Antarctic Mike on a sheep's back

San Diego-based Antarctic Mike toughs out two marathons at the South Pole in two days

He spent one week sleeping, eating and running two consecutive marathons on Antarctic ice - all in the same clothes.

Meet Antarctic Mike, the San Diego man who has become newest ambassador for New Zealand merino wool - wool that kept him warm and odour-free while running last month's inaugural Antarctic Ice Marathon.

Mike - real name Mike Pierce - trained for his Antarctic marathon in a San Diego commercial freezer, running alongside frozen chickens and boxes of french fries during his weekends.

With conditions too harsh for any treadmill, Antarctic Mike - a self confessed Antarctic nut, spent hours running around a small track where 30 laps equalled a mile (1.6km).

So concerned was the owner of the commercial freezer about Mike's safety, that he made him sign a legal waiver absolving him from responsibility should he arrive at work Monday morning to find Mike frozen to the floor.

Mike spent eight months training in the freezer, averaging two to three hours a session, all in temperatures below -26C.

During his search for suitable clothing, he discovered wool - specifically New Zealand merino.

"I tried a whole pile of gear - I mean synthetics, wools, blends. I tried everything," he said.

"My whole car was like a clothing shop ... it was a regular car but you couldn't fit more than the driver in, because of all these clothes."

The knack to running in extreme cold, says Mike, is to quickly get sweat and moisture away from the skin, so it does not freeze to the body.

Antarctic Mike wholeheartedly endorses the "no body odour" claims of merino clothing makers after putting the gear through a rigorous test.

"I wore the same wool clothing for the entire week that I was in the Antarctic. I wore it for the race, I slept in it, I got up the next day, it was dry and I ran another marathon in it and I wore it for the next four days - I'm serious. I couldn't believe it.

"I wear it all the time now, I love it. - It's comfortable, it's durable, and it doesn't stink. It's great in the heat, I train in the gym in it, I love it."

And the buzz of New Zealand merino is catching on.

"Most Americans think of wool and they think of thick, scratchy, junky stuff. But they don't realise this stuff feels like silk and it's paper thin and it wears like iron."

Mike ran 84 kilometres in two days - one 42km marathon each day for the inaugural Antarctic Ice Marathon, with a total running time of 15 hours.

The race was held just a few hundred kilometres from the South Pole at the foot of the Ellsworth Mountains.

While Mike came bottom of the field, that's not bad considering it was only his third marathon and the event had a field of just nine contestants.

Sub-zero endurance racing has taken a firm grasp on Antarctic Mike and he is now developing a series of new indoor challenges, with an Ironman triathlon on the agenda for later this year.

He just needs to work out how to get a pool into his training freezer for the swim leg.

John Brakenridge, chief executive of the New Zealand Merino Company - a joint venture between PGG Wrightson and farmers - says Antarctic Mike has joined a long list of New Zealand outdoor heroes who swear by merino, including Grant Dalton, Graeme Dingle and multisport legend Steve Gurney.

Endorsements from people like Mike were important to the success of its product, said Brakenridge. "Just look at Nike," he said.

Mike's gear was made by Colorado-based company SmartWool, which uses only New Zealand-sourced merino wool. SmartWool, is expecting revenues this year of $US42 million ($NZ61 million).

The company was recently bought out by popular outdoor clothing and shoe giant Timberland for $US82 million.

The other well-known company using only New Zealand merino is Icebreaker, which Antarctic Mike says is also becoming popular in the US.

Brakenridge said the qualities of merino - which can keep its wearer cool in the heat and warm in the cold - is making it increasingly popular as a material for outdoor clothing. The wool's technology had been developed "over tens of thousands of years" - on the sheep. 


Chile? It was for the runners

Runners in the inaugural Antarctic Ice Marathon left the Chilean town of Punta Arenas, and were flown to and from the Patriot Hills race site, in the foothills of the Ellsworth Mountains.

Promoters describe the 42km course as "meandering" and including "long stretches of open white terrain". It also "encompasses a plane wreck".

Touted as the only marathon held within the Antarctic Circle, the January 7 race was run under clear blue skies and "sand-type" snow conditions with 45-knot winds.

Summer temperatures at Patriot Hills can range from -10C to -20C, though "fairly steady winds blowing from the Pole" cause a wind chill that can lower temperatures by a further 10C to 20C.

Evgeniy Gorkov of Russia won the race in a time of 5 hours, 9 minutes and 38 seconds (Kenyan Paul Tergat holds the world marathon record of 2 hours, 4 minutes and 55 seconds).

The only entrant in the next day's 100km Antarctic race was Irish runner Richard Donovan, who covered the distance in 15 hours, 43 minutes and 55 seconds. Donovan, who is also one of the race organisers, has also run marathons at the North Pole and in the Sahara desert.

The second running of the Antarctic Ice Marathon, which will also include a half marathon, is scheduled for December 10.

Entry costs US$15,000 ($21,700), which covers flights to and from the ice, food and accommodation, with a medal and T-shirt.

"Don't expect to see penguins, however," say race promoters. "... as life cannot be sustained this far inland."