Antarctica Marathon®️ Voyage Two

Otherworldly, incredibly beautiful, eye-opening, deeply informative, comfortable, so well put together by very experienced people, and “go to Antarctica with Marathon Tours & Travel”.

This was a life enhancing experience. To have been able to share this with two of my sons, made the experience even more special. It was the realization of a dream – for me, but also for them.

A must do! The marathon race was truly amazing and beyond explanation. By far the most challenging and difficult marathon I have done to date. However, the real experience were the expeditions to see first- hand that part of the world. It is beyond what words or pictures can describe. It really is a once in a lifetime experience to tick off your bucket list!

The entire trip was awesome!!! I was very impressed with how well all the logistics were managed (especially during a pandemic). The staff were all very helpful and supportive (especially on race day). I loved the excursions.

This was a massively complex undertaking at the bottom of the world in a global pandemic. The MTT Team, the Expedition Team, the Tour Team, the Hotel Team….everything was perfect. What a terrific feat! I love the shared global community experiences.

This was my first trip with Marathon Tours, and it was a great experience overall – especially given the pivots that were needed to execute this trip during the pandemic. The end-to-end service overall was exceptional, continuing even now with the follow ups, Google share photos, etc.

Two waves with the half and slower runners was ideal. It gave slower people (like myself) ample time to finish (providing the weather cooperated). Allowing people to drop from the full to half if they are not feeling it is/was a VERY nice perk that (in my opinion) shows that you care about how the runners are feeling.

Fantastic job done, in the face of challenging and ever-changing COVID-related circumstances. The Marathon Tours staff were positive, smiling, accessible and maintained a positive attitude throughout.

This was my 5th trip with Marathon Tours (and first with Jeff). Marathon Tours goes above and beyond to ensure satisfaction. I will continue to use you for trips and recommend you to everybody I know.

I had interactions with several members of the Marathon Tours host team… The Doctor was very helpful when I had a few questions. Gillian was very helpful. Jeff was always calm and dealt with all the issues and was an awesome cheerleader every time we came to the end of the loop during the marathon. Paul at the turnaround – he was very encouraging to us!! Everyone was great.

Thanks for the update and all the work you are doing. I can’t begin to image the logistics issues you are having to deal with right now. Thanks so much.

Thank you and everyone at Marathon Tours for taking all of these curve balls and handling them like champs. I love that I haven’t had to worry about my Antarctica trip in the midst of the chaos. Looking forward to 2021.

This trip was expertly planned and I feel like we got a steal for what we paid vs. what we got. It was truly incredible and I COULD NOT BE HAPPIER!!! Many thanks and compliments to everyone involved with your operation and company!!!

The area we stayed in Buenos Aires was fantastic, very beautiful near the river and the park and not far from the city center and for the excursions to Uruguay. There were plenty of restaurants and shops and places to run.

One of the most challenging, thus one of the most rewarding for having completed it. As I said to Thom, I don’t care about the wind, sleet, hills, mud or any other conditions; I’m just glad he pulled it off and we got an opportunity to run. What an amazing marathon with all of the politics, weather, logistics and other pieces that have to come together. We’re so fortunate that Thom was crazy enough to do it for 20 years.

Antarctica is just such a spectacular destination, and the staff made us feel right and home. The entire expedition was extraordinary. I am very appreciative of having the opportunity to run in an event like this. The expeditions were probably my favorite part, outside the marathon itself. I was not expecting the rest of the trip to be so inspiring that I almost forgot about the marathon by the end!

The pre-trip conference call was excellent! Jeff did an outstanding job covering what we needed to know about the race. I really appreciated his guidance on layering; it was detailed and very specific. I followed his advice to the letter and was perfectly dressed for race day. He was timely, covered all the details, and answered all the questions with the information runners wanted to know. It was a very well run conference call. It’s clear he’s a seasoned professional and I felt in good hands with his guidance.

The coaching sessions were a great extra add-on and I found them very helpful in mentally preparing for the race. I took notes through each session and referenced them on the ship the night before the race. Christine’s coaching definitely helped my mental game on race day, particularly during the hail storm!

As all my trips with Marathon Tours an overall wonderful experience. Antarctica is a place unlike any other we have visited thus far. It had been on my bucket list forever and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to experience it with such a wonderful group. It still seems quite unreal to have been there – it is a truly magical place. Also, the marathon was quite an experience and successfully completing it will always be one of my biggest accomplishments.

The Race was outstanding, but the trip is about so much more than the race. The opportunity to visit the Antarctic continent is just amazing, and the expeditions coordinated by the staff were exceptional.

It was such an incredible experience that it’s hard to pick the “best”. The excursions were so much fun and the guides made sure that we saw everything that our areas had to offer. The run gave me some bragging rights. Time on board ship had so much to offer – the presentations were great. I enjoyed getting to know so many people from so many different places. The food was wonderful. And the wildlife was amazing – the whales, the penguins, the seals, the birds.

This note is to thank you again for your creativity, hard work and thorough professionalism. Eight years later and I’m still impressed as all get out.

What did you like best?

The zodiacs and the opportunities of seeing whales, orcas, seals, penguins, icebergs, and glaciers

Besides how incredible the experience was, I was blown away by the quality of the staff (One Ocean and Marathon Tours). They made our experience truly unforgettable.

Everything. I liked the people (both runners and staff), the wildlife, and the race itself. I don’t have a favorite thing because it was all great!

It exceeded expectations, but there were expectations I didn’t even have – never expected to see whales like that.

The BBQ with the other ship, afternoon tea, happy hour and the polar plunge

It was an opportunity to visit Antarctica for the 5th time, a place I love with a new found passion for running. I really liked that there were runners at all levels, I was nervous that I might not “Fit in”, but that was not the case, this is a trip for those whose passions spread from running to nature. I was impressed with the number and quality of landings we were able to pack into such a short trip with race preparations etc., I think folks got a real sense for Antarctica and I heard a few would be back. The One Ocean Crew and Marathon staff were amazing, some of the best we have traveled with to Antarctica and other remote locals.

My boat experience really exceeded my expectations. I made it to all the lectures… All staff were fun, professional, and knowledgeable! The hardest part was getting on the bus for an airport transfer. This was by far the best vacation I’ve ever had, and well worth the money spent.

I liked – The people my husband and I met. We are looking forward to visiting them in the future. The inter-generational mix on the ship. And the fact that there were people from all over the world. What made this trip unique was the fact that we were together on a ship for several days–and thus were invited and encouraged to meet other runners and their supporters. Further, it was very nice that the supporters were warmly welcomed. This was greatly appreciated. Finally, the attention to ensuring the survival of the Antarctic environment and the wildlife through the Oceanites’ connection is essential for this trip. I want to give a special shout out to Thom for his creative and inventive approach to adventure travel–and for his many efforts in sustaining and growing this opportunity. He has opened up worlds for individuals. Kudos to Jeff as well for seeing that Thom’s vision, efforts and leadership are maintained and expand in the future.

I can honestly say the logistics on race morning were much easier than the New York City Marathon. We lucked out on the Drake Passage and the weather on race day. The race course was challenging, but Marathon Tours told us it would be.

I greatly appreciated having access to what is a truly unique running experience. Given all of the hassles/headaches of past races and the ‘politics’ in being permitted to offer a marathon course there makes me that much more grateful to have been able to go. Also, of course, seeing what is such a beautiful part of the world and what is so unlike any other place I have traveled, was a highlight. Finally, I was very impressed with the Marathon Tours and One Oceans staff. Everyone worked tirelessly and was so professional–very impressive indeed!

One of the true highlights of my running career. It was THE hardest race I have ever completed (you don’t travel to Antarctica to run a flat road race) and I loved every minute of it. Thank you for this once in a lifetime opportunity.

The course and weather made the half marathon the hardest event ever, but we were exhilarated with the event. It was the race of a lifetime. Love it!

What can you do to change any of this? We are very fortunate to be able to run in Antarctica. I hope that no runner has anything negative to say about this course, transfers, spectator access, or anything about the race. The course, access, transferring, and everything about race day was excellent.

Loved the excursions and just to be in the presence of such pristine beauty! How many people actually get to see all of that? The days following the race I found myself waking up in the middle of the night just to look out the window and see what I was missing. The beauty was so amazing I am having a hard time even articulating it to anyone here. Thank you for making all of that possible.

Overall I thought the pre-trip information was very good. If you read it carefully most questions were answered. A number of things I heard people complaining about were mentioned in the travel information. I think you should mention that laundry can be done daily on the ship more prominently, I would have bought less clothing with me than I did if I had have known how efficient the service was. Also, I would put more emphasis on renting the wetskins on the ship. Mention that they are very warm as well as keeping you dry, and the fact that if you rent them you save space in your luggage plus if you don’t already have the appropriate gear it will save you a lot of money. The likelihood of rain/sleet/snow at the marathon should also be mentioned more prominently. My clothing worked well, but I hadn’t planned for rain when I chose my headgear and gloves. The toughness of the course can’t be underemphasised.

Thom, the amount of hard work that you, your staff and the crew put in, made this dream trip become a reality! Thank you for the wonderful memories and new friendships that were made. Looking forward to my next adventure to bring me one step closer to the Seven Continents Club.

This was the best event I have attended with Marathon Tours. EVERYTHING was well organized from pick up at the airport, transportation to and from the airport, and all throughout the trip. I very much appreciate how well the trip/event was, how organized the trip was, and how much fun we had. This is definitely a trip I will attend again in the future.

Thom & Co. deliver the goods. We are discerning travelers, comfortable and competent on our own for several decades, but whenever Marathon Tours offers an experience which matches our interests we sign up. We have visited the Antarctic and Madagascar, among several other tricky and interesting destinations, under Marathon Tours’ aegis. In addition we have availed ourselves of unrelated tour operators and, as mentioned, struck out on our own (mostly) from time to time. No other travel arrangement service provider has even come close to giving us the wonderful, some would say life-changing, experiences that we have lived along with Thom and his team.

I must say that our One Ocean staff really helped make this trip fun and eventful. They had great personalities, a love for their job, and a passion for this journey. They worked very hard day after day accommodating our needs. Bill and Jane did an excellent job as well.