Quick facts about the Antarctica Marathon

• The marathon is held on the largest of the South Shetland Islands, about 120 kilometers off the coast of Antarctica.
• The marathon course loops through scientific research bases of Uruguay, Chile, China, and Russia.
• Temperatures range from 15F-30F on the island during the marathon.
• The island was discovered by the British explorer William Smith in 1819.
• The island is approximately 95 kilometers long and 25 kilometers wide.
• More than 90 percent of the island's surface is permanently glaciated.
• In 1821, 11 men of the sealing vessel Lord Melville survived the Antarctic winter on the island.
• The coastal areas of the island are home to Elephant Seals, Weddell and Leopard seals, and Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins.
• Human habitation is limited to research stations of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, South Korea, Peru, Poland, Russia, and Uruguay.
• Travelers fly into Buenos Aires, Argentina, before departing for Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego (the world's southernmost city).
• Two Russian research ships, the Akademik Ioffe and the Akademik Vavilov, take travelers from Ushuaia to King George Island.
• In 2004, a Russian Orthodox church - the southernmost in the world - was opened on the island and is permanently manned by a priest.