Carla

André

portugal

Carla is a Portuguese desert runner whose goal is to run in every country with a desert. She has already run in deserts in 27 countries, entering official races where available and running independently where none exist. In 2026, she completed 170 km across Australia’s Simpson Desert, reaching her sixth continent. She chose the Antarctic Ice Ultra to complete her seventh, drawn by the desert and the opportunity to run a long distance. She is also applying for a Guinness World Record for running in deserts in the most countries.

Stephanie

Case

canada

Stephanie is an international human rights lawyer, elite ultrarunner, and founder of Free to Run, a charity supporting women and girls in areas of conflict through running and leadership programs. She has worked for the UN and aid organizations in Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Gaza. Her running experience includes a 450 km nonstop, self-navigated race across the Alps and a 100 km ultramarathon victory six months after giving birth, while breastfeeding her daughter at aid stations. At the 2026 Antarctic Ice Ultra, she plans to attempt the overall Antarctic 100-mile record.

Maria

Danila

romania

Maria is an IT product owner from Bucharest, Romania, and a high-altitude mountaineer. She has climbed Annapurna I, Kangchenjunga, Everest, and K2, becoming the first Romanian woman to summit K2. She began running in December 2025, completed her first marathon in March 2026, and covered 93.7 km in a 12-hour ultramarathon that May. She now hopes to combine endurance running with extreme environments around the world.

Aaron

Eames

united states

Aaron Eames is easily spotted on race day. Just look at his feet. He always runs in two different-colored shoes, a tradition he started early in his running journey as a way to stand out from the crowd. The only problem? Getting the look requires buying two or more pairs of the same shoe. But his shoes aren't the only thing that makes Aaron stand out. The Northern Utah, USA runner returned to running later in life and, in the last 16 years, has completed 67 marathons, including full marathons in 49 states and all six of the original World Marathon Majors. He plans to run Hawaii in December to complete his 50-state journey. Along the way, Aaron set another goal: completing a marathon on every continent. With only Antarctica and Africa remaining, the Antarctic Ice Ultra represents much more than just another race. It's a chance to check off one of those final continents while taking on an adventure unlike anything he has experienced in a traditional marathon. For Aaron, running has become as much about the journey and the places it takes him as it is about crossing the finish line. What began as a decision to return to running later in life has taken him across the United States and around the world. And when he arrives in Antarctica, he'll be bringing his mismatched shoes with him.

Vivian

Lee

united states

Vivian is drawn to the edges of the map - places where few people have ever set foot, like the North Pole, high peaks, and the frozen continent: Antarctica. She started running in middle age and ran her first marathon at the North Pole Marathon in 2016. A year later, in 2017, she completed the Marathon Grand Slam: a marathon on each of the seven continents plus the North Pole Marathon. She then moved into ultrarunning and is a three-time UTMB finisher. She has completed continuous 100-mile races on six continents, and now the seventh awaits her at the bottom of the world, on the ice of Antarctica.

Shakiya

Nugent

australia

Shakiya fell in love with ultrarunning and set herself the goal of completing an ultramarathon on all seven continents before turning 22. She is grateful for the opportunity to take part in the Antarctic Ice Ultra and excited to experience Antarctica.

Amy

Passauer

united states

Amy began running at age 12 while training for soccer in Brazil. She competed in cross country and track in high school, then completed a 50K through an advanced running class in college. She also joined her college cross country team and has continued exploring longer distances and new adventures. Antarctica will be her fifth continent for a marathon.

Leah

Passauer

united states

Leah is working toward completing a marathon on all seven continents. She has finished the Great Wall, Kilimanjaro, Brighton, Great Ocean Road, Buenos Aires, and Marine Corps marathons between 2014 and 2025. Antarctica will be her seventh continent.

Rodrigo

Sanz Martins

brazil

Rodrigo has raced on six continents, from city marathons in Buenos Aires, Reykjavik, and Edinburgh to events in Patagonia, Greenland, and on sea ice in Sweden. His experience also includes the Queenstown, Kilimanjaro, Anchorage Mayor’s, and Great Wall marathons.

Marcelo

Tordomar

argentina

Marcelo is an electronic engineer and ultrarunner with a personal list of 25 extreme races to complete. His finishes include UTMB, Marathon des Sables, the Jungle Marathon, Transalpine Run, Comrades, Gobi March, and Kepler Challenge. Antarctica will be the eleventh race on his list and his seventh continent for an ultramarathon.