STORIES

Ash vs 100km

Antarctica, Halley VI Research Station, Summer Season 2025/26

It was a busy season. Everyone had a job to do. Ash was the chef, sometimes with others helping him in the kitchen, while the rest of us got on with whatever had brought us to Antarctica.

Around Halley, the landscape is mostly flat and white all the way to the horizon, interrupted here and there by containers, vehicles and steel structures. The station sits on the Brunt Ice Shelf, a long way from most things.

There aren’t many people around to witness what happens there. Eventually everyone leaves, the season ends, and stories can easily disappear or get buried under the snow.

This is one of those stories.

One day, Ash decided to run 100km around Halley.

Unsupported.

Ash first mentioned the idea about halfway through the season. I knew he was a keen runner, and people had run marathon distances around Halley before. Whether he could complete 100km was another question. The season would tell.

Tell me something about yourself‍.
My name is Ash. Born in Nepal, raised in the UK, and made in Cumbria. A professional chef for 8 years and an amateur runner and adventurer who likes to push the boundaries a little more every time I decide to do something.

Ash was cooking most days, while others stepped in on his days off. Like everyone at Halley, his work usually carried on until dinner at around 18:30. And then I would often see him running afterwards, sometimes even through soft snow. So by the time he mentioned the 100km, I knew running wasn’t just something he did occasionally.

So, do you actually run much?‍
I only started running 4 years ago. I have to massively thank the Lake District because that’s where I found out you could put your running shoes on and run in the mountains.
Before that, all I knew about running was Usain Bolt ran 100m in under 10 seconds. The sense of freedom, and knowing you could just be out in the fells - that’s what Cumbrian people call hills - for hours, forgetting about everything that’s happening in my daily life. It gave me so much time to think about where I want to go in the future. It was like problem solving, writing menus in my head while running.

What sort of running had you done before this?‍
I would like to say a few races here and there and a few of my own personal challenges. Lakeland 50 mile, Lakes in a Day 50 miles, 100km UTCT in Cape Town. I tried running the Wainwright Coast to Coast solo and unsupported, 190 miles (306km), to raise money for Community Action Nepal. I had to call it a day after running 110 miles because my Achilles gave up, so I had to listen to the legs.
I ran Fairfield Horseshoe in winter - a beautiful mountain route in the Lake District, nearest village Ambleside - every day in February 2023. 28 days, an 18km loop gaining 1,048 metres of elevation every time.
And a few solo runs of about 50km in the Lake District on my days off.

Where did the idea of running 100km at Halley come from?‍ ‍
Running long distance for me is all about enjoying an adventure and learning more about myself every time. To be honest with you, I had this idea about a month before I decided to run 100km. I thought, how cool would it be to run in Antarctica, solo and unsupported?
Not many people get a chance to do it, and here I was in this place that basically looked like another planet. I mean, it felt like I was in space all the time, working and living at Halley Research Station.

Why 100km?‍
Honest answer: I think that sort of distance gives me time to reflect, appreciate where I came from and what I have become, and gives me enough time to problem solve and think about my next challenge or what I am going to do next.
Also, my Halley team was very supportive and inspiring. I first spoke to the Halley management team about the idea, and they were supportive of me taking it on. I was surrounded by some of the best people on Earth, from scientists and IT personnel to mechanics, the doctor, the station support team, pilots and many more.
I would like to say my biggest thank you for all the love and support.

Around Halley there is a prepared, groomed snow loop of roughly 8km. There isn’t much variation. Ash would be covering the same loop again and again, occasionally changing direction.

What did “unsupported” actually mean for this run?
I’m not allowed to take any support from anyone. I carry everything I need. Once I start, the only time I will come back to the station is when I finish or DNF - did not finish.
In my 20L Osprey pack I had 4 litres of water, bacon sandwiches, sweets, electrolytes, spare gloves, hats, socks, a spare T-shirt, fleece jacket, windproof, first aid kit, power bank, merino long tights and a merino long-sleeve shirt.

On the day, the snow was compact and the conditions were good. Ash used his watch to track the distance and carried a radio so he could stay in contact with the station.

Talk me through the day. How did it go?‍
To be fair, I was a bit tired because I had run every day in January, from 3km to 10km every day, and it was 29th January, while working 5 days cooking for my amazing team.
Maybe I was excited and nervous. I didn’t get much sleep the night before. I woke up, had breakfast and didn’t feel like talking to anyone because I was focused and nervous. The weather outside looked amazing. Blue sky, around -8°C, not much wind. But the weather showed that after 18:00 the wind chill would be around -18°C to -23°C, so I was a bit concerned. And as you know, it’s Antarctica, and where we were it was very dry. I mean, you could leave a packet of crisps open for days and they would actually be crispier than before.
You helped me document myself getting prepared and got some amazing action shots. I laid everything in front of me so I didn’t miss anything. I had to triple-check everything because once I was out that door, there was no coming back.

That morning, 29th January, Ash was quieter than usual, but he looked ready. He seemed excited and in good spirits.

I don’t know what was going through his head. From the outside, he looked prepared to start.

You’re a chef. What did you eat during a 100km Antarctic run?‍
To be fair, I have always eaten whatever I want really. I don’t have a fixed nutrition plan.
But as you know, it’s really difficult to have a dietary plan where we are because everything is frozen or dried. So, things like stews, curry, pies, nuts and porridge were my diet leading up to the run. For the run itself, I took 2 bacon sandwiches, 1 cheese savoury sandwich, a few chocolate bars, salt tablets and electrolytes, 2 small bags of mixed nuts and 1 bag of Sour Patch, which I had brought with me from the UK.

How did you keep track of your distance - GPS, a watch, or something else?
I used my Garmin to track my run.

View Ash’s 74km run on Strava - https://strava.app.link/XVfnzx3d85b

Did you find yourself daydreaming out there, running the same loop again and again?
To be honest, yes, I did, especially after six hours of running non-stop. My mind would be transported to Nepal, thinking about those days when I was a kid. My mind would go to the Lake District, thinking about climbing with my good friends and my solo adventures. Sometimes, for a good 30-50 minutes, I would forget where I was. I would totally forget that I was in Antarctica.

At what point did you realise things weren’t going to plan?‍
I think it was after 70km. I had been running for 8 hours and by now it was around 18:00. I was getting slower, my water had nearly run out and the wind started to pick up.
I had my -10°C gloves on, but I had my -25°C Black Diamond gloves in my pack. I had forgotten to switch my gloves before my fingers had gone cold, and the wind had picked up. By the time I realised, it was too late. I did put my big gloves on, but I could not warm my fingers. It was hurting and I was moving very slowly. My core was getting cold too, which could only suggest one thing: it was dangerous to continue. I still had to do my job the next day and the day after. I still had to feed my team.

So I called it a day at 74km.

My whole team was waiting for me outside the station when I called it a day. It was very emotional. I still remember that moment. A moment I will never forget.

Towards the very end of the run, when Ash was getting very cold, another colleague and I joined him for the final few hundred metres back towards the station for safety. Ash still carried all of his own equipment, food and water throughout the run.

When Ash got back to the station, he was definitely cold and probably sore. But he was happy, and I think that was the important part.

What was the biggest lesson you learned that day?
I learned so many things about myself and my mental strength. It’s possible if you work hard, are determined and do it with passion.
The biggest thing I learned was take more water next time, maybe even a flask of hot water and down mittens.

Would you do it again?‍
Cannot wait.
I am actually happy I didn’t make it the first time because if I had done it the first time, it would not have been so adventurous and would not have given me a second chance.
So here we go.

Ash didn’t run 100km that day. He ran 74.

A few days later, life at Halley carried on as usual. There was work to do, people to feed, and eventually the season came to an end.

The tracks around the station disappeared into the snow.

The story didn’t.