Snowed out in Denver Airport, flipping through a magazine and waiting a long time for a plane that never came, I ran across an article featuring a photo of a bundled body.  It slightly resembled a man, running through blizzard like conditions.  It looked cold. It looked wet. It looked like a frozen stump in an Under Armour jacket that needed a MedEvac. Well, it turned out -- it was the Antarctica Marathon. 

 2007 Antarctica Marathon Leader  (unfortunately, no relation to us).

It might have been the Fattire beer on our layover that encouraged me, or some spastic rush of adrenaline , but the next think I know I’m asking Steve, my husband,  “How do you feel about running the Antarctica Marathon with me?”

Maybe it was his Fattires, or maybe it was just his nature.  But Steve was game for the adventure.  “Its part of the journey,” he said. I have to admit, I still don’t know what that “journey” would really entail.

Safety Drill - "Just in Case"

The journey to King George Island, Antarctica isn’t exactly easy.  On February 26, 2008 we fly to Buenos Aires, then on to Ushuaia Tierra del Fuego, which is the southern most city in the world. Then we'll grab our gear and board research vessels headed to Antarctica.  Unfortunately, we'll have to cross the Drake Passage to get to our frozen desert.  The best way to describe the Drake is... tempermental. It's one of the roughest bodies of water in the world. Basically the Drake is where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet  - unrestrained by land masses. So the winds get rough, as well as the seas. Apparently 30 foot rollers are common. The Antarctica Marathon organizer, Thom Gilligan, said he's even encountered 60 foot waves in the Drake. 60 foot waves. Huh. 

I've been told to take the sea sickness preparations very seriously. I guess I will.

Steve runs a pharmacy services company specializing in pain management. (Hopefully, we won't need any pain management).  The company is made up of a very dedicated team of people. I figured that we'd need a cause to get as dedicated to this event as Steve's employees are to myMatrixx.  So, out came the myMatrixx Penguin Trot fundraiser. We hope that supporters will rally us on by donating money for every mile of the race that we run. (26.2 miles in all!) All of the proceeds will benefit the Tampa Bay Technology Forum Foundation and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay and the Clearwater Marine Acquarium.

March 5, 2008 is the date of one of the most extreme marathons in the world, the 9th Antarctica Marathon. Please wish us luck!