Well from 2am on Friday morning to 10am on Saturday was a long time to wait for the final stage.  My feet were pretty heavily blistered and sore and as usual it was really hot.  There is only so much lying around in a hot tent you can do.  It was quite frustrating being so close to the finish but having to wait so long.  They sent us off in two waves for the final leg that they said was to be 9.2k’s.  I was in the second faster group (only just) so had to wait an extra half hour to get going.  By 10am it was pretty hot and I knew it was not going to be easy on my feet but was really happy to get running.  It was mostly pretty flat and easy.  I was running a bit walking a bit and the km’s slowly ticked over.  We started to get into the outskirts of San Pedro and it was really great to see a few locals out cheering us on.  I got to a corner and my watch said I had 1.5k’s to go but an official on the corner said I was in the final straight with only 300m to run (only 8k total yeah!).  This gave me a very welcome burst of energy as I saw the finish line.  Adam was waiting for me half way down the final straight with an Australian flag which he passed to me so I finished like a victorious Olympian on a victory lap with the Aussie flag flailing behind me like a cape.  What a relief to cross the finish line.  Everyone was hugging everyone and there was much back slapping.  Someone adorned me with a huge finishers medal and so I felt complete.  I went over a sat on the wall of flower bed for a few minutes to catch my breath and then spied the pizza and coke.  The coke was cold and the pizza was delicious.  After a few photos and more back slapping we slowly walked back to our hotel.  The room wasn’t ready so we all adjourned to the pool.  It was freezing but boy was it refreshing after a week of hot sweaty dusty life.  That night we had the awards dinner at a local restaurant.  The best part was the meat we were served.  On our plate they gave us a huge slab of slow cooked beef, half a chicken and  fillet of salmon.  I would never eat anywhere near that much but I certainly gave it a great nudge!  I was still pretty wrecked and after a couple of beers, a few wines and big slabs of protein I started to fade.

Next I would like to say a quick few thanks to some of the people who made my finishing the Atacama Crossing possible.

First my wife Hallie and my family.  Without your support through the training, the injuries and during the race I would never have got close to starting let alone finishing.

My two buddies and fellow competitors Michael and Darren.  You both really helped me greatly when I was struggling during the race and got me to the start line every morning with a focus on just getting to the end of the stage.  The countless weekends training up Mt Cootha together was always a positive experience and lots of fun.

To all the people who commented, blogged or emailed me during the race – it is hard to fully convey how much of an impact your messages had on me during the race.  Emotionally I was up and down during the race but I was always inspired to keep going after reading the messages.

John my coach – The program obviously worked and I know you really spent a lot of time individually tailoring the training to fit in with my injuries, health and mental state.  I enjoyed it and will definitely get back in contact when I work out what is next!

The race ED Doctors – You showed genuine concern not only for my health but also for getting me ready to be able to finish every stage.  I think you had more belief in me than I did!

To Sebastian my massage therapist and Michael my physio – I also gave you plenty to do and my legs held up pretty well with no muscle issues.

To all the outdoor stores – I am sure I am now a major shareholder in most of them but what fun it has been buying all the gear!

A few people have asked me what I would do differently next time so here are my main tips:

1.       Use poles – I didn’t and it was a mistake.  I thought I would do more running but probably walked more than I ran.  Poles would have definitely helped.  Unless you are a top 10 runner you will do some significant walking and I think poles are a must

2.       More savoury foods – the gels and the breakfast porridges got so sickly sweet after the first two days that they became very difficult for me to eat.  I found fruit and nut mix during the run good.  I would eat less while running but try to have something more substantial at the checkpoints while having a short rest.  The occasional gel is ok but one every hour not  so good.  The dinner meals like Chicken Tikka, Chicken noodles , korma, Mac and cheese were good and I would eat a half serve of them for breakfast next time.  Variety is the key so get as much variety as possible while keeping as much real food as possible.

3.       Boost the electrolytes – it was supposed to be 26-28oC but it got up to over 40 on a couple of days.  At that temp the electrolytes in the normal gels and gatorade type powders just don’t cut it.  Next time I would get some really high sodium powders and drink lots more.

Gear Review

Much of the gear is pretty standard but there are a few items that are runner specific so here are my thoughts:

Backpack – OMM32 – worked really well.  There is a 25lt version but the 32 is only marginally heavier and can fit more so I would go for that.  Mine was still really full when I started.

Front loading 750ml water bottles – also worked well.  Easy to fill and easy to monitor how much you are drinking.  Saw some people struggling with camelback bladders.

Shoes – Brooks Cascadia – The problem was that the front mesh is so big that the sand just poured in and did cause problems.  You either need a full shoe gator or a show with finer mesh that can keep out the sand.  I would choose a different shoe next time.

Socks – Injinji – Mine were brand new and by the end of the second day they had a sizeable hole on the end of the big toe.  I persisted with them on the third day but with my shoe filling up with sand easily the sand also filled up my sock though the hole.  The injinji toe sock concept is good so you don’t have to tape each toe but they need to make a more robust sock that can last more than two days.

Ronhill trail short sleeve shirt – great, cool and no chafing on the nipples.

Patagonia silk weight long sleeve shirt – Wore it on the long day and it was soft and cool.  Also good around camp at night

Sleeping bag – Zpacks 40deg quilt – just warm enough, very light so I say perfect for the race

Mat – Thermarest Neo Air – ok to sleep on but it is so loud when you move on it.  They need to address the noise as it is really loud with any movement.

Final thoughts

What a great race in a great environment.  It is really hard and I am sure provides a different challenge for everyone.  The camaraderie and encouragement you get from all the other competitors and staff is so uplifting and really helped me get through to completing the event.  During the event I didn’t feel like I was having fun but now 10 days post the event I look back and feel I had the time of my life!

Cheers Andrew

This won

Well today has not been a good day. Started off ok and was mostly walking for section 1 & 2. Then it started to really heat up and section 3 had lots cruddy dried mud and soft sand. Got to CP3 ok and just had a final 12k to go. That is where the wheels seemed to fall off. I was religiously taking my salt tablets and hydrating but by this time it was 41oC and we were going up and down sand dunes. The last 4k took nearly 1.5hrs. When I finished I knew I was in trouble as I had cramping everywhere. I went to the medical tent and they had my lie down and drink 1.5lt of electrolytes. They then asked me to go and eat something so I attempted to eat a Hammer Bar. I promptly threw up three times so went back to the medical tent. I had to lie back down and they gave me an emergency can of

This morning preparing to start was freezing. The sort off freezing where your whole body shakes. There was much excitement as we all set off. The first section was very technical with lots of big loose rocks so I took it pretty easy. I didn

So we have finally arrived at the first camp and ready to start the journey. The terrain here is amazing. It really does look like the surface of Mars. The vibe in the camp is very energetic as we meet lots of people and talk gear, calories, past races etc. Just finished my first camping meal, chicken korma and it was a struggle to get it all down. Should get easier as the body craves the calories from tomorrow. Am still feeling very nervous but a bit more settled now we are actually on site.

First day tomorrow is 36k and much of it is downhill which hopefully will be a good introduction and won

Less than two weeks now till I leave for the race.  Went for a 90min run yesterday and was feeling pretty good and confident until I remembered I was at sea level, the temperature was nice and cool, I was carrying zero weight on my back, the road was flat, I slept in a comfy bed last night, had a nice home cooked meal with a cold beer and have not run 150km over the past four days.........