The 2024 Antarctica Marathon® on King George Island

March 25, 2024

Finisher Results for the Second of Two Antarctica Marathon® Events

KING GEORGE ISLAND, ANTARCTICA /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – The 26^th running of the Antarctica Marathon®, which included a marathon and half-marathon, took place on King George Island in the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica on Thursday, March 21. Organized by Marathon Tours & Travel (MTT), 165 clients from 17 countries joined on a smooth sailing across the Drake Passage to Antarctica aboard the Ocean Victory expedition ship, which disembarked from Ushuaia, Argentina on March 18.

The race-day events saw 43 participants in the half-marathon and 102 in the marathon. Runners from three Antarctic bases were also present: members of the Chilean, Chinese, and Uruguayan bases joined both running events. Those who did not run provided course marshalling, runner support, and cheering along the route. Of the marathon and half-marathon finishers, 16 completed their last continent, earning their Seven Continents Club®(SCC) Finisher Medal and Certificate. They join 1,146 SCC Members who have already completed this monumental feat.

The course started and finished about 200 meters from Bellingshausen, the Russian base, and passed through the Chilean, Chinese, and Uruguayan bases, allowing for a three-loop course for the full marathon. The first wave of runners began their journey at 7:30 AM to a fresh dusting of snow and low winds. The second wave of runners began around 9:00 AM to a mix of sunshine and clouds. The average temperature of the race hovered around 27 degrees Fahrenheit/-3 degrees Celsius and saw both sunshine and fresh snow throughout the day. The weather never got above freezing, and the runners faced icy and extremely slick conditions, which made the hilly, glacier-carved course even more challenging.

In the marathon, Blake LaBathe and Dave Donahue jockeyed for first-place position early on in the race, with LaBathe ultimately clinching first place in 3:38:51 and Donahue shortly after in 3:39:06. In third place was Pipe Bishara with a finishing time of 3:43:16.

In the women’s marathon event, Candice Brown sealed the win with a finishing time of 4:25:37. Following her was Jenna Rieling in 4:36:41 and Janice Simek in 5:02:13.

In the half-marathon, Ashley Bradshaw finished in 2:04:00, followed by Mathiw Fernandez Martinez in 2:07:12 and Luis Ivan Alarcon Garrido in 2:09:00. Katie Virtue commanded the women’s half-marathon win with a time of 2:25:17, followed by Sabrina Ehmke in 2:36:35 and Nicole Preucil in 2:44:52. More than 50% of the overall finishers in the marathon and half-marathon were women.

Male marathon winner Blake LaBathe came back to shore to witness the final finishers of the race and was emotionally moved by the determination and accomplishments of everyone who toed the starting line. “Everyone’s definition of hard is different, and each and every runner surpassed their own threshold that day. The race ultimately had little to do with finishing times, but instead was a celebration of pushing boundaries and coming together. It was so awesome to see,” shared LaBathe.

Race results timed and produced by Sportstats of Toronto, Canada.

Results:

MARATHON

Men
Blake LaBathe United States 3:38:51

Women

Candice Brown United States 4:25:37

HALF-MARATHON

Men

Ashley Bradshaw United Kingdom 2:04:00

Women

Katie Virtue United States 2:25:17

Complete results of the Antarctica Marathon® & Half-Marathon can be found here.

About Marathon Tours & Travel

Founded in 1979, Marathon Tours & Travel (MTT) was the first global company to specialize in travel services specifically for runners. Located in Boston, the home of the world’s oldest marathon, MTT is the official North American travel agency for many of the world’s most popular running events including the BAA Boston Marathon, TCS London Marathon and many others. The Antarctica Marathon® was first held in 1995 and sells out with a maximum field of 200 runners, two years in advance.  MTT now invests in two back-to-back trips and Antarctica Marathon® events.  Upon return of the first voyage in Ushuaia, Argentina, the second voyage boarded later that afternoon. Jeff Adams (President) served as the race director for both races. More information on www.marathontours.com.

About the Seven Continents Club®

The birth of the Seven Continents Club® (SCC) came about in 1995 with the inaugural Antarctica Marathon® & Half-Marathon, since it now made it possible for runners to conquer a marathon or half-marathon on seven continents. Today, with 10,860 members from 100 countries, the SCC continues to service clients interested in pursuing their seven continents goal. In addition, the SCC serves as a VIP global frequent traveler club for runners that have a passion for traveling and running in amazing destinations around the world. More information on www.sevencontinentsclub.com.

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