The Last Desert (Antarctica) 2006

The Last Desert 2006 took place in three locations in Antarctica. Eighteen competitors from eight countries qualified for The Last Desert. Fifteen of these competitors signed up to compete in The Last Desert. Competitors met in Punta Arenas, Chile, the southernmost city on the tip of Chile in South America for what was an epic, never before staged ultra-marathon on the Antarctic continent. Competitors were then flown by charter aircraft to King George Island where they embarked on a six-mile (10-kilometer) warm-up stage. A ship was waiting for competitors which transported them to the next stage on the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula to a base called Esperenza, home to one of the world's largest penguin colonies. Competitors then completed a 160-kilometer (100-mile) course that featured 60 knot winds and a blizzard. Temperatures with the wind chill factor hovered around -22 degrees Fahrenheit (-30 degrees Celsius). The next stage was a marathon distance which took place on Deception Island , a horseshoe shaped volcanic island off the western coast of the Antarctic Peninsula . Upon finishing the stage, competitors bathed in the hot springs along the shore of the icy cold waters. For the final stage, competitors returned to King George Island and finished along the iceberg lined ocean shores to champagne with the knowledge that history had been made and that they were truly pioneers to have completed the inaugural "4 Deserts" which took them to the windiest, coldest, hottest and driest places on Earth. All fifteen competitors completed the event.


Awards