Just back from the Race to the Stones 100km ultramarathon from Chinnor to Avebury. I did the 50km version of this race last year and struggled to get to the finish line (my first attempt at 'going long' happened to be on the hottest day of the year...) This year Ross (race buddy for the upcoming Atacama Crossing) and I entered the 100km in two stages with an overnight stay in camp, as we thought this would be the best practice for the Atacama Crossing. We decided to carry virtually all the kit we will need for the Atacama Crossing (sleeping bag, down jacket, waterproof jacket, food etc) and be self-sufficient for the whole race weekend, only using the aid stations and base camp to fill up with water - all the more challenging when the organisers put on great hospitality at basecamp with afternoon tea, evening meal and a bar! The first 50km on Day 1 went pretty well. We had decided to try and finish in around 5hrs 30m. Whilst we were using this outing as training we also had in mind trying to finish in the top 20 and thought this time would be competitive. We broke the run up in 30 minute segments, walking for 5 minutes after each one - enough time for a quick breather and to take on some calories. This worked well and we managed to hold the pace. Running with a full bag made a really big difference and is something I'll need to get used to, especially as the Atacama bag will be a few kilos heavier. I started getting stomach cramps after about 40km (not sure why, could have been food related, maybe a bit of dehydration, could have been linked the inoculations I had in both arms yesterday...) so I sent Ross on ahead - he finished in 5hrs 31m and I came in 8 minutes later, both in the top 20 for the day. Base camp had hot showers, food and drink but as we were doing this as a dry run for Atacama we steered clear of all of these, instead opting for water and freeze dried curry / sweet & sour meals out of a bag - fair to say we got a few strange looks... Day 2 and another 5am alarm clock. Race kit on, packed up camp, another freeze dried meal for breakfast and we were off. We had not done this section of the course before so we didn't know what was ahead. Compared to the first half it felt much hillier. My stomach cramps had passed and I felt much better overall, unfortunately the opposite was the case for Ross who started suffering with a sore quad which meant that after 35km he was struggling to walk and had to call it a day - gutting, but the right decision in the overall scheme of things. The pace was much slower on this section, I think mainly because of the gradient, so it meant I was out on the course for almost an hour longer overall and the final 5km were a bit of a struggle. I finished in 12hrs 13mins and took 15th place overall. Overall it was a great event and we took a lot away from it. One of the valuable things was meeting lots of other runners who had done Marathon des Sable and hearing their stories of what worked for them and what didn't. It was also a great run out for the kit and taste of what it will be like to carry everything for a week, living with very basic provisions. Kit and food are going to be key for a successful race in Atacama. What we choose to carry, how much it weighs, how we look after it, what we eat and drink will all be critical and its clear that there is no limit to the amount of detail you can go into with this stuff. Any part of your bag or shoes that rub a bit is not a big problem on a training run, but after 5 hours of running and not dealing with it properly you have something which is only going to get worse in the coming days and which you can only try and remedy with the things you are carrying. Good points and improvements: - From a training/fitness perspective, the body seems ok! One small blister after 100km, easily dealt with. - The bag was great - balanced, secure, waterproof - performed well, but the weight will take some getting used to. - Calorie intake, food and drink all seemed to work. Peperami (one a day) as a treat was great. Think about building in biltong (recommended by many), Oxo cubes and crushed Pringles (basically anything light, calorific and savoury/salty) and having a savoury expedition pack for breakfast. Ideas from talking to other competitors: - Try Nok cream for your feet (prevents blisters). - Mountain King trekking poles - extremely lightweight, relatively cheap, and handheld size when folded. - Do the small stuff right - look after your kit, take care of your feet and any minor ailments as they can quickly become big problems in the desert. Kit list: Shoes: Inov-8 X-Talon 212 Socks: Hilly Twin Skin Calf guards: Compressport Shorts: Compressport Trail Shorts with Nike overshorts T-shirt: New Balance ICE Tec Sleeves: 4Deserts Buff: Inov-8 Wrag 30 Hat: Compressport visor Bag: WAA Ultrabag Watch: Suunto Ambit 2 Towel / Dry Shower: Muc-Off Sleeping Bag: PHD Minim Ultra Sleeping Pad: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite Waterproof Jacket: Mountain Equipment Micron Down Jacket: Montane Featherlite @paul_stunt