested to learn more about the scientists who live year-round in Antarctica, and apparently I’m not the only one.  The British Antarctic Survey has a full section on living and working in Antarctica on its Web site.  There are also a fascinating set of diaries kept by residents of Port Lockroy, which houses a museum and the world’s most southern post office.  And if you want to know more about Antarctic slang, check out this site.  Do you know what an Antarctic 10 is? A person of the opposite sex who would be considered a 5 elsewhere!

Practical Info

Getting There:  Several cruise lines including Polar Cruises, Holland America and Silversea offer tours.  If you select a very large ship, you won’t be able to land, only sightsee from deck.  Cruises normally set sail from Ushuaia, Argentina and cost between $5,000 and $10,000.

When to go:  No question, summer (November to March) when the temperature ranges between 40 degrees F (8 degrees C) and below 0 (-18 F).

Visa requirements:  None for Antarctica, though there may be for your cruise ship’s point of entry depending on your nationality.