MdS
2012 – RACE REPORT
Robby,
Noel and myself (Team Smash 146) drove down to Gatwick on Thursday
5th
April full of beans for what we were about to undertake. Exited by
the prospect, we managed to check in with Monarch Airlines for the
flight to Ouarzazate in Morocco.
The
flight was a charter flight specifically for the MdS, so it wasn’t
hard to spot everyone else at the airport with either OMM or
Raidlight day sacks.
We
went to get a full breakfast in one of the cafe’s and met up with
Tom who we had contact with from our home town and who we invited to
meet up with us and be a tent member. Tom had just completed a
100mile Ultra the month before so was probably a bit tired going into
the MdS.
The
flight was pretty uneventful apart from the fact that we were sat
near the back by the toilets and a bit cramped and also a bit of
turbulence over the Atlas mountain’s which offered fantastic views
of snow covered peaks. Quite an amazing site for an African country,
which is primarily made up of sand, rocks and dunes.
We
landed, got off the plane and were immediately subjected to the first
of much queuing! This initial queue was to get through passport
control. The immigration officers were in no rush to get us through
and as we were near the back of the queue, we had to wait for about
an hour and a half before we got through passport control.
Fortunately our baggage had made it through which we picked up, got
on the coach and was then driven to the Berbere Palace Hotel. The
Hotel was supposed to be 5 stars but I don’t think it was quite
that standard, but it was comfortable enough. The next queue was
checking into the hotel. We had a three man room which was
comfortable. In fact the beds were extremely comfortable and we all
slept like babies. That evening we had dinner in the restaurant and
managed to meet the rest of the lads who would be joining us in the
tent. They were Jamie, John and Andy. We had seven in total and
started getting to know each other over dinner and a couple of beers.
The
following day we queued once more to check out of our rooms and to
get into one of many coaches that were to take us out into the
desert. We were given a brief by one of the French Controleur’s
called Mary and there was also a French Doctor on board in case there
were any medical issues. The journey was about 6 to 7 hours with
various stops along the way to relieve ourselves and also to stop to
eat a pack lunch. We arrived at a village on the outskirts of the
desert to be met by Moroccan Military trucks that ferried us to the
MdS Bivouac a few kilometres away as the coaches could not negotiate
the journey. The ride was a bit bumpy and dusty but having ridden in
these before we made sure they left the cover on the back and got
ourselves towards the cab end so that we wouldn’t be covered in
dust before we even started.
We
then had to find our tent, which as it happens was, No 93 and the
furthest away. It looked like the retreat from Moscow struggling with
our suitcases over rocks and sand to get to our new homes.
Once
at our tent we quickly settled down inside. The tent consisted of a
black, hessian type material supported by wooden poles and tied down
with ropes and pegs with a patterned red carpet laid out on the
ground inside for us to sleep on. We were entitled to an evening meal
in camp that night which was nice and included either a small bottle
of wine or a can of beer or coke. We all had a comfortable night and
were glad to finally get rid of our suitcases and surplus kit the
following day before our registration and kit checks.
That
morning we were once again fed by the organisers and later in the
morning had to queue up again for the kit checks. This involved being
issued your race number, a timing chip for your ankle, picking up
your Esbit fuel tablets, handing in your medical certificate and ECG
and signing various forms etc. Confirming you had the minimum of 2000
calories per day and various other bits and pieces including
compulsory emergency items. I was surprised they never went through
our kit to check if we had all the compulsory items but I suppose
when there are roughly 850 runners to get through then time is of the
essence.
It
was good to get rid of any excess kit and just being able to
concentrate on what you were going to carry on your back for the next
7 days, whereby we could pack our kit at last to our satisfaction.
The
three of us then had a bit of a walk around in the local area and
around some dunes to see the sort of terrain that we would be going
over the following day.
There
was a race briefing later on in the day by the Race Director Patrick
Bauer and then we were entitled to one more meal in the evening
before we were to become fully self sufficient.
Another
comfortable night was had albeit a bit cold in the early hours of the
morning.
The
following morning we were issued with our first water ration and had
our water cards clipped to account that we had received it. The
organisers also write your race number on the bottle and cap so that
if they find any discarded en route then they can impose time
penalties for littering. Out of the whole race I saw one discarded
bottle and they had managed to rub off their number!!
Stage
1 – 33.8km (21 miles)
There
was a fairly lengthy brief by the Race Director Patrick Bauer in
French followed by a shorter translation to English by an
interpreter. There were 857 on the start line which included 48
different nationalities. The main group this year were from the UK
with the French being a close second. We had to go inside a taped
area in the shape of a 27 for the photo from above which was for the
27th
annual Marathon des Sables. The atmosphere was very party like with
lots of hollering and shouting and waving of flags. A really good
atmosphere and we were all glad to finally be at the start line after
3 long years of training specifically for this event.
The
traditional music was played in the form of Highway to Hell by AC/DC
which is my favourite all time group and had me really fired up.
However I wasn’t going to let that dictate a fast start. The
countdown from ten was counted by the RD and then we were off on the
highway to hell for the next 153 miles!!
I
started off jogging straight away but checked my pace so that I felt
really comfortable and in control. The going was quite good at first
with plenty of small rocks and stones laid out before us. We then hit
a bit of a flat sandy area for a couple of km through palm trees and
an old fort. At this stage there were plenty of locals giving us high
fives and the helicopters with the cameras kept buzzing up and down
the now stretched out runners. The rest of the first leg was in and
out of a Wadi system with different terrain underfoot including soft
sand and rocks. We then popped out of a small sandy dune area to the
first checkpoint at 14km. I quickly downed all my remaining water and
went through the checkpoint and was issued more water. I quickly
replenished my bottles and carried on without slowing down. I had
this routine well drilled over the 3 years of training. My hydration
and nutrition strategy was a tried and tested one which worked
extremely well throughout. In essence I would eat and drink every 10
minutes. Firstly I would for example take a savoury snack of either,
Marmite cashews, pork scratching or beef jerky and then drink 3 or 4
sips of water with electrolytes and then 3 or 4 sips of pure water.
10 mins later I would eat something sweet, such as power shots, fruit
pastels or Jelly beans and then drink electrolytes and pure water.
Throughout the race I was disciplined to do this all the way through
and not once did I feel, tired, thirsty or hungry.
I
left the first checkpoint and not long after we were making our way
up a small Jebel of 200m with a 15% gradient. Not too big a hill and
it was fine, as once you crossed the initial sandy slope then there
were plenty of rocks to stand on. We then descended into a rocky
valley for a couple of km along some mixed terrain and then up onto
another Jebel and along a rocky path to a fairly steep descent and
then across some mixed terrain to CP2. On the ascent to the Jebel a
Frenchman took exception to me overtaking him and was right on my
tail with his noisy poling technique until the descent whereby I said
au revoir and smoked him!! I couldn’t handle him being right up my
backside anymore.
Same
routine at CP2 – finish off water and fill up bottles and crack on.
This was at 25km. We then started across a fairly rocky valley
eastwards and I was starting to overtake a lot of people without
really trying. I then made my way up Jebel Tibert which was a sandy
track about 2km long and quite steep. A lot of people were really
slow here and many were sitting on the rocks on the slope feeling a
bit tired. I got to the top and a doctor and medic ran past me as
someone had obviously taken a funny turn somewhere down the slope. We
then descended a rocky track to the bottom of the Jebel and could see
the next bivouac which was about 3 kilometres across a wide Wadi. I
arrived at the finish of the first day in 5 hours and 15 minutes
feeling good and finished in 300th
position. I then had a customary cup of Moroccan Sultan tea and
collected my 3 bottles of water and made my way to tent 93. This was
the hottest start to any MdS to date with the temperature topping out
at 46 degrees!!
Stage
2 – 38.5km (24 miles)
Again
this morning there was a lengthy race brief by Patrick Bauer which
included a route description, numbers of those who had dropped out
and mentions of those who had birthdays. Again AC/DC and highway to
hell blasted out and off we went. Once more I settled into a steady
pace, firstly across small stony area then across a soft sandy Wadi.
At this stage once I was starting to sweat I had difficulty with the
mixed up sweat and P20 sun cream going into my eyes. It was extremely
annoying not being able to see properly, so all I did was to fixate
onto another runner’s heels and just keep with them along a stony
track. This is where the photo of me was taken that was shown on the
MdS darbaroud website. At about 7km we entered a Wadi that had small
dunes for a few km before petering out onto small rocks again. At
this stage I was seriously thinking about seeing the medics at the
next checkpoint as my visibility was so limited. I arrived at the
checkpoint at 12.3km’s, filled my bottles and quickly washed my
eyes out with my spare water. This did the trick and was a lesson
learned for the rest of the race, by avoiding putting sun cream,
anywhere near my eyes! Leaving the first checkpoint we headed in an
easterly direction for nearly 4km along stony ground towards sand
dunes that were just over 3km in length. I had no problems with the
dunes as at this stage I had my poles out and quickly got into a good
rhythm over the deep sand. CP2 at 19.3 km was upon us as soon as we
came out of the dunes whereby we were given 3 litres of water and
cracked on. The next stage was brutal and boring as it was across a
flat salt pan named Ma’der El Kebir which in Arabic is big. This is
where the temperature rocketed to 51 degrees and the white of the
salt pan made it difficult not to wear shades. This leg was 10 km
long and was marked every 250m approx by an orange sign. Mostly I ran
500m and then walked 250 most of the way apart from the last couple
of km whereby I could feel my feet heating up and literally start to
melt! Blisters underneath on my soles where definitely starting to
form, so upon reaching CP3 at 29 km I decided to stop and tape up my
right foot with zinc oxide tape. This took about 15 minutes and was
frustrating as I was taken by a considerable number of people but was
necessary as I didn’t want to be crippled. This is effectively
where my blister problems stemmed from. On the first day, a few of my
toes were battered by the rocky terrain. That first day I wore a pair
of Injinji socks with another over the top giving me two layers. The
second day I couldn’t fit the thin pair of Injinji’s on so I went
with the larger thicker pair of Injinji’s, however I couldn’t fit
a second pair of socks over them with my trainers which were already
one size bigger than normal. Rookie mistake but I have definitely
learnt from that.
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| Our Hero: Des Inglis |
|
I
then headed out of checkpoint 3 and made my way across an area
populated by camels and a mixture of hard packed track through
vegetation for about 3 km before hitting sand dunes for 5km. Again I
had a good rhythm and got speaking to an American competitor who gave
me a few top tips for using the poles. Towards the end of the dunes
you could see Bivouac 3 and at this stage I felt the blister on the
sole of my right foot pop and burst. This changed my gait slightly
and slowed me up quite a bit but luckily I only had about 2km to the
end. I arrived at Bivouac 3 in 327th
position in a time of 6 hours 14 mins. I was quite pleased with that
although disappointed at having lost a few places due to sorting my
blisters out.
Stage
3 – 35km (21.7 miles)
This
morning we started off in an easterly direction across mixed sandy
terrain with vegetation and stony ground. The team started together
but it wasn’t long before it was only Robby and me together. This
section was fairly flat until the last 4km, whereby there was a sandy
slope before getting into CP1 at 12km.
We
waited a couple of minutes at CP1 for Noel but we couldn’t see him
so decided to head off North up an increasing sandy incline towards
Jebel Zireg. We reached the top of the pass on the Jebel which was
quite windy and stopped for a couple of photos.
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| Hamming it up on stage 3! |
|
Fantastic
views to the North of the area we had to go and cross. We then
descended a small rocky path for 200m before hitting a stable sandy
slope. Some Japanese guy hurled himself down the slope like a
Kamikaze pilot. Bit daft in my opinion as he could easily have
twisted an ankle! Another Japanese runner did the whole event in
Vibram five fingers. I take my hat off to him for that. There were
then a series of dips and rises which were quite large for about 5km.
I remember it being quite hot and hard going at this stage. We then
followed a mixed rocky and sandy section which led us to a gentle
descent down a track where the poles came into their own for keeping
stability and speed. They were an absolute god send as they gave
support over rocks when you thought your ankle was going to turn. We
overtook a lot of people without poles who were making their way
gingerly over this rough track.
Next
was a flat rocky and sandy valley about 3km long before we climbed up
a sandy pass between Mziouda and Ras Khemouna Jebels. We were
expecting the checkpoint beyond this sandy ascent but found that
there was another quite steep sandy ascent to go. Poles were very
useful in the steep sand and the trick was to place them lightly for
support and get a good rhythm going. There was another good panoramic
view on top of this sandy summit and you could see the flat salt pan
that we were soon to cross. We then had a small sharp sandy descent
to a dry river bed which we followed down to the base beginning of
the salt pan where CP2 was situated at the 25.4km point. We started
crossing the salt pan which was 3.5km across. There was a dust storm
blowing at this stage and we set off at a good paced run all the way
across. We managed to overtake a fair few runners over this stage.
We
then entered a steep sided pass called el Maharch with a rocky track
going through this. We overtook Jamie through the pass and he looked
really tired. He wasn’t moving very fast and looked like he was on
his last legs. To date he was a strong runner but his feet and the
effort of it all was starting to get to him. We got out of the pass
and followed a rocky track past a village and then made our way
across mixed sand and rock to Bivouac 4. I finished 327th
in a time of 5 hours 47 mins. We had a quick brew of spiced Moroccan
tea and then collected our water and made our way to the tent.
Stage
4 – 81.5km (50.6 miles)
There
was a good atmosphere this morning as we set off on the long one. I
think we started at about 0900 in the morning cheered on by the top
50 elite runners who would set off about midday thus giving us all
the opportunity to see them in action and cheer them on.
The
first 6.5km was across mixed stony and sandy terrain before a short
section of sand dunes of approx 1.5km and then hitting a very rocky
area. This led to a track up a fairly steep slope whereby it was nigh
on impossible to pass slower runners. No worries though as there was
still many miles to go! We made our way to the top of Jebel Otfal
which had a helicopter perched at the top. The views were fantastic
all the way round and we could see CP 1 at the bottom of the hill on
the flat ground just over a kilometre away. But first we had to
descend a really steep sandy slope which had a rope fixed to the
first past to aid runners down. I remember seeing this part of the
run on previous footage of the MdS and was thankful that we were
fortunate to be going down instead of up it. The descent was fun and
I took it steady past runners who were queuing up to use the rope. We
overtook quite a few people who were waiting around. Robby flew down
the hill whilst Noel and I took it steady. We then met up with Robby
on the stony area at the bottom before making our way into CP1 which
was situated in a wide sandy Wadi.
Normal
routine at the CP and then we headed straight out in an easterly
direction through a small bushy wooded area and then some small
dunes. At this stage I started to pull away from Robby and Noel. I
was conscious that with the temperature starting to rise very quickly
and having smaller water bottles then them that I would in all
probability run out of water before the next checkpoint. Unbelievably
there was a small Wadi that had to be crossed that had water running
through. A fair few people stopped here to cool themselves off and
splash water over themselves. I quickly took a quick photo and
cracked on. I then crossed some small dunes and headed down a long
valley with small trees to the right until CP2 which was at 23.7km.
There
were a lot of runners seeming to mill around here in the shade of
palm trees and in the tents put up for the competitors to carry out
any admin or to rest in. It was a nice spot which I didn’t dwell to
long in. A couple of minutes later I was once again on my way along a
sandy and rocky Wadi. My feet were starting to protest and it took a
while for them to warm up again after only stopping for that short
period of time. This was going to hurt and hurt for a long time to
come yet. I then got into my stride and just started picking people
off. This was through small dunes and camel grass. It was at this
stage that some of the first top runners started to overtake me. I
clapped the leaders through and was amazed at how fast they could
actually run across the sand. It was twice the speed that I was
going! I remember seeing lots of camels to my left and up ahead I
could see a gentle rise that went through a pass with some ruins
dotted around at the 30.6 km point. I then followed a rocky vehicle
track along undulating ground where I passed a couple of Brazilian
guys who said that we were halfway. I didn’t quite think we were
halfway yet but we were now certainly well into the route by now.
The
wind was starting to pick up by now and there were several more elite
runners flashing by. This section seemed to go on for a while and
then headed off the track across another section of mixed terrain
before finally arriving at CP3 at 37km. Again there were a fair few
competitors milling around. It almost seemed like they just wanted to
rest up before heading out again.
I
headed off again after topping up my water. We were given 3 litres as
there was a long dune section of 9 km coming up which would slow us
down a bit. Initially there was a vehicle track that we followed
before veering off to head into the dunes. It was at this stage that
the top female went past me. The dunes were the largest we came
across so far and there were some steady ascents and descents through
them. Jen Salter the top UK female runner passed me and shouted well
done keep going. I felt fine and just kept going like she said. The
poles were again proving useful through these dunes that seemed to go
on forever! I could feel myself slowing now as my feet were now
starting to hurt a bit.
We
came across a small dwelling of Touareg tribesmen and their black
tents whilst some just sipped tea looking at us and some kids trying
to scrounge anything they could from the runners. They had a
beautiful campsite and I could only just imagine stopping for a cup
of tea and putting my feet up! That would have to wait a while longer
yet! Eventually we came out of the dunes and entered mixed terrain
and a bit of a climb up to Jebel Lahnoune. I could see vehicles at
the top and assumed that the checkpoint would be just beyond the high
ground. It was! Another 2km beyond and my feet were really starting
to feel sore now as I descended a steep sandy slope and then across
very rocky ground. There was still no sign of CP4. It was hidden
around the corner and I decided here that I would get my feet seen to
by Doc Trotters.
I
arrived at the checkpoint and after filling up and being issued a
light stick, I went to the medical tent. At this stage it was getting
very windy as I waited for one of the medics to sort my right foot
out. As I was waiting there was a bit of a medical emergency as one
of the runners at the checkpoint went a bit wobbly whilst I was
having my foot sorted out. He was ok after a bit of rest. I was
starting to get frustrated at having to wait for so long and worried
as I knew it would be painful on my feet to start moving again after
such a long wait and to add insult to injury I watched scores of
runners come into the CP and out whilst I was being attended to.
After an hour, I was finally sorted and felt a bit cold due to the
wind and having stopped sweating, so I put on my windproof and stowed
away my desert cap and got out my head torch as the light was just
starting to fade.
I
then set off very gingerly, as my feet as expected had started to
protest. It was just a case of one foot in front of the other until
they warmed up some. At this stage we were all following a series of
light sticks tied to long grass or sticks. It wasn’t yet dark but
the light was starting to fade. I then heard my name called out and
saw Robby just behind me. He had caught me whilst I was waiting in
the medical tent. We both then just decided to finish off the rest of
the day together. The dunes we were travelling across seemed to go on
forever and they were quite undulating.
We
could now see the green laser that we thought indicated the end,
however when we got to it, it was just used as a marker on a Moroccan
Army truck before we got to CP5. We caught up with Tom along the dune
section who was making slow but steady progress. We continued to
leapfrog him the rest of the night as he never stopped even at
checkpoints. We finally arrived at CP5 which seemed to be the longest
11km ever. I suppose it was the fact that we couldn’t see far ahead
in the dark.
We
quickly sorted ourselves out with water and a bit of food and
continued out of CP5 eager to get this thing done. This leg was
approximately another 11km which was predominantly across rocky
valleys and sandy areas. Nothing of note was seen due to the low
light with just the odd word spoken with Robby as we just
concentrated on maintaining the pace. Although my feet were hurting,
once we left the checkpoint and after 5 minutes or so they quickly
warmed up to where I felt more comfortable although I was concerned
how they were going to lock when I finally attended to them! We
arrived at CP6 which was in quite a windy position and we quickly
started getting cold. I took one running shoe off to adjust my feet
and get rid of a bit of sand and then left CP6.
We
had about 10km to the finish. The first 4km out of CP6 were a
nightmare as they were along a sandy Wadi which was really hard work
and difficult to get any pace going. It seemed to take forever to get
out of the soft sand. We then had to cross undulating stony ground
interspersed with soft sands. I feet took terrible punishment during
this as we couldn’t see some of the stones and kept stubbing our
toes on them! Hence the loss of toenails! We then had about 2km
across small dunes and bumps with tall camel grass everywhere. It was
sometimes difficult to see the light sticks as the glare from some of
the vehicles made it almost impossible to see. The glare turned out
to be a 4x4 vehicle bogged down in the deep sand, with another
vehicle trying to help it get out. Eventually we got out of the sand
and got onto a small track which led directly to the finish point. We
crossed the line in 16 hours and 52 minutes. A long day and we were
glad to get in our sleeping bags around 2 in the morning.
Rest
Day
The
cut off for the long day was around 34 hours. Obviously before the
next stage began everyone had to have finished the long day. Because
of this, the quicker you finished the more rest you had before the
following stage.
We
made the most of this day. I had decided that I would go and get my
feet tended to today as both my soles were by now very tender and it
was extremely painful and slow to walk around. I went to the queue
for treatment which turned out to be a bit of a triage station and
because of the state of my feet I was told to go to the larger
treatment tent and collect a number whereby they would call me
forward to have my feet seen too. Firstly we had to clean our own
feet and to make sure that there was no traces of tape or dirt and
sand left on them. This was done sitting on chairs over plastic type
grills where we were given a mild antiseptic solution in bottles of
water to clean our feet. There were some really frightful feet on
display and on the other side of the coin there were people with
hardly anything to show! Once your feet were cleaned up you were
given a pair of plastic covers for your feet and then told to wait
until your number was called.
I
must have waited about an hour and a half in a tent that had a dust
storm blowing through it before I was at long last called forward.
Once inside Doc Trotters tent I was shown to a camp cot and told to
lie down. The medic that treated me was a French girl called Caroline
and she said she had a lot of work to do with my feet! It was quite
funny as there were a lot of people being treated in there, all in
different stages of agony! Caroline cut all the skin away from my
blisters on my soles and all the other ones dotted around my nails
and toes. They were then cleansed with an antiseptic that didn’t
sting too much.
She
then drilled my nails that were black to relieve the pressure on them
and then made a real neat and tidy job of dressing and taping them
up. While this was happening a British guy next to me had the biggest
looking blister on his sole. All the skin was cut away which left a
red raw looking wound, and I had to laugh when the guy treating him
who was holding this big swab soaked in iodine, that this was going
to hurt! I laughed at the British guy and said ‘Stiff upper lip
mate’. He howled and winced a bit, but was up and about and got to
the end. Whilst this was happening there was a storm going on
outside. It was raining heavily and there were also hail stones
coming down. The wind was picking up and I was just glad that I was
undercover in this huge tent. Mind you I must have had the driest
part in that tent as buckets and pans were going everywhere and beds
being moved to keep away from the drips. This went on for about half
an hour and then subsided.
My
feet were finished off and I was sent on my way pleased with the job
that was done on them. Walking back slowly to my tent I must admit I
was a bit worried how I was going to do the marathon the following
day! I got back to the tent and found that the lads had a hell of a
time getting soaked. The wind had blown most of the tents down, the
carpet was soaked and lots of people had wet clothing and kit.
Luckily I had stowed everything in my day sack prior to seeing the
medics. Andy in our tent had his sleeping bag blown away and never
saw it again so had a couple of cold nights to deal with!
The
rest of the day was pretty uneventful spent drying everything out and
just drinking and eating any spare rations we had to top up for
tomorrow.
Stage
5 - 42.2km (26.2 miles)
Today
I was worried and tried not to let the lads know that as I didn’t
want to appear negative. I suspect they knew I was suffering as
indeed they were. I could hardly walk first thing as my feet were in
agony and all I could do was shuffle around. No choice but to go with
it as I wasn’t not going to start the day.
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| You know it's rough when the marathon STARTS with a shuffle! |
|
Off
we set off once more and I had my poles out first thing. There was
quite a party atmosphere today as we had completed the long stage and
although today was not to be sniffed out we had certainly broken the
back of the race.
The
start was slow and painful and I could see Robby ahead. No sign of
Noel, I wasn’t sure where he was. We got onto small dunes after a
couple of hundred metres and I just gritted my teeth and cracked on.
I came across a runner sitting on the sand looking sorry for himself.
A number of runners went to him and the next thing was a flare going
off. I could see the helicopter circling and setting down near him.
He was obviously in trouble and it transpired that he had a cardiac
arrest and was flown straight out of there. The speed of the medical
evacuation was impressive. I am not sure if he recovered but I
believe he was in a coma!
We
came out of the dunes and then came across a rocky plateau. These
rocks were the worst sort of terrain for my feet and the soft sand
was the easiest for me to get across. We now came across another band
of mixed terrain before we came across a small river!
Unbelievable
in these conditions and heat. I certainly didn’t want my feet to
get wet and get more blisters on my blisters, so I just queued up by
an area that had some palm fronds thrown across a shallow part which
you could step on. A lot of runners were messing around trying to get
across and a lot got their feet wet. Luckily my poles allowed me to
get across fairly quickly and more importantly drily. On the other
side of the stream was a dry salt pan that was only 1.5km wide. Mind
you it was quite hot going across that but at least there were no
small rocks to stand on. We then entered a large Wadi, crossed a
large track and then entered CP1 at 10.5km.
We
then headed out North East along a gorge for 3km and then across a
valley for another 1.5km before reaching a stony plateau. At this
stage I am into the swing of things. I am not comfortable by any
means but I have a good walking pace going and I am overtaking
runners which spurs me on. I kept leapfrogging this Italian couple
and the worst thing about it was that I had to keep getting off a
smooth track and overtake them over painful pebbles, and then they
immediately started running and overtook me. This went on for a while
and was frustrating! There was a girl from Luxembourg who was singing
out loud as she was going along which made me laugh. The rest of the
leg was a bit of a blur but suffice to say I reached CP2 at 22.5km.
Out
of CP2 across slightly stony terrain before entering some small sand
dunes for 4km. Across some pebbly terrain for 2km before entering
some larger dunes for 3km and then descending into a gorge with a
prominent track along it. I could see a couple of vehicles on the
horizon which I guessed would be close to the next checkpoint. CP3
was at 33.7km. I quickly sorted myself out before my feet seized up
and headed out north across some undulating terrain.
We
crossed the undulating terrain and then came across some very dark
areas of sand before coming to a village that seemed half deserted.
There were a few locals to cheer us on and I could see the next
bivouac in the distance nestled at the foot of some monster dunes! No
prizes for guessing that we would be crossing over them tomorrow! We
came out of the village and descended onto a rocky plateau to finally
arrive at the bivouac. I never thought I would run a marathon with
feet in such a state. Mind you I didn’t run a step – I kept up a
fast walking pace the whole distance in a time of 7 hours 38 minutes.
That was a long time to be on your feet, in the state they were in.
I
collected my water and made my way to the tent. Robby and Noel were
there already by an hour and they had run a fair way of it. I sorted
my feet out and was in excruciating agony. Noel washed my feet for me
which was really appreciated. The camaraderie between us three was
excellent and something that I will never forget.
Stage
6 – 15.5km (9.63 miles)
The
last stage was upon us. They decided to make the last day a tough one
by having what they describe as dune day on the last day. Last year
it was the first day which made it quite hard and exhausting for the
first day. Personally I didn’t mind as the state my feet were in I
much preferred travelling across the sand then the small rocky
pebbles.
You
could tell it was the last day today. A big buzz around the bivouac
this morning with everyone determined to finish even if they have to
crawl around, which is what I felt I might have to do to the first
checkpoint!
 |
| After a few years of training, the expedition is almost over! |
|
The
three of us had made a pact to run and finish this last day together.
It was hard going for the first 6.5km which was over rocks and
pebbles and was absolute agony. However we made it to the CP in good
order and buzzing that we only had another 9km to go. There was no
water dished out at the checkpoint as they had given us 3 litres at
the start of the race to last us until the end.
We
set off into the dunes. These were absolutely enormous dunes we had
to cross and very impressive looking they were. Once in the dunes the
heat seems to hang around and get hotter if that is at all possible.
The three of us made really good going on the dunes. I was in front
setting the pace with Robby behind and Noel at the back. We had such
a good rhythm and pace going that not one person overtook us. It was
quite amazing really considering the state of our feet. To be honest
it was bliss on my soles compared to the torturous pebbles that had
to be endured earlier.
It
was obvious we were getting close to the finish as there were a few
spectators who had come out into the dunes to cheer us all on. We
finally reached the crest of a huge dune and could see the finish in
sight. As we got closer we had to cross a few pebbly sections which
were absolute agony but I wasn’t complaining at this stage and just
gritted my teeth and hobbled across them. With the finish line about
200m away we took our hats off so that we would look good crossing
the finish line and got in line abreast as we were being cheered by a
lots of locals and relatives of other runners who had made the effort
to come out. We crossed the line in a little under 3 hours in 2 hours
and 57 minutes. Not bad going across the dunes at that pace.
There
was a bit of a log jam as we had to wait for the Race Director
Patrick Bauer to individually give everyone a hug and hang the medal
around their necks. There were quite a few emotional people at the
finish. We were happy to finish but we weren’t going to start
crying or anything like that. Just a quick shake of hands and well
done and that was it. The worst part of the day was still to come –
that was the coach journey! We collected our packed lunches whilst
being hounded by local kids and then had to wait a while before our
specific coach was ready to leave. Getting to the coach was murder as
our bodies had by now seized up and the journey back was about 6
hours cramped in a coach! Getting
off the coach and to the hotel room at the end was probably the
hardest march of the week!
On
reflection, we had the most fantastic time. I came in 404th
overall and were it not for my blisters on my soles I would have
managed about 100 or so places better. Maybe next time! Would I do it
again? Yes I would if someone paid for me to do it, but there are so
many other challenges out there that I would love to do. Maybe when I
have retired and I have the time and money then yes I would go out
and do it again.
The
sore feet were worth it in terms of the money we raised (£14.5k) for
those injured soldiers and for what they have had and continue to go
through for the rest of their lives. A few sore blisters and lost
toenails were a small price to pay and they would always heal and
grow back.
“Always
a little further”
Des
Inglis
