Chiara

Adin

united states

Chiara is running the Antarctic Ice Marathon to benefit the Flatwater Foundation, which provides therapy for families and individuals affected by a cancer diagnosis. After her father passed away in 2009 from lung cancer, Chiara started participating in athletic challenges on behalf of the foundation, quickly realizing she had an endless passion for endurance events. She has run two marathons, including the New York City Marathon, fifteen half marathons, an all-women's 122 mile relay race, five triathlons (including an Ironman 70.3), and fifteen stand-up paddle board races/events (including a 220km event in the Netherlands and circumnavigating Lake Tahoe).

Edward

Baehrend

united states

Ed is running the Antarctic Ice Marathon in his quest to join The 7 Continents Marathon Club. He finished running a marathon in every state several years ago and this will be his fifth continent. In 40 years of running he has completed more than 100 marathons, including two ultramarathons.

Andrew

Barnes

great britain

Andrew caught the running bug a few years ago and the Antarctic Ice Marathon will be his eighth marathon. His favorite race to date has been the Athens Marathon, but he is looking forward to seeing the ‘white continent’ and running with his father a year after they finished New York together.

Michael

Barnes

great britain

Mike, 65, started running 10 years ago as a way to lose weight. He has now completed eight consecutive Great North Runs, which is the largest half marathon in the world, as well as the Polar Night half in Tromso, Norway, and the Midnight Sun Marathon. He has also completed marathons in London and New York. Mike is aiming for at least a half-marathon on every continent and at the North Pole. He is running to raise funds for the United Kingdom Acquired Brain Injury Forum (UKABIF).

Emer

Buckley

ireland

Emer is originally from Limerick, Ireland and was prompted to start running by the fact the rest of her family are runners. She watched the Dublin marathon from the sidelines as relatives ran it every year for more than 20 years and wanted to do it at least once. She took the plunge in 2014 and ran the race, loving it so much she’s run it every year since. In fact, Emer has now also run marathons on five continents and the Antarctic Ice Marathon will be her tenth marathon. She ran races in Dublin and Boston with her mother, and one in Sydney with her brother.

Chris

Bullock

united states

Chris ran his first marathon in 1998 (the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C.) after noticing a flyer advertising a fund raising effort to raise money for AIDS treatment for patients in the DC area. Nearly twenty years later, he has completed 162 full marathons, including the Comrades and Two Ocean ultras twice, marathons in all 50 states, and the six World Majors. Chris feels very fortunate to have run practically all over the world and have the opportunity to meet lifelong friends along the way. In fact, the Ice Marathon was brought to his attention by running pal Steve Munson who will also be running the race.

Leigh

Burton

united states

Leigh has run one previous marathon, covering a challenging course in San Francisco in 2012. Antarctica will be the sixth continent for her to visit, with plans of visiting her final continent, Australia, in the next couple of years. Her goal is to play soccer/football on all seven continents and she’s primarily going on this marathon trip just to do so on the frozen continent. Leigh, who lives in the warm climate of Atlanta in the United States, typically needs a winter coat when temperatures drop below 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius), “so this should be fun,” she says.

Eric

Butcher

united states

Eric is one of twelve runners competing in honor of Brian Hoke, who died in Afghanistan while serving the United States of America. They are raising money to support the Navy SEAL Foundation.

Alberto

Cardenas

peru

Alberto will be running his 30th marathon, covering all seven continents, when he runs the Antarctic Ice Marathon. Born and raised in Lima, Peru, he is 47 years old. Alberto started distance running when he was 29, after recovering from a knee surgery. He has since run marathons in Boston (twice), Chicago, New York City (three times) and Berlin, as well as the Comrades Marathon in South Africa. He has also completed races in Cajamarca and Lima (Peru), Osaka (Japan), Auckland (New Zealand), Miami and Orlando (USA), Santiago de Chile (Chile), Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Amsterdam (Netherlands), among other locations.

Margaret

Consunji

philippines

Maggie, 28, is a television host, digital influencer, interior designer and former beauty queen. She recently hosted Philippines’ ‘Next Top Model’ and has also participated in, and won ‘The Amazing Race’ Asia Season 5. As a digital influencer, she's worked with top brands such as Gucci, Dove, GAP, Happy Skin and Tresemme. She also works with the tourism boards of various countries to boost tourism and visitation. Maggie enjoys swimming, equestrian, tennis, rock climbing and mountain climbing. She's participated in several Spartan Obstacle Races and has run half marathons in Asia, Africa, and Australia. Although running is not particularly her passion, she does have a passion for travel and adventure, and a healthy dose of competitive spirit. Antarctica will be her first marathon, and she will be running alongside her husband, Victor. She intends to be the first female Filipino to complete a marathon in Antarctica.

Victor

Consunji

philippines

Victor is CEO of Victor Consunji Development Corporation, a property development firm operating in the Philippine real estate market. As a marathoner, he has enjoyed running around the world, both on and off road. The Antarctic Ice Marathon will be his seventh continent and he will officially be joining the Seven Continents Marathon Club if he completes it. He will also simultaneously join the Marathon Grand Slam Club, having participated in the North Pole Marathon in 2016 and thereby completing marathons on all seven continents and at the North Pole. Victor takes pride in the fact that he was the first Filipino to run the North Pole Marathon, and now will be the first and only Filipino to have run a marathon in both the Arctic and Antarctica. Among his other races, he has run the New York Marathon, the Berlin Marathon, the Kenya WIldlife Marathon, Perth City to Surf Marathon and the Tokyo Marathon. He’s also competed in triathlons, such as Ironman Barcelona 2016, Ironman Port Macquarie 2017 and Ironman 70.3 in Cebu, Thailand and Florida. Future goals include completing all the other Marathon Majors, the Marathon De Sables in 2018 and the World Marathon Challenge (7 Marathons 7 Continents 7 Days).

Marc

De Keyser

belgium

A marathoner and Antarctic enthusiast who works as a weather forecaster at Union Glacier for the 'summer' seasons from November - January. Marc has won two Antarctic Ice marathon titles and two Antarctic 100k titles. Following on his success in winning the 2007 Antarctic Ice Marathon, he subsequently finished second in both the 2009 and 2010 marathon events before winning the Antarctic Ice Marathon title again in 2014 and finishing 6th in 2016. Marc also won the 2008 Antarctic 100k, finished runner-up in the 100km race in 2011, and then reclaimed the 100k title in 2012. He ran his first marathon in 1993, the Marathon of the Golden Spurs, in native Belgium, and has since run dozens more. Marc has also spent two summer seasons in Rothera, the Research Base of the British Antarctic Survey on the Antarctic Peninsula.

Mark

Edgar

united states

Mark is running the Antarctic Ice Marathon to support the Navy SEAL Foundation and in memory of his friend Brian Hoke, who was killed in Afghanistan last year while serving the United States of America. “I had the great honor of running the Polar Circle Marathon with Brian in 2015, also in support of the NSF. I don’t know of any marathon that is more unique and awesome than the Ice Marathon to now race and honor such a great friend”.

Ron

Ferber

united states

Ron is a marathon veteran, having completed about a dozen marathons in his lifetime.

Richard

Garland

great britain

Richard, who lives in the USA, will be running the Antarctic Ice Marathon on behalf of The Adam J. Lewis Pre-School in Bridgeport, Connecticut, which was set up in the name of Adam Lewis. Adam worked at Keefe, Bruyette and Woods at the World Trade Center and died in the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. His widow, Patty Lewis, decided to build the school in Bridgeport, which is the poorest city in Connecticut, with the worst educational standards in the state. Richard is working toward joining The 7 Continents Marathon Club and the Antarctic Ice Marathon will be his sixth marathon on his fifth continent. He has previously run New York, London, Boston, Tokyo, and Lewa, Kenya, and hopes to join the Club by 2019. Richard is also aiming to run the Chicago and Berlin marathons by 2020, so he will also have run each of the six Marathon Majors.He is also considering whether he has the stamina to complete the World Marathon Challenge and run seven marathons in seven continents in seven days.

Robert

Gensler

united states

Rob has run fifteen marathons, with a PB of 3:25.30 going back to London in 1989. Following a career in the financial world, including twelve as a portfolio manager investing in global equities, he retired five years ago. After an absence of 26 years from running, he got back into marathon shape upon retirement. For his 60th birthday this year, Rob set the goal of running 7 marathons, and has now run Houston, Virginia Beach, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago and Baltimore with the Ice Marathon being his final one. He has travelled extensively, visiting 83 countries, and lived in Africa, London, Singapore and the USA. He loves photography and will be photographing an Emperor Penquin Camp before the marathon.

Djalma

Gomes de Moura

brazil

Djalma is a 61-year-old mining engineer from Brazil. He believes sports transform, inspire and motivate people and that chronological age should not be something that limits one’s capacity of dreaming. Running has become the habit of his life, bringing the opportunity to meet new people and visit new places around the world together with his wife. Among his seven marathons so far, he has run Berlin, Buenos Aires/Argentina and the Porto Alegre/Brazil marathons where he got the qualifying standard for the Boston Marathon. He would like to use his participation in the Antarctic Ice Marathon to honor all organ donors and their families and make the population aware of the greatness of this act. Djalma will be the first Brazilian over 60 years-old to take part in the southernmost race on earth.

Christy

Hoke

united states

Christy is running the Antarctic Ice Marathon in her husband Brian's place. He was planning to run in support of the Navy Seal Foundation before he lost his life serving in Afghanistan in late 2016. Christy has never run a marathon and doesn't like the cold, but wants to do whatever she can to support a cause her husband passionately believed in. She's run a number of races in preparation and has full confidence that her teammates, who are also running for the Navy Seal Foundation, will support and encourage her across the finish line. She's very excited to be part of such an extraordinary event and feels privileged to experience something that very few people will ever experience in their lifetimes.

Alan

Holmes

united states

Alan will be running the Antarctic Ice Marathon to benefit the U.S. Navy SEAL Foundation, and in memory of good friends and comrades. During his career in the US Military and the Special Operations community, Alan began competing in expeditionary and ultra endurance events both for personal fulfillment and to benefit the charitable organizations that supported the family members of fallen service members. Alan has competed in large international events like the Raid Gauloises, the Eco-Challenge, and The Southern Traverse, and also raced and organized smaller events such at the MegaDose and Beast of the East adventure races and the Brave Heart/Allen Stone memorial run/swim/run. He has competed in dozens of marathons, triathlons and endurance events around the world, including the Bataan Memorial event in the Philippines. However, he finds greatest enjoyment in doing long trail runs with his sister Marissa. The Antarctic Ice Marathon is particularly important to him because of the people with whom he will be traveling and running, and the cause that they are going to Antarctica to support.

Anneta

Hunt

new zealand

Anneta, who started running just seven years ago, is well on her way to running a marathon on all seven continents. Once she completes the race in Antarctica, she’ll have four of the seven crossed off her list. She has run a total of 14 marathons, including races in New York, Gold Coast (Australia) and Berlin. The others have been in New Zealand. Marathons aren’t her only distance, however, and she has run some ultras, including a 100km race this year.

Jill

Jamieson

united states

Jill is the founder of ‘Memory Joggers’, a fundraising group dedicated to raising money and awareness to fight Alzheimer’s disease. With the motto “racing to the ends of the earth to beat Alzheimer’s disease,” the Antarctic Ice Marathon will be Jill’s seventh marathon. Jill is a managing director of a Fortune 500 company based in Washington, D.C. She has lived and worked in over 40 countries and is an adventure enthusiast. Due to her excessive work and travel schedule over the past few months, her training for the 2017 Antarctic Ice Marathon has been a bit non-traditional, including surfing, skiing and body-weight workouts in industrial freezers.

Frank

Johansen

denmark

Frank does not consider himself a runner, but challenges himself by exploring his physical and mental abilities while also exploring the world. “Running is not about the distance,” he says, “It is about where it takes place and having fun.”

Hakan

Jonsson

sweden

Håkan, 67, works as a radiologist. He and his son Andreas are running together to raise funds for the benefit of children of townships in Cape Town, South Africa. The proceeds are directly invested in the organization Philani, founded by Swedish doctor Ingrid Le Roux. He has run six half marathons to dates, completed an Ironman in 2000, and the Stockholm Marathon, Great Wall Marathon in China, Kilimanjaro Marathon in Tanzania, Sydney Marathon, Buenos Aires Marathon, Paris Marathon, Rome Marathon, New York Marathon, Cape Town Marathon and Petra Desert Marathon. He’s now aiming to become a member of The 7 Continents Marathon Club.

Andreas

Jonsson

sweden

Andreas, 31, is a sales manager in Sweden and also runs an orphanage in Nepal. With his father Håkan and the International Aid Work of the Swedish Church, they are promoting a fund-raising campaign called LET MORE TURN FIVE (in Swedish: Låt Fler Fylla Fem),” collecting money for the benefit of children of the townships of Cape Town, South Africa. The proceeds are directly invested in the organization Philani, founded in turn by Swedish doctor Ingrid Le Roux. Andreas says that their participation in the Antarctic Ice Marathon has given them considerable media attention in Sweden that has significantly benefited their campaign. He has run two other marathons -- the Great Wall Marathon in China and the Rome Marathon.

Ziv

Kolker

israel

Ziv has run six marathons, including New York City twice. He has also run eight half marathons and six 135-mile relay races. “I'm excited to be running at Antarctica in this special race,” Ziv says.

Jason

Lamb

united states

Jason is a former Navy SEAL and founder of the digital consulting company, The Hard Yards. He is part of a team running the Ice Marathon to support the Navy SEAL Foundation. In 2014, the team ran the Polar Challenge in Greenland. Jason has experience with triathlons, marathons, and endurance races up to 50 miles. Jason and Shannon Lamb live in Arlington, Virginia, with their two boys, Liam and Lachlan.

Rafal

Lasota

poland

Rafal has been running long distances for five years with the triathlon Sidor Team based in Wroclaw, Poland. He ran his first marathon distance in 2013 and now has the goal of running marathons on all 7 continents. To this end, Rafal has run in marathons in Paris (Europe), Chicago (North America), Tokyo (Asia), Melbourne (Australia) and Rio de Janeiro (South America). After the Ice Marathon in Antarctica, Rafal will run the Marrakech Marathon in January 2018 to reach his goal. Future athletics goals include an Ironman distance in 2019. Rafal is 42 years old and he has four daughters. He is interested in endurance sports, films, and audiobooks. He works for his own company.

Vivian

Lee

china

united states

Vivian’s first marathon was only two years ago, and although she had been an avid traveler, she didn’t particularly like running and never considered running on all seven continents. In 2015, however, she caught the running bug and ran her first half marathon in San Diego. To her surprise, running was something that she truly enjoyed. Before long, the half marathon turned into full marathons, and even a staged ultramarathon. She subsequently made her marathon debut at the North Pole in 2016, and as soon as she learned about the Marathon Grand Slam Club, she wasted no time springing into action. After the North Pole, Vivian quickly knocked out three marathons in Australia, Europe, and Asia before challenging herself with the Marathon des Sables, a six-day, 156-mile ultra-stage race in the Sahara Desert. She then ran the Inca Trail Marathon for the South American leg of her Grand Slam where altitudes range from 2,438 to 4,200 meters. The Antarctic Ice Marathon will complete marathons on all 7 continents and at the North Pole. Vivian lives in San Diego, California, and works in the IT industry. She is a Honey Stinger ambassador and runs to support an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico. To find out more and support this cause, you can go to this website https://www.crowdrise.com/marathon-grand-slam-for-mexican-orphans.

Peter

Lind

united states

Pete is excited for the opportunity to travel to Antarctica, participate in the event, and cheer on his daughter, regardless of the pace that either he or his daughter will take. The Antarctic Ice Marathon will be the second international marathon where he has traveled to cheer on - and participate with - Megan. He looks forward to another adventure and collecting new memories.

Megan

Lind

united states

Megan enjoys seeing the world through running. The Antarctic Ice Marathon will be her sixth marathon race and the sixth continent for her to visit. Megan and her father, Pete, will both be doing the race and she looks forward to cheering him on.

Kelly

McLay

united states

Completing marathons on six of the seven continents, Kelly hopes to celebrate marathon 51 and her 7th continent with a finish at Union Glacier. Running the Antarctic Ice Marathon is the culmination of a once unimaginable opportunity for Kelly on this once in a lifetime journey. She believes there is nothing better than exploring the world by foot and that Antarctica will be breathtakingly inspiring. Kelly is the International Program Manager for Spartan Race Inc. in Boston, MA and resides in nearby Beverly with her husband John McLay and 11 month old baby, Scarlett.

Jake

Mercer

united states

Jake is one of twelve runners competing in honor of Brian Hoke, who died in Afghanistan while serving the United States of America. They are raising money to support the Navy SEAL Foundation.

Simon

Michaels

great britain

Simon received the ultimate 50th birthday present from his wife and children -- an entry into the Antarctic Ice Marathon! He has been aiming to run a marathon on each continent and this trip will ensure he achieves that goal, with it being his seventh continent and his 14th marathon. Simon runs marathons to raise awareness for a UK charity called Mind, which is a mental health charity, having lost his brother as a result of the issue.

Steve

Munson

united states

Steve has run almost sixty marathons to date and will join The 7 Continents Marathon Club when he completes the Antarctic Ice Marathon. He says all marathons are very hard, but that he’s “slow but persistent.” Steve runs to keep in shape. Although retired, he’s part of a wildland fire management team during the summer and runs in the off-season.

Joao

Netto

portugal

João, 51, is the leader of TA Communications in Portugal. He started running at the age of 47 as it was the only sport with easy logistics and requiring a minimal investment in time. He has run marathons in Lisbon, New York, London, Berlin, Chicago, Athens, Tokyo and the North Pole. One of the highlights of his life was pushing his daughter in a wheelchair across the finish at a recent marathon in Lisbon. That full story can be seen at http://www.endeavortravel.com/pt/blog. “It was, without a doubt, one of the most gratifying experiences I have ever experienced,” he says.

Gus

Nicoll

united states

Gus is one of twelve runners competing in honor of Brian Hoke, who died in Afghanistan while serving the United States of America. They are raising money to support the Navy SEAL Foundation.

Detlef

Oetter

germany

Detlef is the Vice Chairman of the management board at Sparkasse LeerWittmund, a large bank in Germany. He ran his first marathon in November 2011 in his favorite city of New York. His goal was then to run all six Marathon Majors and he ran Boston during the year of the tragic bombing. “Like many others, that encouraged me to stick to my goal, despite all the circumstances,” he says, and he subsequently finished the Marathon Majors at the beginning of 2015. He has since run races in Sydney and Morocco with the goal of running a marathon on all seven continents. Detlef is married and enjoys racing bikes with his daughters when he’s not running.

Sally

Orange

great britain

Sally has always had an interest in the outdoors and has raised several thousands of pounds for charity by completing four full distance Ironman triathlons, cycling the length of the UK from Lands End to John O'Groats and also from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean across the Pyrenees. She was a member of the first all-female team to complete the Arch to Arc triathlon which involved running 87 miles from Marble Arch to Dover, swimming the English Channel and then cycling from Calais to the Arc de Triumphe. She has also completed the Marathon des Sables and hopes to join The 7 Continents Marathon Club via completion of the Antarctic Ice Marathon. She is raising funds for Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's mental health campaign '”Heads Together,” to work towards breaking down the stigma that surrounds mental health. For more information, visit: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SallyOrange.

Karan

Rai

united states

Karan is one of twelve runners competing in honor of Brian Hoke, who died in Afghanistan while serving the United States of America. They are raising money to support the Navy SEAL Foundation.

Peter

Ritchie

great britain

Peter has been running for twenty-one years, completing more than 460 races and 60 marathons in all. Antarctica will be his sixth continent, and he’s completed the six Marathon Majors. Peter has particularly loved the races he has run in Las Vegas, Tokyo and Chicago. “I’m hoping to start doing the capitals of the world,” he says.

Andonis

Sakatis

great britain

After completing the historic Athens Marathon in 2014, Andonis set about a life ambition of running an adventure marathon on every continent to fulfil his passion for both travel and fitness. Since then, he’s run the Big Five Marathon in South Africa, the Lake Tahoe marathon in the United States and the Bagan Temple Marathon in Myanmar. The Antarctic Ice Marathon will be his fifth continent. Andonis is normally a barefoot shoe runner (not in Antarctica) and also a natural sports nutrition enthusiast, taking his Vivobarefoot shoes and Tribe bars with him on trips to test out in the extreme conditions. He is forever grateful for the support from his family, friends and XTX Markets for making this adventure a reality and hopes his footsteps can inspire others to follow in the future.

David

Silverman

united states

David is running the Antarctic Marathon to benefit the Navy SEAL Foundation, which provides critical support to family members of current and former SEALs and their families. His race is dedicated to his close friends who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their nation. David is a former Navy SEAL who has previously run five marathons on two continents. He loves to surf and swim and is up to the challenge of joining The 7 Continents Marathon Club.

Pal

Skyrud

norway

Pål starting running and competing in exercise adventure races about 10 years ago and hasn’t looked back. In those 10 years, he has run twenty-two marathons, three triathlons and two ultras. He has run on five continents so far, and Antarctica will be his sixth. “I enjoy the combination of seeing world places and completing a marathon,” he said. His 2017 goal was to complete eight marathons (Tokyo, North Pole, Prague, Big Five in South Africa, Inca Trail in Peru, Trollheimen in Norway, Venize in Italy and Antarctica). In the summer of 2018, he aims to complete the Australian Outback Marathon so that he can become a member of The 7 Continents Marathon Club, the Grand Slam Club and a full member of Marathon Globetrotters. He placed first at the Inca Trail race in Peru in August, fifth at Big Five in June and sixth at the North Pole Marathon in April.

Slawomir

Szarek

poland

Slawek is a 42-year-old father of two daughters and loves playing soccer. He says he is not a marathoner, but loves sport and traveling. He will be on the trip, in part, to support his friend, Rafal Lasota, who will also be running the race.

Carlo

Tonini

australia

Carlo has completed various adventures such as the Murray River Marathon (404km kayaking event), Kokoda trek in PNG and Oxfam walk (100km). In 2017, he hopes to complete a marathon on every continent and join The 7 Continents Marathon Club by finishing the Antarctic Ice Marathon. To date he has completed the following marathons: Gold Coast (Australia), New York (North America), London (Europe), Great Wall of China (Asia), Big 5 (Africa) and Inca Trail (South America). Whilst physically putting himself through the challenge he is financially raising much needed funds for Cancer Research through his World’s Biggest Dinner campaign www.worldsbiggestdinner.com. He has raised more than $118,000 on his way to his target of $250,000.

Gulay

Varan

turkey

great britain

Gülay was born in Bingol, in eastern Turkey, to a Zaza family. At age 11, she moved to Istanbul and then to London in 2004 where she works as a lawyer and enjoys an active life. She discovered the joy of running in the summer 2013 and decided to run her first marathon in London, in March 2014. At the finish line, she knew that she would do more. Running marathons not only gave her confidence that she was physically fit to run but also enabled her to pick up many other sports in her thirties. Running also allowed her to discover world cities from a different perspective. Since 2014, she has completed the Istanbul, Berlin, Brussels, New York, Paris, and Buenos Aires marathons and many other half marathons and 20 mile races across the world. Gülay is hoping to run marathons in as many countries as possible and hopes to be the first Turkish woman to join The 7 Continents Marathon Club during 2018. She is the first woman in her family to have lived abroad, travelled globally and done sports. She dedicates this race to her late grandmother (nene) Sariye and her mother (Hamide), both women having never left their home towns/countries or received formal education. She is hoping to mentor girls from similar backgrounds to pick up sports and have the confidence to travel and study abroad.

Gertjan

Verdickt

belgium

Gertjan is running the Antarctic Ice Marathon as the final leg in his charity project Run for MS (multiple sclerosis). He is a Belgian student working to earn his PhD in financial economics at the University of Antwerp (Belgium). The Ice Marathon will be Gertjan’s fifth marathon and more information can be found on him at http://www.runforms.be.

Rob

Vogel

united states

Robert is running the Antarctic Ice Marathon to benefit the Navy Seal Foundation. “I’ve always been fascinated with the polar explorers and Antarctica, so when I read about the Antarctic Ice Marathon, I decided I had to do it,” he said. Robert’s only other marathon was in Greenland. “I usually limit myself to half marathons and run to keep in shape and enjoy the outdoors.”

Paul

Vogel

united states

Paul is running the Antarctic Ice Marathon to honor the Navy Seals and also to pay tribute to Brian Hoke, a former Navy SEAL that was killed in action overseas last Fall. “Brian was a tremendous supporter and believed in the mission of the Navy SEAL Foundation (NSF) and it was NSF who immediately supported and continues to support Brian’s family. My hope is to not only raise awareness for the Navy SEAL Foundation, but also to raise funds to support their programs to the SEAL Community.” The SEAL Community includes Active Duty and Reserve service personnel and their family members under the Naval Special Warfare Command and those former SEALs, and their families, who continue to serve the United States on diplomatic mission overseas. Paul said he’s also running to demonstrate his perseverance and drive, “despite the doubts and questions of sanity from friends and family, as to his ability to survive and complete this race”, he says. “This will surely become a case study in how to go from couch potato to ultra athlete (okay maybe just ordinary athlete).” The Antarctic Ice Marathon will be his second marathon and he’s running the race with his brother Robert.

David

Weeks

united states

David is one of twelve runners competing in honor of Brian Hoke, who died in Afghanistan while serving the United States of America. They are raising money to support the Navy SEAL Foundation.

Anna

Wester

netherlands

Anna is 64 years old and the Antarctic Ice Marathon will be her fourteenth marathon. She ran her first marathon in New York at age 42 and has since raced in the Mount Everest Marathon, the Sahara Desert Marathon in Algeria, the North Pole Marathon and the Paul Kruger Marathon in Africa. She is aiming to become a member of The 7 Continents Marathon Club and Grand Slam Club and will achieve that goal when she runs a marathon in Australia next year.

Katrin

Wolf

germany

Katrin started running in 2010 because she had a lot of back pain. She works as a dentist, and the work was taking a toll on her body. Katrin has since run marathons in New York City, Berlin and London, as well as many half marathons. She lives in Bonn, Germany, and often trains in the mountains and forests, preferring it to running in cities. She read about the Antarctic Ice Marathon in Runner’s World” magazine and decided to give it a go!

Emre

Yedidag

turkey

united states

Emre, a semi-retired surgeon, took up running again recently having stopped many years ago. Since 2015, both he and his wife, Azade, have completed several marathons and half marathons in the United States and on four continents. Their goal is to complete the World Marathon Majors and marathons on all seven continents. “We like to travel, read and learn about geography, geology, people and nature in places we visit,” he said. “Antarctica is our favorite place.”

Azade

Yedidag

turkey

united states

Azade is originally from Istanbul, Turkey, and began running just three years ago. For most athletes in the Antarctic Ice Marathon, the trip to run the race on the remote continent is a first. For Azade, however, this will be her fourth trip to Antarctica with her husband Emre. “We fell in love with Antarctica after our first visit,” she said. She has run six marathons in San Diego, Chicago, Berlin, Tokyo, Reykjavik and Sydney and aims to run on all seven. Azade is a doctor by profession.

Tim

Young

new zealand

Tim was first prompted to take up running after a move to the United States. Although he returned to native New Zealand, the running bug had taken hold and a training run with friends led to his discovery The 7 Continents Marathon Club. The Antarctic Ice Marathon is not merely a step to joining The 7 Continent Marathon Club, however, but a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go to Antarctica and actually stand on the ice,” he says.

Kurt

alderweireldt

belgium

100KM COMPETITOR

Jennifer

cheung

hong kong

china

100KM COMPETITOR

Richard

donovan

ireland

100KM COMPETITOR

Fernando

gonzalez

spain

100KM COMPETITOR

Cristian

gorbea

argentina

100KM COMPETITOR

Siu Wai

leung

hong kong

china

100KM COMPETITOR

Jon

o'Shea

great britain

100KM COMPETITOR

Joel

runyon

united states

100KM COMPETITOR

Gilbert

summa

france

100KM COMPETITOR

Simon

wrenn

great britain

100KM COMPETITOR