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October 28, Camp Twin Peaks, 9:30pm -
This morning started with the final formalities
before the official start of the race. At
10:30am, a convoy of three buses, a lead Jeep
and full security detail, left Cairo and headed
out into the open desert. Racers are now dressed
in their full racing gear, requisite race and
nationality patches and carrying only their
rations for the week. The terrain quickly
turned into a wide expanse of....sand. As
the sun set, the buses finally entered the White
Desert. Breathtaking flat sand hills
punctuated with white limestone formations
formed by centuries of wind erosion spread out
before us. The
yellow sand gave way to a whiter, chalky
sand, more suiting an Antarctica landscape then
the desert.
The ride was long,
so all are relieved to finally be out of the
buses and settling into camp, set among the
white rocks. The light cool wind seems to
indicate that weather may be in everyone's favor
tomorrow. Some are still sitting around
the campfire and others are either doing last
minute mental preparation in their sleeping bags
or last minute equipment adjustments, wondering
what is in store tomorrow.
Only 12 hours now until the Sahara Race (Egypt)
2006 launches.
The bloggers have
started posting so check the blog page for the
real stories!
[NOTE: For those of
you coming to Cairo to join us at the finish
line, check back later this week in these Daily
Updates and we will be posting the exact details
of the finish line]
October 27,
Cairo, 10:30pm - Competitors
continued to arrive in Cairo until late this
evening. Race registration and gear check
took place from 7-10pm at the race headquarters.
Al but three have now checked in. Jacob
Nielson of Denmark appears to still hold the
title for lightest pack weight. His record
to date (from the Atacama Crossing 2006) was 6.8
kg but today broke that with a 6 kg pack.
A few competitors have had some difficulty in
the transit, losing bags in Frankfurt on the
way. Jacqueline Eastridge of Philadelphia
arrived with her backpack, but is missing all
her checked luggage that held some of her safety
equipment and food supplies. Lufthansa
claimed the bag would arrive on the next flight
but is yet to be seen. Staff and competitors
quickly came to her aid and have rounded up
missing equipment for her.
Read her blog that is being posted by
the Philadelphia Inquirer (USA).
Tomorrow begins early with
breakfast at 7am and then a welcome by Mary K.
Gadams, CEO and Founder of RacingThePlanet.
Departure to Camp Twin Peaks, in the Western
Desert will happen at 10am.
October 27,
Cairo, 4pm -
The energy is picking up around race
headquarters at the Movenpick Cairo Pyramids.
The Japanese and Korean contingents arrived en
masse from Asia around noon time. Others
are trickling in, some slightly harried from
either their long hours on planes or their taxi
experience from the airport.
Competitors can be seen walking around the
hotel, returning 4 Deserts racers greeting each
other like long-lost friends and newcomers
meeting each other. Frank Alvarez from
Mexico reports that his running shoes did not
make the trip and he is desperately trying to
source a new pair.
An Egyptian search and rescue
team have just offered to volunteer their
services for the week. They will be
roaming the course providing morale support and
assistance to racers.
The first formal activity is
tonight at 7pm in the Royal Garden of the hotel.
This will be the official race registration and
gear check.
October 26 2006, Cairo,
10:00pm- The first official event
of the Sahara Race (Egypt) 2006 kicked off this
morning with volunteer and staff training!
About 20 volunteers have come from around the
world to assist the staff in making sure the
event goes smoothly for all competitors taking
part. A few competitors have also already
landed in Cairo and have been spotted around the
hotel today. Jack Fierstadt, who is
returning for his second 4 Deserts event this
year, says he is just trying to eat as much good
food and get as much rest before the race.
He is also taking in a bit of history and
culture, having spent 3 hours yesterday at the
Pyramids.
This event's volunteer field
is a diverse group, including six from Egypt.
Some are spouses or siblings of races and some
are first-timers drawn to the event itself and
the Sahara. The two-day workshop focuses
on all operations of the race and is a chance
for people to get to know each other. The
4 Deserts provides the ideal R&D lab for
equipment so each event new gear is tested and
improved. Today's training included a
workshop on using the new communications system
that will be deployed at all checkpoints and in
roving vehicles - this system used by the Hong
Kong police force, was hand carried over from
Asia.
Read volunteer Kate Cremins'
description of the events of the day as today's
guest blogger.
Click here.
View pictures of the training
workshop in the photo gallery. |
