The historic milestone occurred at the 20th Antarctic Marathon in Union Glacier, Antarctica, on 14/12. In temperatures of -8 degrees Celsius, with a real feel of -18 degrees Celsius, and on a snow-covered course, Drysdale became the first female athlete to claim the overall victory, completing the 42,195 km distance in 3 hours, 48 minutes, 43 seconds.

Catherine Drysdale celebrates after winning the Antarctic Marathon 2025. *Photo: Antarctic Ice Marathon*

After the race, Drysdale shared that the Antarctic experience was unlike any other marathon she had participated in. "This was unlike any race I have ever run. Every time I felt pain, I told myself: 'You are running a marathon in Antarctica'. Sometimes that thought worked, but other times the pain persisted," Drysdale said. Despite her body nearly freezing from the cold, she noted that the encouragement along the course brought a special thrill.

The Australian athlete finished more than 6 minutes ahead of all her competitors. In the men's category, Denis Nazarov (Russia) placed first, securing second place overall with a time of 3 hours, 54 minutes, 49 seconds.

Joanna Drewnicka-Ogrodnik (Poland) finished third overall with 4 hours, 18 minutes, 5 seconds, meaning two of the three podium positions were taken by female athletes. Victoria Grahn (Canada) ranked fifth overall, being the third female athlete to cross the finish line with 4 hours, 25 minutes, 22 seconds.

The Antarctic Ice Marathon, established in 1995, is recognized by Guinness World Records as "the southernmost marathon on Earth" and was the first commercial sporting event held in Antarctica. It is also the only marathon organized in the Antarctic interior, on King George Island, featuring 42,195 km and half-marathon distances, starting and finishing at Bellingshausen station. The route passes through several international research bases and changes annually based on weather conditions and activities in the area.

In the half marathon distance, Fernandez Castillo won the men's event with 1 hour, 57 minutes, 7 seconds, while Gillian Evans (Canada) claimed the women's title with 2 hours, 5 minutes, 36 seconds. For the 50 km distance, Yusheng Ni (China) finished first in the men's event with 4 hours, 56 minutes, 51 seconds, and Ruth Murdie (Australia) won the women's event with 6 hours, 9 minutes, 58 seconds.

This year's event drew 53 athletes from 20 countries, including 30 men and 23 women. Domitilia Dos Santos (Portugal), aged 70, became the oldest female athlete to complete the race, finishing in 7 hours, 43 minutes, 14 seconds. The current female marathon course record is held by Liesl Muehlhauser (US) with 3 hours, 29 minutes, 16 seconds, set last year. The men's record of 2 hours, 53 minutes, 33 seconds was established by Sean Tobin (Ireland) in 2022.

Hong Duy (according to Canadian Running Magazine)