After Thanksgiving, the Medical Department hosted an event titled Race to Pole. The idea behind this health incentive program was to increase exercise among the station population and combat the newly started 24 hour pizza provided by the galley. The rules were simple. Create a team of 10 walkers or 5 runners and log your miles as a team. The first walking team and the first running team to complete 833 miles (the distance from McMurdo Station to the South Pole) would win a special prize. If no team completed the miles by February 1st, the team closest would win. Any individual who completed 100 miles would receive a special prize as well.
Medical didn't know what they were getting themselves into.
Little did they know, McMurdo Station is swimming in thru hikers and ultra marathon runners. Shannon (AT and Camino del Santiago thru hiker) and I quickly compiled a list of all the thru hikers we knew on station and made the ULTIMATE WALKING TEAM. Our plan was simple, we would complete 833 miles in one week while working our usual 60 hours a week. Our team consisted of 8 stewards, 1 cook, and one guy from IT (6 thru hikers, 1 backcountry hiking guide, 1 Outward Bound guide, and 2 that promised they would log the miles) and we completed 840 miles in 7 days. It was a blast. Most of us woke up at 4:30 am to complete 12 miles before our 10 am shift. On my 28th birthday I completed a celebratory 28 miles! I was also the only one on station to complete 100 miles in the first week (not to toot my own horn too much;) When we posted our miles to medical they were mad, they were expecting the program to run until February and not be finished in 7 days. Oops! The first running team to complete the race finished about 10 days after us and were also all galley employees. We are still awaiting our prize but are hopeful it will be a sweet boondoggle!
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