Crossed the finishing line today having run the classical marathon distance of 26.2 miles. Hard going and took nearly 7 hours but beautiful day, very hot, spectacular scenery and of course lots of sand, stone trails, hills and on this occasion a river bed that was not dry, so had to wade through it.
Looking forward to getting back home and boring everyone with tales from the desert. It is quite difficult to take it all in at the moment but a huge sense of achievement, loads of memories and a bag full of emotions.
Tonight in the desert with a provided meal, wine and beer followed by an opera concert under the stars, so not a bad finale. Back to hotel tomorrow for a much needed shower and shave and a proper bed. Not home until Monday night.
Hopefully my achievement will raise more money for The Happy House Project in Watamu.
Wednesday, 8 April 2009
DAY 4
Brutal! Not just the distance - at 57 miles the longest MdS stage ever, but also the terrain. Sand, sand dunes, climbing up rocky crevasses in the dark, hills, trails littered with large rocks to trip you up. Full details later, but have never been more focused or determined in a race. Set off at 9.20 and finished 17 hours and 56 mins later at 3.16 this morning. People still coming in at 11.50; including 4 of my tent mates - hope they are OK.Ended up 362nd out of 800, beyond my wildest dreams.
Could not face the thought of any food, even though important for recovery. Straight into sleeping bag although could not sleep as it's not just the trails that are littered with stones and rocks.
Recovering today for marathon and a bit tomorrow, including some really tough hill climbs. Saturday cancelled - but will still have done over 125 miles - and in 4, not 6 days and including the longest stage ever.
Could not face the thought of any food, even though important for recovery. Straight into sleeping bag although could not sleep as it's not just the trails that are littered with stones and rocks.
Recovering today for marathon and a bit tomorrow, including some really tough hill climbs. Saturday cancelled - but will still have done over 125 miles - and in 4, not 6 days and including the longest stage ever.
DAY 3
The training, planning and tactics appear to be paying dividends. Long way to go but another good day today. 22 tough miles, strong wind, hot and hills, sand dunes and rocky trails. Just for fun the last 2 miles was in really difficult dunes - like climbing a summit, the last one never wanted to materialise.
Today took only 22 minutes longer than yesterday at 6hours 40, despite being 2.5 miles longer and tougher. Did over 1 minute per mile quicker. Have moved up rankings by about 40 places.
Some serious hobbling going on around the camp, but at present my feet are in pretty good condition.
Big day tomorrow; still don't have details. No e mail until Thursday but my time will be posted on darbaroud web site during day on Thursday.
Today took only 22 minutes longer than yesterday at 6hours 40, despite being 2.5 miles longer and tougher. Did over 1 minute per mile quicker. Have moved up rankings by about 40 places.
Some serious hobbling going on around the camp, but at present my feet are in pretty good condition.
Big day tomorrow; still don't have details. No e mail until Thursday but my time will be posted on darbaroud web site during day on Thursday.
DAY 2
Wow. What a fantastic day! We are eventually are up and running. It has been worth the wait. Won't go into too many details as time limited on computer.
Got to start line about 9 am and stood around shivering although temperature was 18 but a strong wind. I t was 10 before we set off. I don' think I have ev er felt so nervous as on the way to the start. We had been told that they were expecting more dropouts thyan any previous day. We were also told that when we saw the sand hills it would be frightening. Wrong on both counts.
I set off slowly but at 8.5 miles check point I speeded up as on flat ground like Tenerife. The last few miles were back in sand hills and quite tough b ut I felt really good and pushed on. Finished the 19.5 miles in 6 hours 17 and was 2nd back from our tent. Had a brew and cheesy cream pasta. Due to cook spag bol soon! Not sure what tomorrow will bring but feeling confident.
Got to start line about 9 am and stood around shivering although temperature was 18 but a strong wind. I t was 10 before we set off. I don' think I have ev er felt so nervous as on the way to the start. We had been told that they were expecting more dropouts thyan any previous day. We were also told that when we saw the sand hills it would be frightening. Wrong on both counts.
I set off slowly but at 8.5 miles check point I speeded up as on flat ground like Tenerife. The last few miles were back in sand hills and quite tough b ut I felt really good and pushed on. Finished the 19.5 miles in 6 hours 17 and was 2nd back from our tent. Had a brew and cheesy cream pasta. Due to cook spag bol soon! Not sure what tomorrow will bring but feeling confident.
DAY MINUS 1
After sending last e mail headed bqck to hotel and got soaked with claps of thunder all around. Had some lunch and as we came out sun was starting to shine. We all headed outdoors but after a while I had to go for a walk to get away from the rumours and moans. After a wander headed to market and bought 8 sheets of plastic for each of our tent - who would have imagined we would need ground sheets. Bumped into 2 the guys from our tent group. We had to dive into a bar - not for a drink but to escape the hailstones which were thumping down.
As a result when we got back to the hotel we had missed the announcement - the 24th MdS is due to start on Monday, missing out day 1. Rumours at this stage that the course will still be 242 K but over 5 / 6 days which would make it very tough.
Had to leave hotel at 8.30 this morning to head to another hotel which has been taken over for registration. Set alarm for 7 and got washed and dressed to discover it was only 6.30. I had set alarm on phone which automatically adjusts for BST which has not caught on in Morocco! We arrived about 8.30 for registration which started about 9. As we were at the front of the queue we were all sorted before 10. Then discovered we had to stay where we were until everyone else was registered and official announcements made! They did not start until 4.30 and then with weather deteriorating again we had to queue in very cold windy conditions for a coach and eventually arrived back at hotel at 6.30, some 10 hours after leaving!
Have just got had time to head to pharmacy. Have had a cold for last week and for the second time in my life am developing a cold sore. 6 days without shaving will be bad enough without a massive cold sore on my upper lip.
So what is happening. After all that we have been advised that the event will start tomorrow and day 2 and 3 will take place although the route may turn out to be different to that planned. We know that tomorrow will be in the sand hills so will be tough. After days 2 and 3 we are not sure what will happen. Hopefully there will be some further stages but exactly what and where will depend upon the weather.
Certainly this is nothing like expected. We are all trying to keep positive and get our minds in gear for tomorrow, but this is not ideal preparation. Will try to keep in touch but with all the problems the organisers have faced there could well be technological problems which make e mailing impossible.
As a result when we got back to the hotel we had missed the announcement - the 24th MdS is due to start on Monday, missing out day 1. Rumours at this stage that the course will still be 242 K but over 5 / 6 days which would make it very tough.
Had to leave hotel at 8.30 this morning to head to another hotel which has been taken over for registration. Set alarm for 7 and got washed and dressed to discover it was only 6.30. I had set alarm on phone which automatically adjusts for BST which has not caught on in Morocco! We arrived about 8.30 for registration which started about 9. As we were at the front of the queue we were all sorted before 10. Then discovered we had to stay where we were until everyone else was registered and official announcements made! They did not start until 4.30 and then with weather deteriorating again we had to queue in very cold windy conditions for a coach and eventually arrived back at hotel at 6.30, some 10 hours after leaving!
Have just got had time to head to pharmacy. Have had a cold for last week and for the second time in my life am developing a cold sore. 6 days without shaving will be bad enough without a massive cold sore on my upper lip.
So what is happening. After all that we have been advised that the event will start tomorrow and day 2 and 3 will take place although the route may turn out to be different to that planned. We know that tomorrow will be in the sand hills so will be tough. After days 2 and 3 we are not sure what will happen. Hopefully there will be some further stages but exactly what and where will depend upon the weather.
Certainly this is nothing like expected. We are all trying to keep positive and get our minds in gear for tomorrow, but this is not ideal preparation. Will try to keep in touch but with all the problems the organisers have faced there could well be technological problems which make e mailing impossible.
Saturday, 28 March 2009
Rain stops play in the desert!!!
It is almost impossible to put into words the experiences of the last 24 hours. If there is a sense of frustration as you read this, then if you read on you will understand where it comes from.
The coach was due to leave the hotel at 9 yesterday morning. Russel (who I was sharing a room with) and I arrived at the coach at just after 8.30 to be told that the coaches had ben rescheduled for 8a.m. - we had not received the telephone call! The coaches eventually left at 9 for what was meant to be a 6 hour journey. We had only just set off when the rain started. To call it rain is an understatement and does not do it justice. For the whole journey there was a torrential downpour. Dried out river beds where in full flow. It was almost impossible to see out of the window, which was probably useful. Our coqch driver considered himself to be the Lewis Hamilton of the coach driving world. He obviously thought it was compulsory to drive in the boot of the car in front, and believed that single solid white lines down the centre of the road where an indication to overtake. He also thought his coach had a 4 wheel drive facility as he kept trying a bit of off road driving.
Eventually at about 4 pm we came to a halt. We had had to travel a different route as one of the road bridges was not passable. (The French and German competitotrs had flown into Ouzarzate in the morning and left a couple of hours after us and were not able to get more than a short distance before the roads became unpassable due to the amount of rain.) At about 4.15 we transferred to a lorry for a very bumpy 25 minutes to the camp, with a lorry driver aho also had been watching too much of Lewis Hamilton. Even when we arrived it was already a quagmire. Russel and I were the first from our tent of 8 to arrive so we struggled across the mud field to get a tent. The tents are made of hessian with sides but no front or back, and a tarpaulin cover. The rain was dripping through the hessian and onto the sleeping area and we were digging channels in the ground to try to divert the water.
I had put sun cream on before we left the hotel. Grease or whatever it is cross channel swimmers use would have been better as we were shivering with cold. I put on 2 pullovers and the jacket and jeans I had travelled in from UK and got a bin bag liner to keep some rain off. When we heard that the French and Germans would not make it we pinched their tarpaulins to make a front to our tent. By this time we had been joined by Ant and Nick.
At about 7 we headed across to the organisers area for some food. I put flip flops on as the mud would have ruined any shoes. Within a few yards my flip flops had been sucked off my feet and disappeared into 2 or 3 inches of mud, to be rescued by hand. Eventually gave up and for much of the time went bare footed. By this time the ground made Glastonbury on a bad day look like a picnic during a drought.
As we reached the organisers tents we were informed that the camp was being evacuated and that we were going back by lorry to a hotel. Several of the other coaches had been held back in the nearest town and where also heading to the hotel without going out to the camp at all.
Had to head back to our tent and get luggage and back to organisers tents before eating. By this time the first group had gone back by lorry and we had to wait an hour for their return. As we eventually arrived back at the nearest town at about 10 pm we crossed a bridge and the water was flowing rapidly and almost up to the bridge, until we got half way across and found the water flowing over the bridge. Got into hotel and were allocated our room - with one double bed - and I only met Russel 2 weeks ago to do his ECG as a favour - hope I don't get struck off!
Apparently at abouit 4 this morning there was a further downpour with thunder and lightening. Headed down to breakfast at just after 7 and eventually at about 8.30 the announcement we had been dreading, but expecting was made. Day 1 has been cancelled. So no matter what happens I cannot say I have ever really done the Marathon des Sables. We are staying at the hotel tonight and further information later today. At present they are not able to dismantle the camp site, as tents to wet, and as it has rained most of the morning they have no chance to start to dry.
We are trying to have a good laugh but everyone is thoroughly pissed off and feeling totally frustrated. The unspoken fear is that the next announcement will be the cancellation of Day 2. To be absolutely honest I am not entirely sure at present that the event will take place. The ground is now mud and the dried out river beds we were meant to run on will now be full flowing rivers. The sheer logistics of getting the show on the road may proof too much.
I first thought about entering this event 20 yeas ago. I wrote my first cheque on 20th April 2006 to enter and for the last 12 months it has dominaed my life. Hours of training and planning and a large expense. The thought that it may not happen is difficult to take on board. In addition it will impact on my fundraising for those kids in Watamu who so desperately need support. Psychologically it will prove difficult to prepare myself again even if we do get informed that we are starting albeit on a reduced course. That is why I am frustrated, and as I sit in an internet cafe in a town whose name I don't even know it is difficult to fight back a few justifiable tears.
I can only hope and wait and see what transpires over the next 24 hours - I will try to keep everyone informed.
The coach was due to leave the hotel at 9 yesterday morning. Russel (who I was sharing a room with) and I arrived at the coach at just after 8.30 to be told that the coaches had ben rescheduled for 8a.m. - we had not received the telephone call! The coaches eventually left at 9 for what was meant to be a 6 hour journey. We had only just set off when the rain started. To call it rain is an understatement and does not do it justice. For the whole journey there was a torrential downpour. Dried out river beds where in full flow. It was almost impossible to see out of the window, which was probably useful. Our coqch driver considered himself to be the Lewis Hamilton of the coach driving world. He obviously thought it was compulsory to drive in the boot of the car in front, and believed that single solid white lines down the centre of the road where an indication to overtake. He also thought his coach had a 4 wheel drive facility as he kept trying a bit of off road driving.
Eventually at about 4 pm we came to a halt. We had had to travel a different route as one of the road bridges was not passable. (The French and German competitotrs had flown into Ouzarzate in the morning and left a couple of hours after us and were not able to get more than a short distance before the roads became unpassable due to the amount of rain.) At about 4.15 we transferred to a lorry for a very bumpy 25 minutes to the camp, with a lorry driver aho also had been watching too much of Lewis Hamilton. Even when we arrived it was already a quagmire. Russel and I were the first from our tent of 8 to arrive so we struggled across the mud field to get a tent. The tents are made of hessian with sides but no front or back, and a tarpaulin cover. The rain was dripping through the hessian and onto the sleeping area and we were digging channels in the ground to try to divert the water.
I had put sun cream on before we left the hotel. Grease or whatever it is cross channel swimmers use would have been better as we were shivering with cold. I put on 2 pullovers and the jacket and jeans I had travelled in from UK and got a bin bag liner to keep some rain off. When we heard that the French and Germans would not make it we pinched their tarpaulins to make a front to our tent. By this time we had been joined by Ant and Nick.
At about 7 we headed across to the organisers area for some food. I put flip flops on as the mud would have ruined any shoes. Within a few yards my flip flops had been sucked off my feet and disappeared into 2 or 3 inches of mud, to be rescued by hand. Eventually gave up and for much of the time went bare footed. By this time the ground made Glastonbury on a bad day look like a picnic during a drought.
As we reached the organisers tents we were informed that the camp was being evacuated and that we were going back by lorry to a hotel. Several of the other coaches had been held back in the nearest town and where also heading to the hotel without going out to the camp at all.
Had to head back to our tent and get luggage and back to organisers tents before eating. By this time the first group had gone back by lorry and we had to wait an hour for their return. As we eventually arrived back at the nearest town at about 10 pm we crossed a bridge and the water was flowing rapidly and almost up to the bridge, until we got half way across and found the water flowing over the bridge. Got into hotel and were allocated our room - with one double bed - and I only met Russel 2 weeks ago to do his ECG as a favour - hope I don't get struck off!
Apparently at abouit 4 this morning there was a further downpour with thunder and lightening. Headed down to breakfast at just after 7 and eventually at about 8.30 the announcement we had been dreading, but expecting was made. Day 1 has been cancelled. So no matter what happens I cannot say I have ever really done the Marathon des Sables. We are staying at the hotel tonight and further information later today. At present they are not able to dismantle the camp site, as tents to wet, and as it has rained most of the morning they have no chance to start to dry.
We are trying to have a good laugh but everyone is thoroughly pissed off and feeling totally frustrated. The unspoken fear is that the next announcement will be the cancellation of Day 2. To be absolutely honest I am not entirely sure at present that the event will take place. The ground is now mud and the dried out river beds we were meant to run on will now be full flowing rivers. The sheer logistics of getting the show on the road may proof too much.
I first thought about entering this event 20 yeas ago. I wrote my first cheque on 20th April 2006 to enter and for the last 12 months it has dominaed my life. Hours of training and planning and a large expense. The thought that it may not happen is difficult to take on board. In addition it will impact on my fundraising for those kids in Watamu who so desperately need support. Psychologically it will prove difficult to prepare myself again even if we do get informed that we are starting albeit on a reduced course. That is why I am frustrated, and as I sit in an internet cafe in a town whose name I don't even know it is difficult to fight back a few justifiable tears.
I can only hope and wait and see what transpires over the next 24 hours - I will try to keep everyone informed.
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
PACKED, READY FOR OFF BUT ...COLD
Bags packed, everything organised and just filling in final few hours before getting on first of 4 trains to get me to Gatwick. When I laid out all my food and kit I wondered how they would all go into the rucksack. Have repackaged all the food, as this makes it lighter and more compact. The new bags have then been rolled up to expel all air and then wrapped in cling film to keep them compressed. All the food has been put into bags for each day and have between 2600 and 3100 calories per day. Would love to take more but that just adds to the weight and am just over 10kgs, so don't want any more. Have made up one extra bag with a few deserts and cereal bars which I can dip into if necessary. Whatever I do I mustn't start to raid bags for future days.
Somehow with everything compressed I have managed to squeeze all my food and kit into my 30 litre bag. Will have to get fuel tablets and distress flare in as well - pick those up when get to Sahara. Fortunately the bag will become lighter and less densely packed on each consecutive day.
Have done no real training since last Friday - all my time and effort has been spent packing, repacking and compiling food and kit list on Excel to produce on Saturday on the admin. day.
Had a great time at weekend with a farewell party for family and some friends. Really enjoyable and I will definitely be recalling the memories when I hit some low points next week.
I can't believe it has happened but developed a sore throat over weekend and now have a streaming cold. I can't remember when I last had a cold and am not impressed by the timing! Feel OK in myself and so should not stop me from going ahead but would prefer it not to have arrived just now - although better than starting next weekend as the event starts.
Hopefully while I am away Cherith will be updating my blog. I am also hoping lots of people will e mail me - need to go to www.darbaroud.com and click on "ecrire aux concurrents / write to competitors" and add my name (entered as Stephen not Steve) and my race number which is 599.
Well almost 3 years of planning, thought, training etc. are now complete - all that is left is to get out there and come what may get to the finishing line.
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