It wasn't meant to end like this...

Unfortunately I have had to pull out of the race. I made it

Another brief one from me as it is already dark snd getting cold here. Today was mentally very challnging. From the sand dunes at the start my ITB on my right side was tightening up and by the halfway stage I couldnt bend my right leg. We then had to cover 14km of salt flats which I managed to limp across. The limping however gave me tendinitis in my left shin so i am curently wrapped in all sorts of tape!

Some stunning scenery today though which was nice. I wasn

Quick update as I am exhausted

Stage 3 is complete but it was tough. 39km is just over 9 hours. The first 17km were alright and I was able to run but then we hit the salt flats and everything slowed down. The terrain was horrific and we crawled along for 10km. I spent about 30mins at check point 2 as I felt completely drained. We were given tangerine each which tasted like heaven! I had trudged cross the salt flats with a Danish guy called Heinrich. The two of us and two Finnish people then head off on the 11.8km stint to camp. This was extremely difficult and I am not sure I could have made it if I was on my own. The first part was a mixture of sand and loose rock. The second was a lot of sand dunes which involved taking several breaks to empty my shoed.

Finally made it to camp and feel pretty good. Blisters haven

That was a long day. I decided to walk all of today as we were warned about some tricky terrain that could cause a few ankle injuries. Two of the quickest guys in my tent both hurt their ankles and one has already pulled out. 10 hours after setting off I arrived at camp 2. Mentally feeling a lot stronger which is promising. My main concern now is food as being out for that long burns a lot of calories.

Today's stage started off with about 20 river crossings. The first few were chilly but after that I got used to them and kind of enjoyed it. Having changed my socks at the first checkpoint, we then climbed up a canyon for about an hour and were rewarded with some amazing views. After running along the ridge we then got to sprint down very steep sand dunes which was fun. A couple of long stretches to finish which were tough but I made it in the end. Not much light left so need to make a visit to the medic tent to look at some minor blisters (I am in good shape compared to some others!).

Thank you for your messages. They really do help snd give me such a boost. Good to hear things back home are as per normal with Ipswich and England losing! Catch up tomorrow.

Stage 1 complete

Wow that was tough. I don't know what I was expecting but I found today a real challenge. We set off at 8am from our basecamp which was at 3,100m (the highest point on the course). The altitude really got to me to begin with but after a couple of descents I got into a rhythm of running along the flats and walking uphill. There were a couple of very long stints along open plains which were demoralising as nothing seemed to get any closer!

The worst of these was between checkpoint 2 and 3. A 7km slog across rocky ground followed by a 5km climb through a baking hot gorge to the next pit stop. Disgusting.

In total it took me 6 hours 15 mins to cover the 36km. The last 15km of those was all walking! My bag is very heavy and I am starting to pay for some of my kit choices already. My gaiters aren't doing a great job so my shoes are filling with debris and sand. The Vivobarefoot shoes themselves have taken a bit of a battering as well. The grip along the sole is being torn apart by the rough terrain and I have no idea how long they will last. Alongside that I can feel every stone that I stand on which isn't great.

It is 15.10 here so I have an afternoon of relaxing around the camp and eating. It's not very comfortable but I will have to make do with my air mattress.

Hopefully tomorrow won

Basecamp 1

We arrived at the first base camp this afternoon. I unpacked my kit again (!) and have decided to lose some more snacks to reduce weight.

The camp is in the middle of a canyon and the views are amazing. Spag bol and some porridge for dinner. 36km tomorrow so hopefully shouldn

I arrived in San Pedro de Atacama yesterday afternoon after over 30 hours of travelling. It didn't seem that long as I was constantly moving from terminal to terminal in various different airports. I never fully relaxed either as there was always a concern that my bag wouldn't make it to each destination. Thankfully it did and in one piece with all my kit and absolutely exhausted!

16 months of build up and I am now 5 days away from starting my biggest challenge yet. This race has always been 'that thing' I am doing in a few months time but now it is getting very real. I have got one more night in the UK before I fly out to Chile. It will be three flights and a bus transfer before I find myself in San Pedro de Atacama but I have got a day to relax before all the other competitors are due to arrive.

There will be a few last minute kit purchases at the airport but other than that I reckon I am all set to go. Bring it on!