Chicago runner outlasts robot, frigid cold in Antarctica ultra-marathon

Antarctica Chicago runner outlasts robot, frigid cold in Antarctica ultra-marathon "I passed him briefly as I went on my way. He started running. I was a little nervous that he would finish before me. But he didn't make it too far, he got too cold." Published 20 minutes ago • Updated 51 seconds ago Running in a marathon anywhere is an incredible feat, but imagine doing it in subzero temps on a frozen continent at 1 a.m. Nicole Las, a native of Chicago's Garfield Ridge neighborhood, doesn't have to imagine, because she did it. Stream NBC 5 for free, 24/7, wherever you are. WATCH HERE Las recently finished an ultra-marathon in Antarctica, and as an added feather in her cap, she defeated a humanoid robot that joined the race. Now, she's left basking in the glow of her achievement....and in the warmth of a well-deserved spell in front of a heater. "I am fully thawed out finally, but it took a while to warm up," said Las. "It was about 35 below Celsius which is 32 below Fahrenheit. It was on Sunday at Ultima Air Base, which is in East Antarctica." Las completed her race at Ultima Air Force Base, which is located in East Antarctica. One of her fellow athletes, a humanoid robot named Qestr, tried to keep up, but didn't fare so well. He retired after covering just under two miles after its battery gave out. "I passed him briefly as I went on my way," she said. "He started running. I was a little nervous that he would finish before me. But he didn't make it too far, he got too cold, maybe too smart, decided to go back inside." Local Technology 43 minutes ago Why is Microsoft Outlook down? What the company's investigation has found Movies 55 minutes ago Roeper's Reviews: Chilling, at times disturbing version of ‘A Christmas Carol' Despite the brutal challenges, Las pressed on running in the freezing conditions. "It took me a little over seven hours to finish," she said. "I'm a little still in shock that I actually finished. But here we are, medal in hand." So how does one dress for a race at the bottom of the world? "I had three layers on top, the base layers and then a fleece layer and then a windproof type shell," she said. "The bottom, same thing, base layer, windproof, waterproof pants, a couple layers of socks, couple layers of gloves and mittens. Everything's gotta be covered because you can get burned quite easily." Las is no stranger to running races, including here in the Midwest as she's competed in five Bank of America Chicago Marathons. The last one she ran in was in 2018, and next year she plans to run in a bit more of a temperate race, competing in a marathon in Sydney, Australia. "It's just a challenge that you put in front of yourself and you make it, and then you wanna put another challenge in front of you again, you know, it's part of the spice of life," she said. This article tagged under: Antarctica