RACE INFO

RACE INFO

RACE INFO

RTP Home

The Last Desert Blogs 2012

Ron Schwebel

7

Posts

The Last Desert (2012) blog posts from Ron Schwebel

01 December 2012 04:34 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

It's the 2nd day and the Drake is calm on the way back. Stomachs are calm as well.

It's a long trip but we are well entertained. Today, a humpback whale was spotted, so the Captain stopped the ship expecting the whale to check us out.
Right on cue, he turned around and swam across our bow a few times, with plenty of breaching. Then he resumed his journey South.

We have also had the chance to attend many talks on Wildlife, Environment, Adventurers and Pioneers of the region.
Also, a trivia quiz organised by Simon, one of the runners.

As well, I have had plenty of sleep and finished Pat Farmers book, Pole to Pole.
Pat ran from the Nth Pole to the Sth Pole a year ago.
On the Antarctic leg he ran 70km every day in the early part of that stage.
One of the talks was on Shackletons voyage where the crew were stuck in ice and took 15 months, I think, to be rescued.
That is a story worth reading about, as is Pat's book.

You can read about the pioneers and adventurers of the polar regions and be in awe.
But when you have been here and been exposed to the conditions for awhile you get a better perspective and the admiration is magnified.

We have tomorrow, Sunday to go, and arrive Monday morning at Ushuaia.
There is a really full program tomorrow, culminating in our awards presentation.
There might be a bit of celebrating as well.

Comments: Total (0) comments

29 November 2012 03:23 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Stage 3 was a short day due to losing the morning to bad weather. The course was 1.2 km. 500m up, a bit of flat then down, a bit of flat.
The elevation gain was 130m, ave grade 26%, so quite steep, esp on soft snow.
We were going for 2 1/2 hours, but not a lot of km.

After the finish it was the usual routine. Put on all clothing I have, get cold, hands ache with cold, go back to the warm ship.

I have been fighting off a bug since the start, and had been coughing a lot on stages 2 and 3, although feeling ok. But after Stage 3 I really felt it when I got back. Shivers and a fever. The ships doctor, Astrid heard me coughing and checked me out and referred me to the RTP Doctor, Suzie. She said I had a fever gave me some antibiotics, and said "take it easy tomorrow". We had been told it was planned to be 10 hours tomorrow, so that's a long time to take it easy.

I was excused from the onshore camping that the other runners did. Phew! I slept ok, but sweated up 3 Tee shirts.

Day 5 dawned to a 30 knot breeze. Too windy to go ashore The expedition leader showed us the weather chart and said we would head to calmer waters. That was a relief for me as I went back to bed. I could have run but was glad not to.

My condition improved during the day, so much that I wanted to race in the afternoon. Mainly so that we would finish the Grand Slam today, and not yesterday. i.e. We could really celebrate crossing the finish.
The course was quite easy, flat, but soft snow over a 1.2km loop.
Lap by lap became easier as the snow was flattened, although the weather got cooler, and we had constant snow.
I had trouble seeing the track through my dark glasses, as the light was low (5pm start, very cloudy). It was too bright to not use them, as the snow blinds you after a while without sunglasses.
We ran for only 1:40, as the cutoff was the leader getting to 200km total.

Then we finished. WOOP!
WE HAVE COMPLETED TO 4 DESERTS GRAM SLAM, the first team to do so.
Plenty of photos taken at the end, plenty of time to get cold.

I froze again getting back but feel much improved tonight.

Tomorrow is a cruise day with an optional shore visit in the morning.
I feel I will probably have a long sleep in, esp after tonight's celebrations. (Now 11:30 pm)

I might blog again in a day or two, but the event is over, we did it!

Comments: Total (5) comments

Emily Stedman

Posted On: 06 Dec 2012 06:22 am

Congratulations team born to run....what an amazing achievement!!!

Belinda King

Posted On: 02 Dec 2012 12:58 am

Congratulations team on finishing the Grand Slam ... its quite an achievement!!! Enjoy the celebrations! Glad to hear you are feeling better dad

Jamie Schwebel

Posted On: 01 Dec 2012 07:39 am

YAY!!! Good work team! So proud that you finished all 4 deserts! WOO Enjoy the rest of your time there! See you soon

Ronaye Brennan

Posted On: 01 Dec 2012 06:12 am

Congrats Ron, all the best to you and the rest of Team Born to Run, all very proud on the achievement you have all done. All done, time to rest, for a while. Take care coming home. Ronaye

janice boyd

Posted On: 01 Dec 2012 04:59 am

Congratulations, well done to all the team, have a good rest you all deserve it.By the way its 38deg here.

27 November 2012 06:06 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Another testing day in the Antarctic.

Course was set at 3.2 km, but included a steep 90m hill each lap.

Greg went with ski poles today, and powered up the hills. There was some nice compacted snow to run on. but some sections were very soft and slow.

The weather was very benign to start with, sunny, 5 deg and light winds. This deteriorated during the day as the clouds came over, the temperature dropped and the wind picked up. Each lap got colder during the afternoon.

Start time was 11:30am and finish was at 7:50pm. We managed 14 laps, so 2 ultramarathons achieved. 122km in 2 days.

After finish is the worst. We stop running, get colder, pick up our gear, trudge to the Zodiacs, wait on the windy shore.
Yesterday we had a 1km trip on choppy waters back to the ship. It's a great relief to be back onboard.

It's now day 4. No racing this morning, but a short stage this afternoon. Then we camp on shore overnight.
We are all looking forward to that...not a lot.

Comments: Total (1) comments

Emily Stedman

Posted On: 30 Nov 2012 10:42 am

Go Dad!!! We are so proud of you, keep running! See you soon, Matt, Emily and Roxy.

26 November 2012 06:06 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Day 1, the long day, was really long. Up early, we were transported ashore on Zodiacs. A quick briefing and we are off at 8:15am.
The task was to complete as many 7k half laps, in opposite directions, as we could before cut off time of 8:15 pm.

The first few laps were not too hard. Firm snow, with a few sneaky hills thrown in. The hills seemed to grow larger and steeper during the day. There was also a section if maybe 1km of a narrow channel. Vary soft parts and some wet areas.

After about 3 hours, the sun was giving a little heat out, enough to soften the crust on the snow. This and the passage of 50 runners over and over caused the course to chop up badly. Some sections were very soft, occasionally we sank to knee depth.

Our lap times blew out from under 1 hour to 90+ mins near the end.

The weather did not change a lot, between -2 and +2 I guess. But a small change in wind is significant. The slightest wind meant an extra layer might be needed. Then in a sheltered section I would be quite warm. This meant the gortex on and off many times in the day. Same with the Beanie and gloves. We had a lunch break, 15 mins or so. The lack of activity meant a few more layers were needed until running warmed us up again.

Eventually we finished our penultimate lap about 8pm. We were given the option of another lap (it's now getting very cold) or going back to the warm, cozy ship for a hot shower and meal. Many runners went for the latter, but Team Born to Run did not hesitate to unanimously vote for continuing. That gave us an extra 7km, which will be more than handy in the final total. We finished in 13th position. 5 1/2 laps = 77km.

We were strong all day. Fatigue and soft footing did slow us down, but we did not take it easy at any stage.
We have all pulled up well the next day, so our pacing was good.

Day 2. No Running
We anchored in Deception Bay in the early hours, but by 8am the wind had picked up to 45 knots, so we could not go ashore.
Then it was off to Trinity Island, about 5 hours/100km South.
On shore, were many penguin colonies, but not much running space, so the afternoon was spent sightseeing and taking photos.
The scenery was amazing, Penguins, snow formations, penguins, icebergs and more penguins.

Tomorrow, we hope to run, but will probably be "punished" for having today off.

Comments: Total (1) comments

Belinda King

Posted On: 29 Nov 2012 02:28 am

Go Team Born to Run! Sounds like you have made a great start to the race!

25 November 2012 10:00 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

This will be a brief summary as we just got back to the ship at 10pm.

The team went really well today. Conditions were good to start, mostly nice solid icy snow. After 3 hours the sun warmed things up, the snow softened and it was very shifty.
We did a multilap course and finished our last lap after 13:26 hours.
We hope to be about top 15, so a good result and around 73km.

More tomorrow.

Comments: Total (3) comments

Leanne Dyer

Posted On: 26 Nov 2012 10:56 am

Continued..... Good luck for stage 2.& keep up the high spirits. Look forward to your next blog. Lea & Michael

Leanne Dyer

Posted On: 26 Nov 2012 10:53 am

Great to hear some results Ron, so glad the conditions were in your favour for the 1st stage, have a good rest

Leanne Dyer

Posted On: 26 Nov 2012 10:53 am

Great to hear some results Ron, so glad the conditions were in your favour for the 1st stage, have a good rest

24 November 2012 10:49 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

It's been an enlightening trip across the famed Drake Passage, the body of water between Argentina and Antarctica, on the MV Plancius.
About 1200km of ocean that can often be treacherous to cross.
There are about 65 runners and supporters and maybe 50 other passengers.
They will be doing other activities such as Kayaking, Snowshoeing, Camping out, Photo Workshops and Mountain Climbing.

We left port around 6 pm Thursday 22. Shortly after we had a safety briefing including an abandon ship drill.
We were shown two lifeboats which hold 60 people each. They look small submarines and have been referred to as "Vomit Comets".

It took about 4 or 5 hours to clear the Beagle Channel, which was very smooth. The first rocking came after that and gradually increased during the night. By morning, the ship was being tossed about by moderate swells, making walking more of a stagger. The first signs of seasickness were reported.
Most passengers are wearing a patch or taking medication. I am going to tough it out.

In the morning I looked out of the portholes to see quite a few seabirds following the ship. Mainly Petrels and Albatross.
The birds don't appear to fly but seem to continuously glide and swoop. Any flapping is almost imperceptible.

The swell increased during the day, and the winds as well, getting to 45 knots during the 2nd night. Passengers are now walking as in a more drunken state. At meal times, an occasional shriek is heard as a water jug or bottle of wine is toppled by a sudden tilt of the ship.
Seasickness is now more prevalent, as indicated by the number of empty seats at the meal tables.

I haven't escaped unscathed, my journey spoilt by a quick dash to the toilets yesterday afternoon. Today, I have acclimatised and feel good.
The other members of Born to Run have fared well.'
It is now 6pm and soon we will move into more settled waters as we near the mainland of Antarctica.

Excitement is building as we all look forward to getting onto the shore. We have been briefed on boarding and disembarking Zodiacs, a small rubber ducky type craft we will use to get from Ship to Shore. We have also vacuumed all our outer garments and shoes to prevent contamination of the fragile Antarctic environment. We will also wear boots to go ashore, which will need to be disinfected.
We have been cautioned against leaving the slightest piece of rubbish behind. We have been given special permission to take food ashore, which cannot include fruit, nuts or dried chicken meals.

We had a briefing for the first days running, which is tomorrow. It is to be about 13 hours of running a figure 8 course of a 9km lap and a 4km lap, repeated.
The aid station is in the middle, and results are recorded as distance.

Tomorrow is significant for me, as I will have then been on every continent.

That's until I report on our first days running.

Comments: Total (3) comments

Emily Stedman

Posted On: 26 Nov 2012 04:52 am

Go team "Born To Run"!!! Can't wait to read more blogs as the adventure continues!

janice boyd

Posted On: 25 Nov 2012 09:33 pm

Good luck. Go team Born to Run. Keep on bloging.

Alina B

Posted On: 25 Nov 2012 01:25 pm

Hi Ron - Best of luck on your final 4 Deserts journey, and congratulations on your "7 Continents"! Sending WARM thoughts from Hong Kong. Cheers, Alina

22 November 2012 02:31 am (GMT-04:00) Santiago

We have had 3 days to look around here in the Southernmost city in the world. Lat 54:47 South. Weather is cool to cold. Max about 10 and yesterday it snowed at sea level in the afternoon. On Monday we ran and climbed to the top of Galcier Martial just out of town. The last 500 m elevation was through snow and quite steep. We got to a pass at 1000 m, which dropped off a sheer cliff the other side. Tuesday was spent filming around town and yesterday, a trip to the national park. It was freezing out there, with a stiff breeze as well. Jess, Roger and I ran back, about 22 km with first 8km was along a single track, next to the lake. Some photo opportunities came up. When the sun came out the views were amazing. We are just packed ready to check out. We head down to town for a briefing and then aboard the MV Plancius for the trip to Actartica. Excitement is building, but somewhat tempered by thoughts of seasickness on the Drake passage. We will be posting daily updates on the ship once the race starts in 3 days.

Comments: Total (2) comments

Dennis Wylie

Posted On: 26 Nov 2012 08:32 am

Looks like communications are out for a little while. Hope all is well. It was hot here last night but cooled again today. Maybe we'll organise a stinker for your return! Hope you got that injury story done. Will need it when you get back. Dennis

Leanne Dyer

Posted On: 23 Nov 2012 11:29 am

Hi Ron, Good luck running the last desert , hope you all are able to enjoy this fantastic experience. Go team Born to Run, you guys are incredible!