Don't miss your flight: the high-stakes Antarctic marathon where the losers are left behind

The stakes are high in next February’s Antarctic marathon: participants who don’t complete the course in the allocated time will be left behind.

Over two days in February, a dozen athletes at a time will fly from Cape Town to the frozen continent’s Wolfs Fang Runway. There’ll be little time to reflect on that wondrous five-hour Gulfstream 550 flight, over thousands of icebergs and the beautifully unblemished interior of the frozen continent. The private jet is permitted to remain on site for five hours and the race will commence within five minutes of the plane landing.

Participants will run along a route that twists through iridescent icefalls and passes under vertical towers of rock. Conditions will be challenging, with ambient late-summer temperatures at that time of year typically between -5c and -12c and wind speeds varying from 0 to 10m/s. Runners will need to provide proof of fitness before being permitted to join and a race doctor will be among the marshals while support vehicles will track the athletes.

Should a runner fail to complete the course in the allotted time they will be provided with further assistance. The challenge has been organised by White Desert, a travel company that has specialised in trips to Antarctica for the last 13 years. Clients include the likes of Prince Harry, Bear Grylls and Buzz Aldrin. (The organisation is an accredited CarbonNeutral company, with its emissions offset through a portfolio of carbon projects.)

The company has two main camps in Antarctica, one by Wolfs Fang Runway. It is here that failed runners will spend the night, before boarding a cargo plane, filled with rubbish, to make the journey back to civilisation the next day. As a small consolation for their poor performance, accommodation and board will be complimentary.

White Desert’s Race the Jet package costs $24,000 (￡19,000) and timing for the expedition will be made by a specially engineered version of Bremont’s ALT1-WT ‘World Timer’ watch that has been designed to withstand particularly harsh conditions and is only made available to people who have stood at the South Pole.

But should the stakes for that particular trip feel too high, there are other novel ways to explore Antarctica over the coming months. This month, tour operator Pelorus launches a new package aboard a renovated ice-class ship with capacity for two helicopters.

Long summer days will allow for ample heli-skiing jaunts along the pristine islands spread across the Antarctic peninsula – as well as enjoying the spectacular runs, small groups will be able to revel in momentarily being the southernmost skiers on the planet.

Similarly impressive but potentially far less strenuous are cruises aboard Aurora Expeditions’ 104-metre expedition vessel Greg Mortimer. Commencing service in October 2019, the robust vessel will cut a dash thanks to its distinctive beak-like bow but its itineraries are set to impress too.

Its maiden voyage, the 11-day Spirit of Antarctica tour, will take in some of the Antarctic Peninsula’s most famed sights, from its decommissioned research huts to its thriving penguin colonies.

More imminently, Eyos Expeditions, a company that specialises in organising superyacht voyages to some of the most remote and challenging waters on Earth, is offering travellers the opportunity to book individual cabins for a week-long exploration of the Antarctic peninsula aboard the retrofitted Russian icebreaker Legend.

The hardy superyacht ordinarily costs from €490,000 per week (plus expenses) to charter exclusively but individuals will be able to book all-inclusive week-long voyages in Antarctica from €25,000 per person.  

The next tour takes place from January 6 to 13, 2019. I completed a similar itinerary at the start of this year and it surpassed all expectations. For an idea of what might await on next month’s journey, you can read all about that experience here.

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