The Last Desert

Event Overview

Course & Terrain

Expedition-based Antarctic stage race accessed by ship from Ushuaia. Each stage is a marked circuit at a landing site, from about 2 km to nearly 14 km around, lapped for a set time. Four to six sites are used per edition, chosen from more than 20 used over the years in and around the Antarctic Peninsula, and the course changes each time with weather and permits. Ski poles and pink bags filled with snow mark the route, so runners do not navigate. The organizer’s sample plan puts 100 km on Stage 1, a marathon on Stage 2, 20–30 km on Stages 3 and 4, 30–40 km on Stage 5 and 1–10 km on Stage 6, all based on the front-runners.

Key course features to know before comparing this race:

• Competitor briefing and ship departure from Ushuaia
• Drake Passage crossing
• Up to six Antarctic stages
• Possible stage sites such as Deception Island’s flooded caldera, Paradise Bay and Neko Harbour
• Return to Ushuaia after the race

Antarctic stages are condition-dependent and can involve snow, ice, rock, beach landings, and rapidly changing underfoot conditions. The organizer says the ground is largely snow, from a few centimeters to more than a meter deep, and also lists glaciers, volcanic islands and black volcanic sand. Elevation runs from sea level to about 300 m (980 ft). Kahtoola MICROspikes are on the mandatory list. Penguins and seals can force the course to be rerouted during a stage.

Cold, wind, precipitation, and expedition safety constraints can change the course plan day by day. The organizer’s November table gives average highs of −2 to 5°C (28–41°F) and lows of −10 to −2°C (14–28°F). It also warns of temperatures as low as −20°C (−4°F) on the course and about 10°C (50°F) in sunshine. Snow is very likely, strong gusts and katabatic winds are possible, and there are about 20 hours of daylight, so sunburn and snow blindness are real risks.

Entry & Logistics

Why This Race Matters

RacingThePlanet founded The Last Desert in 2006 as the final race of its 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series, after the Gobi March, Atacama Crossing and Namib Race, and calls it the only multi-stage race on the Antarctic continent. The 2026 race is the 11th edition, 20 years after the first: it ran in 2006, 2007 and 2008, then every two years through 2018, and in 2022 and 2024. Entry is by invitation and open only to runners who have finished two other RacingThePlanet races. Unlike the other desert races it is scored by distance, not time, so the winner is whoever covers the most ground in the set time on each stage. Finishing it completes the series for many runners and brings membership of the 4 Deserts Club, which the organizer says has 344 members.

Preparing for a Race Like The Last Desert

The stage race guide covers the format as a whole. These guides go deeper:

• Stage race packing list: Mandatory kit, daily carry, camp bags, food and foot care.
• Walking strategy for ultramarathons: When and how to walk by terrain, effort and cutoffs.
• Hydration and sodium for ultramarathons: Fluid, sodium, thirst, sweat rate and hyponatremia risk.
• Blister prevention: Socks, taping, lubrication, shoe fit and hot spots.

Best Fit

• Experienced stage racers completing the 4 Deserts journey
• Athletes comfortable with expedition travel and uncertain daily plans
• Runners who can manage cold-weather gear and remote logistics

Planning Notes

• Study the mandatory gear list early and rehearse carrying the exact pack weight you expect to use on race day.
• The directory does not mark this as having simpler logistics. Confirm qualification, terrain, support, registration, medical, and withdrawal requirements before planning around it.
• Stage locations and distances can depend on Antarctic conditions
• Start times, finish times and stage length can change without warning; a stage may run over more than one day, or two short stages may share a day
• Travel begins and ends in Ushuaia rather than directly in Antarctica
• Cold-weather kit and expedition rules should be checked carefully
• There are 48 mandatory items, and anything missing at the ship check can bring a time penalty or stop you starting. Motion sickness medication is one of them
• There is no minimum distance, but you must stay on course for each stage’s full set time
• A runner who withdraws cannot restart a later stage

Event FAQs

Related Preparation

• Compare this race in the full 2026 calendar
• Browse the multiday stage-race calendar
• Open the Stage Race format guide
• Compare all race formats
• Use the timed-race pace calculator
• Plan checkpoint arrivals and cutoff buffers
• Estimate race calories and plan fueling
• Build a crew and drop-bag plan
• Build a race-specific gear checklist