Race around the world on Christmas

Perhaps the biggest South Pole holiday tradition is the famous “Race Around the World.” At 10 a.m. Christmas Day, nearly every person on station gathers outside for a three-lap, two-mile race around the actual South Pole – quite literally, a race around the world. Participants cross every line of longitude, representing all time zones in the world in this event.

Running outside in subzero temperatures, while breathing the thin, high-altitude atmosphere and wearing all of the necessary gear is no small feat. Though two miles is no marathon, I can safely say that all who ran truly earned their “Race Around the World” participant T-shirts. Hours later, I think I might still be wheezing.

Some run the race competitively, while others do it just for fun – and to be able to say they ran around the world on Christmas Day. For those who are competitive, the stakes are high: Prizes include generous gift certificates to be used in Christchurch, New Zealand, on the way home. For the first-place winners, it’s only just beginning: The fastest man and woman are sent by plane to McMurdo, the much-larger American station on the Antarctic coast, to compete in its New Year’s footrace.

For the less competitive, the race – taxing though it can be in the harsh environment – takes on a carnival air. Running, in fact, is not the only acceptable way to complete the race. Many walk, while others ski. I was even passed by a bicycle, wobbling its way around the course in the snow.

A special lane is designated for vehicles. Loaders and forklifts, not to be left out, make their three laps alongside the runners. The mechanics I work for drove an LMC known as the “Screamin’ Eagle” around the course, yelling their support of the foot-powered entrants out the side window as they went. They kept water, hot cocoa and blankets in the cab for any flagging runners.

There was a snowmobile that towed a cargo sled to which someone had secured several couches from a station lounge. Nonrunners occupied the mobile furniture like proprietors of a parade float, waving and cheering on the racers as they went.

Even the firetruck made its way around the racecourse, rounding the curves with lights going. Someone had hooked up its loudspeakers to a sound system, turning it into a mobile stereo. It blasted everything from “Eye of the Tiger” to “Blinded by the Light” as we pushed our feet through two miles under the blazing Antarctic sun.

For the less competitive runners, some levity was employed. One group of women spent days constructing large, papier-mache salmon costumes, only to run the race backward while wearing them – headed upstream. Even those who ran the race seriously often added decorative touches to their attire. A 50-year-old longtime returnee to the Pole ran the race in a kilt. Many others sported capes or flags. One woman ran the entire race while juggling.

I opted not to wear a costume, but entered the footrace instead with the goal of not being lapped. Much to my surprise, I placed fourth for the female runners – not fast enough to earn myself a prize, but far better than I had expected to do. Breathing in that cold, cold air makes for a slow pace, regardless of how strong your legs are.

The first-place woman, Sarah, works here with her sister as a carpenter. This is the second year she has won the annual “Race Around the World.” The fastest man, too, was a repeat winner: Curtis has not only won the “Race Around the World” before, but has gone on to McMurdo Station to run in a full marathon – and won that, too. Curtis has about 16 marathons under his belt.

Winning or losing, all of the runners can now proudly say that they’ve run two miles outside at the South Pole. And around the world on Christmas Day, to boot – now that’s something to write home about.

Meg Adams, who grew up in Holden and graduated from John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor, shares her Antarctic experiences with readers each Friday. For more about her adventure, information about Antarctica and to e-mail question to her, go to bangordailynews.com.