Antarctica, where athletes can choose to swim as part of a new triathlon. Photo © Hel080808 | Dreamstime.com
Apparently, there are athletes for whom the typical endurance event, such as an ultrarunning or extreme distance triathlon, simply isn’t enough.
And for them, there’s a new challenge in the marketplace: The first A100 Antarctic Triathlon, coming in 2027. It represents one of the most extreme environments to face multisport endurance athletes.
How extreme? Try swimming in 32-degree water followed by a 66K mountain bike leg and a 33K run. Yes, in the snow, where high winds, ice and fog are common. In the Antarctic, people.
And you thought the IRONMAN was hardcore. Oh, you innocent child.
The event is set to take place in 2027, between February 27 and March 8 on King George Island, near Bellingshausen Station.
Approximately 50 athletes from around the world are expected to attempt the A100.
The event is being organized by Ilya Slepov, a triathlete and IRONMAN 70.3 age group world champion.
According to the website, “the race route has been designed to meet Antarctic ecological requirements, ensuring participants remain within permitted zones to minimize the impact on the landscape.”
Entry into the A100 is restricted to athletes with experience in long-distance triathlon events, such as IRONMAN or IRONMAN 70.3. Participants are also required to provide a medical certificate confirming their fitness for taking part in the extreme event.
An athlete's doctor has to sign off on this, in other words.
While the race occurs during a period where temperatures in the Antarctic typically range between -3°C and 5°C, (26 to 41 F), the region is known for its unpredictable weather. Athletes may encounter sudden snow, fog and winds of about 15 mph. (That’s admittedly not gale force but added to the outside temperature, it factors into the experience.)
The A100 team, according to the website, will provide support and guidance to registered participants in the year of training leading up to the event.
And in participating, notes the website, athletes will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to provide invaluable feedback to researchers:
“It's a live experiment, a study of how the human body and mind adapt to extreme cold, isolation, stress and peak physical load, where endurance meets science, every heartbeat becomes data.”
During the event, competitors will reside on sailing schooners moored near Bellingshausen Station. Personnel on the boats will be able to provide information on the history of the continent and lead excursions to locations such as the Melchior Islands, the Lemaire Channel and the gentoo penguin colony on Cuverville Island.
According to organizers, the A100 aims to provide a unique challenge while maintaining a focus on the international scientific and ecological significance of the region.
Endurance events (this certainly qualifies) have seen an uptick in recent years. In fact, event registration and technology provider, RunSignup, reports endurance event participation has fully rebounded from the COVID-19 pandemic and now exceeds pre-pandemic levels.
Expect this event, if it is successful (this could mean by economic standards, by media attention standards or even perhaps by the standards of seeing all athletes complete the course safely), to launch further cold weather endurance events, including those held stateside. The USA, after all, has plenty of destinations that, in the winter, could pose formidable challenges to multi-sport athletes.
In the meantime, we'll be able to watch the A100 unfold.
Those who want to learn more can click here.
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