Feel Cold Before You Start: The Antarctic Dressing Rule Every Runner Needs

One of the most common questions I hear from runners preparing for an Antarctic race is: how do I know if I'm wearing the right amount of clothing? It sounds like it should be complicated — sub-zero temperatures, wind chill, unpredictable conditions. But the answer, once you understand it, is elegantly simple.

There is a measurable, in-the-moment standard. And it comes down to how your body feels before the gun goes off.

Here's the rule: before the race officially begins, you are standing in the Antarctic environment — not exercising, not warming up, just standing on the course in exactly the clothes you intend to race in. At that moment, you should feel somewhat cold.

That slight chill is not a problem to solve. It is the correct signal. It means your layering is calibrated for the effort to come, not just for standing still.

If you don't feel cold while standing outside at the start, you're definitely wearing too much.

— 王琦

The logic becomes clear the moment you think about what happens next. Once you start running, your body generates significant heat. In Antarctica, that heat has nowhere to go if you're wrapped in too many layers — so it escapes as sweat, soaking your base layer from the inside out.

A wet base layer in sub-zero conditions is not merely uncomfortable. It strips your body of warmth far more efficiently than the cold air alone ever could. What started as an attempt to stay warm becomes one of the greatest risks on the course.

• Standing still at the start: you should feel slightly cold — this is correct.
• Standing still and feeling perfectly warm: you are overdressed.
• Once running, body heat rises rapidly — layers that felt right while still will quickly become too much.
• Sweat-soaked base layers lose insulating power and dramatically increase cold injury risk.

The mental shift required here is real. Every instinct tells you to bundle up when you're standing in one of the coldest places on Earth. But race-day dressing in Antarctica requires you to think ahead — to dress not for the stillness of the start line, but for the heat your body will produce across every kilometre of the course.

Feeling a little cold before the race begins is not a mistake to correct at the last minute. It is the confirmation that you've made the right call.

That slight chill at the start line is not a warning — it's the answer.

— 王琦