Dear All
 
What a day. 70+ kms across some horrid ground. I am back in camp and really pleased with my time and pace. I just put my head down and plodded on. I was lucky I started the day with only a few blisters. Some other competitors had dreadful feet. I took it steady and took time at check points to try and repair my feet. But there was little that could be done.
 
The scenery was both amazing and mud-numbing. At times I felt total isolation.
 
And we had it all today: Salt-flats, mud flate, boulder fields, massive dunes, rocky roads,  and to top it all, we had to walk around a live mine-field!!!
 
I came into camp at 21:13 hrs local time, so the 70+kms took me just over 13 hours. I cant complain about that.
 
I am off to medic tent now to see if the quacks can repair my feet. Although its only 15kms to go, I have feeling that I am going to feel every step!!!
 
Cheers to you all
 
Simon

No sure where to start. Day #3 was really tough. Had to take care every step of the way. We had to cross soft sand,
 boulder fields, mud flats and soft sand dunes. I was happy with my pace but it was difficult. I got into camp in just under 8 hours feeling totally knackered. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the human body recovers. A short lie down, and a cup of instant noodles and I almost feel human again.
 
Sombre atmosphere in camp last night as everyone was thinking about Day #4 and the dreaded Salt Flats.
 
Very difficult to express in words how tough today was. Try imagining walking on broken glass in bare feet for 3-hours, and youre half-way there!
 
Picked up my first blister today so shouldnt complain. Have just spent a few uncomfortable minutes in the medic tent getting the damn thing lanced!
 
Long day tomorrow - 70kms of sheer bliss! Just got to keep my head down and keep plodding on!!
 
Cheers

Just completed Day #2 and it was brutal in so many ways.

We started off by zig-zagging across a river. Just as my feet were drying out, I had to get them wet again. Cruel, very cruel. Then we had to go up this series of switch backs. It was tough going, but the scenery was amazing. I just hope my photos do justice to the views. I missed a course marker between stage 1 and stage 2 which was frustrating. That little error cost me about 45 minutes. C’est la vie!
 
Then things got really rough. Boulder fields, mud flats and sand. Not nice. All this to deal with when Mr. Sun was out to play. Very hot, no shade and no breeze.
 
The last 10kms of the day just seemed to go on forever. I have never known 10km feel so long and painful.
 
The campsite appeared just in time for me.  I was really starting to suffer. I literally collapsed at the line and hobbled to the tent. Its amazing ve how quickly you start to feel human again. A quick wash-down with a wet wipe, and a bowl of noodles and I felt alive again.
 
Thanks for the e-mails. It means a great deal to me to be able to read something when I come in.
 
Cheers
 
Simon

Dear All
 
Well the Atacama has most defininately given us a warm welcome. Just completed  stage #1. We set off ay 0800 hrs and I crossed the stage finish line at approx 1345 hrs. 32 kms done only 218 kms to go!
 
Today started ok. The altitude certainly made breathing difficult particularly on the inclines. I felt things were going well until 11am, when someone turned off the wind and ramped up the heat. It was toasty, very toasty!!!!
 
Tired legs and shoulders but thankfully no blisters.
 
I am now enjoying some beef noodles and an instant coffee - the luxuries of desert races!!
 
Best wishes to everyone
 
V - big kiss

Why do people sign up for these races? Atacama 2011 will be my third RTP event. I completed the Sahara Race in 2008, and the Gobi March earlier this year. As soon as my family, friends, and colleagues discovered that I had signed up for these events the first question they asked me was "why???" Why would someone enter an event where you are expected to run / jog / crawl 250 kms across some of the toughest terrain on Earth, carrying a pack which can weigh up to 12 kgs, in scorching temperatures??????? And....be foolish enough to pay loads of money to do it!!!! If you are entering one of these events for the first time, it is REALLY important that you have a good answer for the, "WHY" question, because it is this answer that will keep you motivated during all your training, and more importantly during the event. As you train for the event, inevitably there are going to be days when you just don't feel like it. You're tired, or you would prefer to be doing something else instead. The weather might be crappy; your mates might have planned a night down the pub, or something else more enjoyable. The thought of throwing your pack over your shoulders and hitting the trails just doesn't interest you today. This is when you will be asking the "WHY" question!! And.....during the event itself you will experience lows. You might have been kept awake all night by a fellow participant snoring his / her head off in the your tent. You might be suffering from blisters or sore limbs. This is really when the "WHY" question rears it's head. The participants who have thought a lot about the 'WHY" question do tend to have mental edge of others. They have been able to dig deep and overcome the temptation not to train, or to overcome the'evil' inner voice that is trying to persuade you not to continue. My answers to the WHY question were as follows: - (i) I needed a new physical challenge to focus my attention. One that would combine my passion for running, the outdoors, travel and photography (ii) I wanted to raise money for a charity that I am involved with. This can be a very powerful motivating factor. When you don't feel like training or are feeling low, you can draw strength by realizing that there are always people worse of, or suffering more than you are. You will see a lot of RTP participants wearing silicon bands on their wrists or have photographs of people / organizations they are trying to help. I would highly recommend anyone who is contemplating taking on an RTP event to get involved with raising funds / awareness for a charity that they feel strongly about.

Well....... It had been an interesting two days. The flights went reasonably well. Thanks to the ipod and a selection of half-decent films the time went by quite quickly. Things got stressfull at Santiago when I discovered that my luggage had gone astray! Not good. I arrived at the hotel and the staff quickly set about contacting airlines and airport officials. They did an amazing job and before nightfall I was reunited with my bags. Yesterday was spent chilling out and walking around town, San Pedro really is a stunning town. The volcano can be seen from everywhere and really does dominate the skyline. I took a short trip out to the salt flats to watch the sunset and the flamingos. A bitter sweet experience. The sun set was stunning, but I couldn't help but think that in a few days I would be plodding across the salt-flats. Not a pleasant thought. Today has been spent trying to transform an 11kg pack into a 9kg pack. Not much success there, just got to live with it now. Thats it now. Nothing left to do now but show up at the kit check and get this thing started. I must be like everyone else filled with a mix of excitement and trepidation! My next entry will be from the cyber tent in the midst of the Atacama Desert...........