RUNNING HUMANS: The Website of Barefoot Marathoner, Author and Medical Doctor Sidy Diallo
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    • Qui est docteur Sidy Diallo ?
    • Correr descalzos por la supervivencia humana
    • ¿Quién es el doctor Sidy Diallo?
    • The Basics of Bliss and Wellness
    • Nearly 60 Kg of Body Fat Burned in Two Years
    • 6 885 km et 452 577 kcal en 2 ans
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    • El cuerpo humano no está diseñado para nuestro estilo de vida
    • Overcoming Nelophobia
  • Humans
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    • Planet of the Masked Apes
    • I Ran 25 Marathons in 18 Weeks
    • Cool Flight from Mexico City
    • Forty-One Million Preventable Deaths per Year
    • 41 millions de décès évitables par an
    • Le syndrome du bagne
    • The Port Arthur Syndrome
    • The Aggravation of COVID-19 Comorbidities
    • L’aggravation des comorbidités de la Covid
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    • The Irrational Bans on Running
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  • 2022
    • 2022.05:15 Route du Louvre Marathon
    • 2022.05:08 Barcelona Marathon
    • 2022 Absurdistan Runs
    • 2022.04.18 Boston Marathon
    • 2022.04.03 Paris Marathon
    • My 67th Birthday Barefoot Marathon
    • 2022.03.19 Paris EcoTrail
    • 2022.01.15 The O’Mycron Marathon
  • 42k & ultras
    • Countries
    • Old Ultras >
      • 11-2017-06-04 Comrades Marathon (87 km)
      • 10-2016-05-29 Comrades Marathon (89 km)
      • 9-2016-03-19 Eco Trail de Paris (80 km / 5O Miles)
      • 8. 2015 Two Oceans Ultra 56km (Cape Town, South Africa/Afrique du Sud)
      • 7. 2015 White Continent Ultramarathon (King George Island, Antarctica)
      • 6. 2015 Punta Arenas Ultramarathon (Chile, South America)
      • 5. 2015 Kathmandu Ultra 50 km (Nepal, Asia)
      • 4. 2014 Chicago Lakefront 50k (North America)
      • 3. 2014 Bush Capital Bush Ultramathon (63.3 K, Oceania)
      • 2. 2014 Trail du Golfe du Morbihan (56k, France)
      • 1. 2014 Royal Raid 80 km (50 miles), Ile Maurice / Mauritius (Africa)
    • 2021 >
      • 2021.12.31 Marathon Against Pandemics
      • The 2021 Absurdistan Running Series (ARS)
      • 2021.12.19 The Human Misery Marathon
      • 2021.11.28 Mexico City Marathon
      • 2021.11.26 Chapultepec Marathon
      • 2021.11.14 Athens Marathon
      • 2021.11.07 Podgorica Marathon
      • 2021.10.31 Bucharest Marathon
      • 2021.10.24 Ljubljana Marathon
      • 2021.10.17 Paris Marathon
      • 2021.10.10 Sofia Marathon
      • 2021.10.03 London Marathon
      • 2021.09.26 Berlin Marathon
      • 2021.09.19 Rome Marathon
      • 2021.09.12 Vienna Marathon
      • 2021.09.05 Run in Paradise Marathon
      • 2021.08.29 Chantilly Castle Marathon
      • 2021.08.24 The COVID Big Screen Marathon
      • 2021.08.10 Marathon # 295
      • The 2021 Lac d’Orient Marathon
      • The 2021 Eco Trail de Paris (80 km)
      • The 2021 Palace of Versailles Marathon
      • The 2021 Divi Tree Marathon
      • The 2021 Aruba Marathon
      • My other Races in 2021
    • 2020 >
      • 48 Marathons and Ultramarathons in 4 Months (May 11—September 11, 2020)
      • 3.2020.03.08 Los Angeles Marathon - USA
      • 2.2020-03.01 Malta Marathon - Malta
      • 1.2020-02.09 Miami Marathon - USA
      • My 2020 Non-official Marathons >
        • 2020.10.29 My Liberation Marathon # 60
        • Liberation Marathons # 51 to 60 and One Ultramarathon in Few Weeks
        • 2020.10.19 SQY Park Marathon/My Liberation Marathon # 56
        • 2020.10.17 Virtual New York Marathon Against Pandemics/My Liberation Marathon # 55
        • 2020.10.15 Montigny to the Statue of Liberty Marathon/My Liberation Marathon # 54
        • 2020.10.10 Tenth Anniversary Celebration Marathon/My Liberation Marathon # 53
        • 2020.10.08 SQY to Health Ministry Marathon Against the COVID-19 Marathon/My LM # 52
        • 2020.10.03 Yvelines-Paris Race Against the COVID-19/My LUM # 3 (50.52 km)
        • 2020.09.28 Montigny to Paris Bercy Marathon/LM # 51
        • 2020.09:18 Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines to Versailles Castle Trail (LM # 48)
        • 2020 Liberation Marathons # 41 to 50
        • 2020 Boston Marathon Virtual Experience/Liberation Marathon # 44
        • 2020.08.29 Liberation Marathon # 41
        • 2020 Liberation Marathons # 31 to 40
        • 2020 Liberation Marathons # 21 to 30 >
          • 2020.07.12 Liberation Marathon # 27
          • 2020.07.08 Liberation Marathon # 26
          • 2020.07.05 Liberation Marathon # 25
          • 2020.07.04 Liberation Marathon # 24
          • 2020.06.30 Liberation Marathon # 23
          • 2020.06.29 Liberation Marathon # 22
          • 2020.06.28 Liberation Marathon # 21
        • 2020 Liberation Marathons # 11 to 20 and Ultramarathon # 2 >
          • 2020.06.26 Liberation Marathon # 20
          • 2020.06.23 Liberation Marathon # 19
          • 2020.06.20 Liberation Marathon # 18
          • 2020.06.18 Liberation Marathon # 17 - Honoring the 2020 Royan Marathon
          • 2020.06.15 Liberation Marathon # 16 - Honoring the 2020 Edinburgh Marathon
          • 2020.06.14 Race the Comrades Legends (90 km) – Liberation Ultramarathon # 2
          • 2020.06.10 Liberation Marathon # 15 - Honoring the 2020 Salzburg Marathon
          • 2020.06.09 Liberation Marathon # 14 - Honoring the 2020 Skopje Marathon
          • 2020.06.07 Liberation Marathon # 13 - Honoring the 2020 Belfast Marathon
          • 2020.06.05 Liberation Marathon # 12 - Honoring the 2020 Belgrade Marathon
          • 2020.06.03 Liberation Marathon # 11 - Honoring the 2020 Boston Marathon
        • 2020 Liberation Marathons # 1 to 10 and Ultramarathon # 1 >
          • 2020.06.01 Liberation Marathon # 10 - Honoring the 2020 Marseille Marathon
          • 2020.05.30 Liberation Ultramarathon # 1 (60 km)
          • 2020.05.28 Liberation Marathon # 9 - Honoring the 2020 Paris Marathon
          • 2020.05.24 Liberation Marathon # 8 - Honoring the 2020 Rome Marathon
          • 2020.05.23 Liberation Marathon # 7—Honoring the 2020 Seoul Marathon
          • 2020.05.21 Liberation Marathon # 6 - Honoring the 2020 Barcelona Marathon
          • 2020.05.17 Liberation Marathon # 5 - Honoring the 2020 Tokyo Marathon
          • 2020.05.16 Liberation Marathon # 4
          • 2020.05.14 Liberation Marathon # 3
          • 2020.05.13 Liberation Marathon # 2
          • The 5/11 Liberation Marathon (2020)
        • The 2020 Freedom Boston Marathon Against Pandemics
        • 0.2020.03.15 2020 Little Barcelona Lonely Barefoot Marathon
        • 0.2020-01.21 Muscat Lonely Marathon - Oman
    • 2019 >
      • Seven Marathons in Seven Days in 2019
      • 32.2019.12.15 Malaga Marathon - Spain
      • 31.2019.12.08 Reggae Marathon - Jamaica
      • 30.2019.12.01 Valencia Marathon - Spain
      • 2019 Cross du Figaro - France
      • 29.2019.11.03 New York Marathon - USA
      • 2019.11.02 New York Dash to the Finish Line 5K - USA
      • 28.2019.10.27 Lausanne Marathon - Switzerland
      • 27.2019.10.20 Auckland Marathon - New Zealand
      • 26.2019.10.13 Chicago Marathon - USA
      • 25.2019.10.06 Brusssels Marathon - Belgium
      • 24.2019.09.29 Budapest Marathon - Hungary
      • 23.2019.09.22 Buenos Aires Marathon - Argentina
      • 22.2019.09.08 Koblenz Marathon - Germany
      • 21.2019.08.25 Asuncion Marathon - Paraguay
      • 20.2019.06.16 Liberty Marathon - France
      • 19.2019.05.19 Lima Marathon - Peru
      • 18.2019.05.12 Marathon de la Loire - France
      • 17.2019.05.05 Prague Marathon - Czechia
      • 16.2019.04.28 Nantes Marathon - France
      • 15.2019.04.14 Paris Marathon - France
      • 14.2019.04.07 Bratislava Marathon - Slovaquia
      • 13.2019.03.31 Montauban Marathon - France
      • 12.2019.03.24 Marseille Marathon - France
      • 2019.03.16 Eco Trail de Paris (80 km) - France
      • 11.2019.03.14 Fonds Blancs Marathon - Fort-de-France, Martinique
      • 10.2019.03.13 Volcanic Sand Marathon - Saint Vincent
      • 9.2019.03.12 Titou Gorge Marathon - Dominica
      • 8.2019.03.11 Quartier d’Orleans Marathon - Saint Martin
      • 7.2019.03..10 BVI Marathon - British Virgin Islands
      • 6.2019.03.09 Costa Magica Marathon - Caribbean Sea
      • 5.2019.03.08 Butterfly Island Marathon - Le Gosier, Guadeloupe
      • 4.2019.02.24 Seychelles Marathon
      • 3.2019.02.17 Seville Marathon - Spain
      • 2.2019.01.25 Dubai Marathon - UAE
      • 1.2019.01.11 Doha Marathon - Qatar
      • 2019.02.09 Chinese New Year Hash - Paris
    • 2018 >
      • 24.2018.12.16 Pisa Marathon - Italy
      • 23.2018.12.09 Malaga Marathon - Spain
      • 22.2018.12.02 Costa Rica Marathon
      • 21.2018.11.25 Panama Marathon
      • 20.2018.11.18 Bangkok Marathon - Thailand
      • 19.2018.11.11 Istanbul Marathon - Turkey
      • 18.2018.11.04 French Riviera Marathon
      • 17.2018.10.28 Rennes Marathon - France
      • 16.2018.10.21 Toulouse Marathon - France
      • 15.2018.10.14 Metz Marathon - France
      • 14.2018.10.07 Lyon Marathon - France
      • 13.2018.30.09 Chisinau Marathon - Moldova
      • 12.2018.23.09 Marathon de Montreal
      • 11.2018.15.09 Seine-Marathon 76 - France
      • 10.2018.09.09 Vilnius Marathon - Lithuania
      • 9.2018-08-20 Capital City Marathon - Georgia
      • 8.2018-08-19 Bagrateshen Marathon - Armenia
      • 7.2018-08-18 Azeri Marathon and Half Marathon - Azerbaidjan
      • 6.2018-08-11 10th Gay Games Marathon
      • 2018 La Course royale au Château de Versailles
      • 12-2018-06-10 Comrades Marathon (90.2 km)
      • 5.2018-06-03 Rhein-Ruhr Marathon
      • 4.2018-04-22 Antwerp Marathon
      • 3.2018-04-15 Bonn Marathon
      • 2.2018-04-08 Paris Marathon
      • 1.2018-01-21 Trinidad & Tobago Marathon - & 5k
    • 2017 >
      • 13. 2017-11-18 Suriname Marathon
      • 12. 2017-10-15 Amaterdam Marathon
      • 11. 2017-10-08 Metz Marathon
      • 10. 2017-10-01 Lyon Marathon
      • 9. 2017-08-05 Zambezi Waterfront Marathon
      • 8. 2017-08-04 Impalila Island Marathon
      • 7. 2017-08-03 Chobe Marathon
      • 6. 2017-08-02 Hwange Marathon
      • 5. 2017-07-31 Sand River Marathon
      • 4. 2017-07-3O Maseru Bridge Marathon
      • 3. 2017-07-29 Ladybrand Boarder Marathon
      • 2. 2017-04-09 Rotterdam Marathon
      • 1. 2017-03-19 Marathon de l'espace (Kourou, French Guiana)
    • 2016 >
      • 20. 2016-11-27 Curaçao Marathon
      • 19. 2016-11-19 Suriname Marathon
      • 18. 2016-07-16 Andorra Marathon
      • 17. 2016-06-26 Marathon du Terroir brayon
      • 16. 2016-06-12 Marathon de Marne & Gondoire
      • 15. 2016-05-08 Geneva Marathon / Marathon de Genève
      • 14. 2016-04-17 Marathon de Nantes
      • 13. 2016-04-10 Pyongyang Marathon
      • 12. 2016-04-03 Marathon de Paris
      • 11. 2016-03-27 Sri Chinmoy Marathon de Paris
      • 10. 2016-02-28 Malta Marathon
      • 9. 2016 Marathon de Dakar
      • 8. 2016-02-06: Philipsburg Waterfront Marathon (Sint Maarten/St Martin)
      • 7. 2016-02-05: St Kitts Waterfall Marathon, Basseterre (Saint Kitts and Nevis)
      • 6. 2016-02-04: Pitons Peak Marathon, Castries (Saint Lucia)
      • 5. 2016-02-03: Carlisle Bay Marathon, Bridgetown (Barbados)
      • 4. 2016-02-02: Carnival Cruise Marathon (Caribbean Sea / Mer des Caraïbes)
      • 3. 2016-02-01: St Thomas Cove Marathon (US Virgin Islands)
      • 2. 2016-01-31: San Juan Harbor Marathon (Puerto Rico)
      • 1. 2016 marathon de Cerny-La-Ville
    • 2015 >
      • 22. 2015 Marathon du beajolais
      • 21. 2015 Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes / 2015 French Riviera Marathon
      • 20. 2015 Dublin Marathon
      • 19. 2015 Zagreb Marathon
      • 18. 2015 Bucharest Marathon/Le Marathon de Bucarest
      • 17. 2015 Warsaw Marathon/Le Marathon de Varsovie
      • 16. 2015 Moscow Marathon
      • 15. 2015 Tallinn Marathon, Estonia
      • 14. 2015 Saint Petersburg Marathon, Russia
      • 13. 2015 Vignoble d'Alsace Marathon
      • 12. 2015 Marne & Gondoire
      • 11. 2015 Copenhagen Marathon
      • 10. 2015 Prague Marathon
      • 9. 2015 Albi Marathon
      • 8. 2015 Paris Marathon
      • 7. 2015 Limassol Marathon (Cyprus/Chypre)
      • 6. 2015 Rome Marathon
      • 5. 2015 Marathon Sri Chinmoy de Paris
      • 4. 2015 Southern Cross Marathon, Punta Arenas
      • 3. 2015 Torcy International Marathon
      • 2. 2015 Bahamas Marathon
      • 1. 2015 Walt Disney World Marathon, Floride
    • 2014 >
      • 31. 2014 Peter-Wieneke-Geburtstags-Marathon (Hamburg, Germany)
      • 30. 2014 Marathon de Pise / Pisa Marathon
      • 29. 2014 Marathon de Reggio Emilia / Reggio Emilia Marathon
      • 28. 2014 Maratón de Málaga
      • 27. 2014 Marathon de la Rochelle / 2014 La Rochelle Marathon
      • 26. 2014 Marathon du Beaujolais / 2014 Beaujolais Marathon
      • 25. 2014 Marathon de La Havane / 2014 Havana Marathon
      • 24. 2014 Marathon d'Athènes / 2014 Athens Marathon
      • 23. 2014 Marathon de Toulouse / 2014 Toulouse Marathon
      • 22. 2014 Marathon de Montpellier / 2014 Montpellier Marathon
      • 21. 2014 Marathon de Chicago / 2014 Chicago Marathon
      • 20. 2014 Marathon de Bruxelles / 2014 Brussels Marathon
      • 19. 2014 Marathon de Berlin / 2014 Berlin Marathon
      • 18. 2014 Marathon d'Oslo (Norvège) / 2014 Oslo Marathon (Norway)
      • 17. Marathon de Cologne (Allemagne) / 2014 Cologne Marathon (Germany)
      • 16.Marathon des Oussaillès / 2014 Oussaillès Marathon (France)
      • 15. Marathon de Monschau/The 2014 Monschau Marathon
      • 14. Marathon de Liechtenstein/The 2014 Liechtenstein Marathon
      • 13. Marathon Marne et Gondoire/2014 Marne et Gondoire Marathon (France)
      • 12. Marathon du Mont Saint-Michel/2014 Mont Saint-Michel Marathon (France)
      • 11. Marathon de Riga/2014 Riga Marathon (Latvia)
      • 10. Marathon de Hambourg/2014 Hamburg Marathon
      • 9. Marathon de Sénart/2014 Senart Marathon
      • 8. Marathon de Düsseldorf /2014 Düsseldorf Marathon
      • 7. Marathon de Boston/ 2014 Boston Marathon
      • 6. Marathon de Vienne/Vienna City Marathon
      • 5. Marathon de Paris
      • 4. Marathon de Barcelone
      • 3. Tokyo Marathon
      • 2. Marathon de Punta Arenas
      • 1. Le White Continent Marathon
    • 48 Marathons in Six Continents in 2013 >
      • Marathons 41 to 48 >
        • 48. Marathon de la Saint Sylvestre (Calderara di Reno, Italie)
        • 47. Heiligabend Marathon (Neubrücke, Allemagne)
        • 46. Marathon de Pise (Italie)
        • 45. Marathon de Honolulu
        • 44. Marathon des Iles Cayman
        • 43. Marathon de Florence (Italie)
        • 42. Marathon de Valence (Espagne)
        • 41. Marathon de Nice - Cannes (France)
      • Marathons 31 to 40 >
        • 40. Marathon de New York
        • 39. Marathon de Francfort (Allemagne)
        • 38/41. Marathon d'Amsterdam
        • 37/40. Marathon de Cologne (Allemagne)
        • 36. Marathon de Lyon (France)
        • 35. Marathon d'Einstein (Allemagne)
        • 34. Marathon de Karlsruhe (Allemagne)
        • 33. Marathon de Wachau 2013
        • 32. Marathon de Munster 2013
        • 31. Marathon des Oussaillès du Couserans 2013
      • Marathons 21 to 30 >
        • 30. Marathon de Reykjavik 2013
        • 29. Marathon d'Helsinki 2013
        • 28. Marathon de Monschau 2013
        • 27. Marathon de Saint-André-des-Eaux 2013
        • 26. Le Marathon de l’Outback australien 2013 (Ayers Rock)
        • 25. Le Marathon de l'Ile Maurice 2013
        • 24. Le Marathon de Rio de Janeiro 2013
        • 23. Marathon de Marne et Gondoire 2013
        • 22. Fidelitas Nachtmarathon (Karlsruhe) 2013
        • 21. Marathon de la liberté (Caen) 2013
      • Marathons 11 to 20 >
        • 20. Marathon de Luxembourg 2013
        • 19. Marathon de Stockholm 2013
        • 18. Marathon de Poitiers Futuroscope 2013
        • 17. Marathon de la Grande muraille de Chine 2013
        • 16. Marathon de la Route du Louvre 2013
        • 15. Marathon de Genève 2013
        • 14. Marathon de Sénart 2013
        • 13. Marathon de Madrid 2013
        • 12. Marathon de Londres 2013
        • 11. Marathon de Rotterdam 2013
      • Marathons 1 to 10 >
        • 10. Marathon de Paris 2013
        • 9. Marathon de Marseille 2013
        • 8. Marathon de Rome 2013
        • 7. Marathon de Bienwald (Allemagne) 2013
        • 6. Marathon de Trévise (Italie) 2013
        • 5. Marathon de Séville 2013
        • 4. Marathon de la Saint Valentin (Terni, Italie) 2013
        • 3. Marathon de Marrakech 2013
        • 2. Marathon de Gran Canaria (Iles Canaries) 2013
        • 1. Marathon du Nouvel An (Zurich) 2013
    • 2012 >
      • 1. Marathon de Miami 2012
      • 2. Marathon de la Nouvelle-Orléans 2012
      • 3. Marathon de Los Angeles 2012
      • 4. Marathon de Boston 2012
      • 5. Marathon de Nashville 2012
      • 6. Marathon de Seattle 2012
      • 7. Marathon de San Francisco 2012
      • 8. Marathon d'Helsinki 2012
      • 9. Marathon de Berlin 2012
      • 10. Marathon de La Rochelle 2012
      • 11. Marathon de Lisbonne 2012
      • 12. Marathon de Pise 2012
    • 2011 >
      • 1. Marathon de Paris 2011
      • 2. Marathon de Mississauga (Canada) 2011
      • 3. Marathon de Carmel (Indiana, Usa) 2011
      • 4. Marathon de Marquette (Michigan, Usa) 2011
      • 5. Marathon de Chicago 2011
      • 6. Marathon de Las Vegas 2011
    • 2010.10.10 Chicago Marathon/My First Marathon
  • Barefoot
    • 15 Marathons Without Shoes in 14 Weeks
    • 8 Barefoot Marathons in 8 Weeks
    • The NeoBikilas
    • Dr Barefoot
    • Le marathon, c’est une tribu fugace !
    • The Marathon Is a Fleeting Tribe!
  • Media
  • Contact
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  • ARS
    • The 2020 Absurdistan Running Series (ARS)
  • 1/2 Marathons
    • 2018-08-18 Azeri Marathon and Half Marathon - Azerbaidjan
    • 2018 Suriname Half Marathon
    • 2016 BIg 25 Berlin (25 km)
    • 2016 Semi-marathon de Paris
    • 2015 Penguin Half Marathon (King George Island, Antarctica)
    • 7 Half Marathons in the US
  • Archives
    • Photos at the Great Wall of China
    • 2018 Brazilian Carnival Party
    • 1715-2015 La Louis XIV (14km)
    • 2015 Paris Saint-Germain-en-Laye La course (20km)
    • 2015_47 km in the Paris Area
    • Le marathon-relais (Ekiden) de Val de Marne 2014 New
    • Holiday & Training in Grand Canaria
    • Photos of the Australian Outback Marathon (2013) & photos of Ayers Rock
    • Photos de machots royaux, de guanacoset de moutons de Tierra del Fuego
    • Photos de Sydney
    • Photos de Macao
    • Les résidences estivales des manchots de Magellan
    • Torres del Paine
    • Manchots à jugulaire de l'Ile du Roi-George (Antarctique)
  • Running Human
  • 681 km à pied, ça use le corps et les souliers
  • The Global Marathon Against Pandemics
    • Monthly Prevention Marathons Against Pandemics
  • Running Human - Français
  • Un marathon pour positiver le confinement et investir pour la santé
  • Le marathon mondial contre lespandémies
  • Coping With the Coronavirus
  • Primitiveness Is the Smartest Weapon Against the Collateral Damage of Progress
  • Global Warming Means More Marathon Cancellations Ahead
  • The Missed Benefits of COVID-19
  • Lions Know How to Run and How to Eat, Many Humans Don’t
  • Stop Cutting Trees for Comfort
  • Humans Used to Be Happy and Social Beings
  • Some of my short races
The day Sidy Diallo ran an ultramarathon and a half marathon in Antarctica.

The 2015 White Continent Ultramarathon


Date: February 19, 2015
Ultramarathon (50 km) # 7
My Time: 6:08:47

Update: January 25, 2022

Upon completing the 50 km White Continent Ultramarathon, I asked the race director for permission to run the Penguin Marathon. He kindly granted me permission for the Penguin Half Marathon. Another runner, who started barefoot the aptly named Penguin Marathon, soon found out why Antarctica is the only wrong continent for naked human feet. At the time, I still had no idea about running marathons barefoot, and I had never met a barefoot marathoner until I saw a few days earlier, in Punta Arenas, Eddie Vega doing barefoot the 2015 Southern Cross Marathon, which I won with Joe Fernandez. I’ve meanwhile run barefoot 104 marathons in 49 countries of the six other continents. I’ve also published the book
Running Barefoot for Human Survival. One of the chapters, “Friday the 13th at the End of the World,” is about my second trip to Southern Patagonia and Antarctica, excerpts:
 
Two groups of marathon globetrotters converged in Punta Arenas: the Triple 7 Quest participants (Group 1) and the White Continent Marathon runners (Group 2), to which I belonged. Our races were scheduled on the same courses, in Punta Arenas and Antarctica, but on separate dates and under different names, according to the following calendar. Joe Fernandez and I were among the few members of the Group 2 who joined those of the Group 1 for the Southern Cross Marathon. We started at 6:00 p.m. and the weather was exceptionally perfect, with ideal temperatures, no rain and without the gusts that usually blow on the banks of the Strait of Magellan. I ran most of the time with Joe Fernandez, and we ended up winning the marathon hand in hand in a time of 3:58:41, after each of us had vainly tried to let the other cross the finish line first.

The last runner finished the marathon at around 1:00 a.m. The participants in the Triple 7 Quest were deservedly expecting to beat several records in the next hours. We were all so elated at the end of the world that we missed what some superstitious would view as an ominous date: it was Friday 13th. Were we therefore unknowingly exulting too soon?
 
The charter flight took off from Punta Arenas at 3:00 a.m. on Valentine’s Day and headed to Antarctica with the Group 1 on board. Jürgen Kuhlmey, who celebrated his 77th birthday the previous day, woke when the plane landed. “I was so happy, but surprised to see cars and a modern and well-equipped airport in Antarctica. I started taking souvenir photos, then I suddenly realized that all the other guys were very sad,” he told me later in the restaurant of our hotel, while showing me his pictures of the Punta Arenas Airport. Jürgen Kuhlmey was asleep when the pilot announced the bad news, 20 minutes prior to their landing in Antarctica: they had to turn around because of the suddenly worsening visibility on King George Island.
 
It was the beginning of a long nightmare. We had an information meeting, in a conference room or in the hotel lobby, after each weather forecast update that the Chilean meteorologists based in King George Island were sending every six hours to Punta Arenas. The Triple 7 Quest participants realized that the unpredictability of Mother Nature had definitively jeopardized their goal of running on the 7 continents in 7 days. The three Punta Arenas Marathon events took place on Sunday, February 15, in cold and rainy weather with the usual strong gusts on the bank of the Strait of Magellan. I completed and won my sixth ultramarathon in a time of 5:09:25...
 
We were awakened at 4 a.m. The head of logistics, Don Alejo, summoned us few minutes later to incriminate us. He presented three pieces of evidence: a plastic bag containing a lot of feces, a funnel clogged by toilet paper, and a half-full bucket of urine. We formed a semicircle in front of the man with the very long white beard, who was still silent.

“Steve! I’m waiting for you!” he suddenly shouted in a voice reminiscent of a baritone.
“I’m coming!” Steve Hibbs replied from his tent.
Don Alejo started to speak when he saw him arriving. One staff member had meanwhile removed the stuck toilet paper from the funnel.
“There are rules you should respect in Antarctica, unless you want to close the door for all future events,” Don Alejo lectured. “Here’s a first problem: how can you get this bag full of poo into this narrow tube?”
He reminded us that it was a single-use bag, and he showed us how to handle it. He carefully emptied the urine into the barrel, insisting that toilet paper was not allowed into the bucket.
“Have you understood the rules?” he asked.
“Yes sir!” we unanimously shouted.

We left our loved ones and our comfortable toilets, paid a substantial amount of money and made very long journeys on the planet to obediently be reprimanded in Antarctica, like children, about the handling of urine and excrement. At least, the scolding was finally over, we hoped. But we were summoned again to face the fury of Don Alejo, because someone had dared to throw toilet paper into the bucket, and that person didn’t even bother emptying it. Enough was enough. The impact of the last wrath of Don Alejo was immediate and unequivocal. Everyone got the message. We had almost forgotten the reason for our presence in King George Island.
 
As the participants were from both groups, contrary to what was planned, the three events of the White Continent Marathon and the two races of the Penguin Marathon took place at the same time. We set out at 5 a.m., near the camp. I found myself quickly relegated to the back of the pack. My body had seemingly depleted all my glucose and reserve of glycogen in its efforts to maintain the temperature at 37° C during my sleep. It was the first time that I experienced such a situation at a race start, but I wasn’t worried about my chances to complete the ultramarathon (50 km).

We first headed to the air base. Two Chileans in charge of the monitoring were sitting in front of the tent near the base. We turned around, passed the camp and continued to the Chinese base, Great Wall, where two other guys were doing the monitoring. The ultramarathon consisted of seven out-and-backs and a short one from the camp to the Chinese scientific station. I started feeling much better after about 30 minutes, thanks to the refueling. I overtook many runners thereafter, finishing the race in the second place in the overall results in a time of 6:08:47.

Since I had easily completed the race pain and injury-free, many of the participants were still running, and we had to wait few hours before the plane arrived, I felt the need to do another race to keep warming my body.
“Congratulations, Sidy!” Steve said, while handing me the medal.
“Thank you, Steve! Could you do me a favor?”
“How can I help you?” he asked.
“I’d like to do the Penguin Marathon,” I announced.
“Are you serious?” he asked.
“Yes, I just need your consent.”
“The marathon may be too much, but if the half marathon is okay for you, you can start right now,” he said.
“Two for the price of one,” quipped Ziyad Rahim, founder and CEO of Z Adventures.
“Thank both of you,” I said and joyfully started my second race of the day in Antarctica...


Running Barefoot for Human Survival

RUNNING HUMANS
Le site web de l’auteur et marathonien pieds nus Sidy Diallo
El sitio web del autor y maratonista descalzo Sidy Diallo
The Website of Author and Barefoot Marathoner Sidy Diallo