Atacama Crossing Blogs 2019

Sheila Sanei

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Atacama Crossing (2019) blog posts from Sheila Sanei

04 October 2019 04:04 pm (GMT-04:00) Santiago

Long March 80km completed – The course/terrain was extremely challenging. Again salt flats, sand, crazy strong winds which made the progress really hard. Running down sand dunes like we did the other days was fun, but yesterday we had to climb a km long sand dune in winds that got up to at least

 

40 miles/hr it and was really painful.

Not only the climb was unbelievably hard, but being lashed by all the flying sand was another painful experience itself.
The only thing I could do was to cover my already burned and chapped face with my buff and keep moving the best that I could.
The best part of yesterday was a final climb up this valley right before sunset, where you had a salt flat mountain on your left, high sand dunes on your right, the ground was covered in salt that resembled a crunchy snowy path and the sky was bright red..It was the most magnificent picture I have ever seen in my life and for a few minutes it made me forget all the pains that I was going through.
After 14hr 32 min or so I reached camp 29th and that was the best feeling ever. Apart from some nasty blisters and nausea I was ok, I had completed the long March.
Tomorrow we have the last 12km to do and we are done!
How do I rate the Atacama Crossing- Its an absolutely brutal race, but equally magnificent. I trained really hard for the race, but 100 percent underestimated the effects of the altitude. My heart rate always seemed so high and it felt like it was so close to threshold even when I was trying to walk so definitely something to consider when choosing the next race and although I feel that I didn’t meet my own expectations, I know I did the best that I could, and I pushed my body and my mind to its limit and that is what matters at the end, do your best and celebrate your achievement and know, there is always another race! J

 
 
 
 
 

Comments: Total (9) comments

Del Williams

Posted On: 05 Oct 2019 02:14 pm

Sheila, your journey sounds amazing, enspiring and exhilarating! It really has been a pleasure following your race you have done amazing. Del

Chris, Yasmin & Marcus. Taylor

Posted On: 05 Oct 2019 02:12 pm

Fantastic mum. Congratulations on completing stage 5. It sounded really hard going. Good luck for the final push. Can’t wait to see you. Xxx Chris, Yasmin & Marcus. ❤️🧡💛💚💙

Yuli Mahatis

Posted On: 04 Oct 2019 08:53 pm

Wow wow! I bet you feel you've seen enough sand for a lifetime ha ha ha.. I am imagining you'll be skipping and prancing the last 12 km tomorrow to the finish line. I am completely in awe. Sending hugsss

Nima Shirin Lemonie Sean Sanei

Posted On: 04 Oct 2019 08:46 pm

What can I say... you have the best parts of dad, mon and yourself. We’ve nervously followed you during your race which you’ve now proofed was a piece of cake, strong and determined as you are. Cheers to a person who will always fight and never give up. We love you Love from sweden See you soon

Mina Massoumi

Posted On: 04 Oct 2019 08:38 pm

Grattis min kära Sheila. Jag är så stolt över dig, din styrka och hur du har kämpat genom dessa 6 intensiva dagar. Älskar dig xxx ❤️❤️❤️🏃🏻‍♀️

Elaine & David Taylor.

Posted On: 04 Oct 2019 07:55 pm

Well done Sheila. Quite an achievement surviving such an extremely hard race. You certainly deserve that medal. Hope tomorrow goes ok. See you soon and looking forward to hearing all about it. Xx E & D

Giles Bates

Posted On: 04 Oct 2019 07:48 pm

Fantastic achievement Sheila. Sounds like a truly incredible journey completed by an incredible athlete. Your blogs have been moving, honest and brilliant to follow. Enjoy the final 12km of an unbelievable week.

Steven Taylor

Posted On: 04 Oct 2019 07:44 pm

Well done Sheila!! amazing achievement. so proud of you and everything you've done. The altitude sounds like it was super tough but you toughed your way through it. Congrats..! cant wait for you to come home! love you.

Steven Taylor

Posted On: 04 Oct 2019 07:44 pm

Well done Sheila!! amazing achievement. so proud of you and everything you've done. The altitude sounds like it was super tough but you toughed your way through it. Congrats..! cant wait for you to come home! love you.

02 October 2019 10:10 pm (GMT-04:00) Santiago

Stage 4 and 47km completed!
It was a tough , long stage, sand dunes, rocks, soft mushy salt flats, frozen broccoli field, river crossings,  you name it, I saw it all!
CP 2 to CP 3 was incredibly hard as we were walking, ( running is impossible) on the salt flats. Best way to describe it is that It was like running on coral! Seriously, it felt like I was on a different planet all together!
Sometimes the salt flats were hard so you had to be careful not to fall on them as you would cut yourself badly, and sometimes it was so soft your feet would literally go right in. The last 5 k running against strong wind was the cherry on top!
Happy to be back in camp after 8hr 30 min, my gaiters were ripped today and sand got into the shoes, need to fix them for tomorrow.
Overall Im feeling not too bad, except for sore feet and a few blisters.
Tomorrow will be a mental challenge. The long March 80km!!
Miss you all at home so much and can’t wait to see you all in a few days…xx

Comments: Total (8) comments

Alice Vonk

Posted On: 03 Oct 2019 07:18 pm

Unbelievable Sheila. You are just amazing. We loved the updates and cannot wait to see you once you have recovered. The biggest hug from all the Vonk’s Alice, Toine, Vincent, Thomas and Marcus xxx

Glenda Banyard

Posted On: 03 Oct 2019 02:30 pm

Well done Sheila! So proud of you! Sending best wishes and lots o encouragement! Glenda xx

The Gagnons

Posted On: 03 Oct 2019 01:24 pm

You are an absolute inspiration Sheila. Sending you all good wishes and keeping everything crossed for good conditions for you and your fellow racers. Just wow. The Gagnons x

Sarah, Gavin, Rowan, Isla, Poppy Taylor

Posted On: 03 Oct 2019 10:39 am

Wow! Sounds like an incredible experience. I agree with your kids- you are crazy and you are crushing it. Wishing you well today on your march. Gav, Sarah, Rowan, Isla and Poppy

Mina Massoumi

Posted On: 03 Oct 2019 09:47 am

Min älskade dotter 4 dagar har gått och jag är mycket stolt över dig. Du är min förebild alltid när det gäller idrott...skickar dig styrka och kärlek XXX ❤️🏃🏻‍♀️

Elaine & David Taylor

Posted On: 03 Oct 2019 07:38 am

Hang in there, you’re doing well. All the best and good luck for the long trek. We’re all thinking of you and cheering you on. Kids & Steve all being very good !! Xxx E & D

Steven Taylor

Posted On: 03 Oct 2019 05:58 am

Incredible Sheila - we are all so proud of you. Really you are amazing. One more big push and you are there.! :) Can't wait to see you and hear all about this adventure of a lifetime. xxxxxxxxxxxxx Steven

Yasmin, Chris & Marcus. Taylor

Posted On: 03 Oct 2019 05:41 am

WOW MUM YOUR DOING SO WELL! You are crazy for doing this race but you are CRUSHING IT! We love you SOOO much and we all miss you and can’t wait for you to get back. Good luck for your all nighter. Xxx6f

01 October 2019 10:10 pm (GMT-04:00) Santiago

Stage 3- 39km

It was brutal today. Though it seems like each day is brutal. Around 80% of the course was probably sand, nice soft sand and more sand dunes which I found incredibly tough  if not impossible to run on.
The rest was salt flats, again super technical, but I think I preferred that to the sand. Back is very sore today from the pack and a few blisters but it could be worse I guess…
Again the sand dunes are absolute beauties and no words I use here could ever describe how magnificent they are and how alive and privileged I feel to be here regardless of the incredible hardship.
Tomorrow is a hard day, 47 km mostly over salt flats…
hope I can see yet another finish line, a number of people unfortunately have already   pulled out and I really want to finish this one and get my Atacama medal!

 

Comments: Total (6) comments

Neil Taylor

Posted On: 02 Oct 2019 09:53 pm

I’m getting cramp just reading your description of running through all that sand! Sounds amazing and amazingly hard. We’re cheering you on. xxxxx

Mina Massuomi

Posted On: 02 Oct 2019 10:46 am

Idag är det dag 4 och du har klarat av 3 håller tummarna för dig. Tänker på dig , älskar dig XXX 🏃🏻‍♀️❤️

Yuli Mahatis

Posted On: 02 Oct 2019 07:26 am

Go go go Sheila!! We are cheering and thinking of you, day 3 ticked, almost there. What indescribable experience you had so far, now let's bring home the medal! Keep strong, you can do this.

Silvain DUCROS

Posted On: 02 Oct 2019 06:25 am

Hi Sheila, In your few words, we can imagine what you can feel in this incredible landscape. It sounds good to see that you're living it well and appreciate it so much

Nima, Shirin, Sean & Lemonie Sanei

Posted On: 02 Oct 2019 05:30 am

We simply adore that picture of you. Go on and fight yourself through the race. Ypu’re the best. Can’t even imagine what you’re goung through. ❤️ Love from sweden

Philip Taylor

Posted On: 01 Oct 2019 10:00 pm

Very nice going. Sounds super tough but you were expecting that. Just as well you cut all those labels off 👍. Anyway, you're over halfway now and seems like you're getting stronger...Sheila style. And only a few minutes between you and the next two ladies, so time to start racing I guess 😆. Don't let those pesky sand dunes and burning salt flats and icy streams and blisters get in the way. You can do it. Just stunning scenery as well. Saviour the experience. Px

30 September 2019 10:10 pm (GMT-04:00) Santiago

Day 2- 37 km done! It was the craziest, most brutal, most stunning course I have been on in my life. I was really nervous this morning since I had a really tough time with the altitude yesterday. Also we have been told that the course is getting tougher every day.

After the first 6km we entered the “slot canyons” where we had to run between canyons and crossing ice cold river crossings. The current was very strong and I was up to my quads in water , luckily I had my poles so I could use them for balance. After about 29 crossings and 1 hr in and out of the water we were finally out, though I could not feel my feet for a long time after.

 

We then had a long tough climb through the canyons until we reached the longest craziest, steepest sand dune where we  had to run down it. Some say it was about 1km long. It was the most amazing running experience I have had in my life. The sand just looked so perfect..so untouched…
I then reached CP 3 and only had to get myself through the last 11.5 km to camp going through “The Valley of Death” It has earned its name given its so dry and hot that nothing lives there. The last 5 km was tough, just endless rocky and sandy terrain with temperatures again in the 40s.
The last couple of km I had to run over “dry clay” It was like running on massive blocks of broken clay apparently  100 of years old. It was absolutely surreal.
Then I had to climb another sand dune and finally I saw the flags of camp … I came in 34 today which I am pleased with that  given the extremely hard course. Felt much better than yesterday which was a great relief.
Tomorrow is apparently even more difficult! We are meant to go over the salt flats…fingers crossed body  and mind stays remain strong.

Love to all

 
 
 

Comments: Total (9) comments

Tim Black

Posted On: 01 Oct 2019 07:00 pm

Keep going Sheila! Great to keep tabs on the run through this blog. If you’re struggling at any time for motivation be sure to turn to Elton he’ll keep you going!! Allez! Tim

giles Bates

Posted On: 01 Oct 2019 12:15 pm

Loads of interest and chat at the BSP. Sharing your fantastic efforts with the BSP community. Along with The fact THAT you are guaranteeing children the chance to BE educated for years to come.Loving the blogs and keep going!

Shirin, Nima, Sean & Lemonie Sanei

Posted On: 01 Oct 2019 11:32 am

Well done Sheila, we are all proud of you and cheering you on ♥️♥️♥️♥️💪😘

Mina Massoumi

Posted On: 01 Oct 2019 11:25 am

Well done my daughter...thinking of you my dear and praying for you..so proud of you I love you ❤️XXX

Gavin & Sarah Taylor

Posted On: 01 Oct 2019 10:33 am

Well done Sheila! We're cheering you on from here. It sounds like a truly amazing,brutal experience! Good luck with today. Love, Gavin, Sarah, Rowan, Isla and Poppy x

Elaine & David Taylor

Posted On: 01 Oct 2019 06:24 am

Those salt flats sound really hard going . Good luck . All going fine here, no problems, kids being v good. Thinking of you. Xx E & D

Chris, Yasmin & Marcus Taylor

Posted On: 01 Oct 2019 06:19 am

Well done mum, glad that you had a better day yesterday. Hope today goes well. We are all really proud of you and cheering you on. Xxxxxxxx xx 🏃🏽‍♀️❤️💕

Steven Taylor

Posted On: 01 Oct 2019 05:28 am

Well done Sheila.! ❤️ You always get stronger the longer the race continues so just stay steady and strong and keep going. We’re all watching you with great pride - you’re doing amazing.! Love Steven

Del Williams

Posted On: 01 Oct 2019 05:02 am

The experience sounds amazing Sheila, stay strong.

29 September 2019 01:01 am (GMT-04:00) Santiago

Editor's Note:  A local shepherd took one kilometer of course markers on Stage 1, and several competitors either stopped or went slightly off course until the situation was corrected.

Where to start..day 1 is finished, 35km in 40 degrees heat on 3200m altitude.
It was absolutely brutal. Never felt this rotten in any multistage race before. The combination of high altitude and heat was a complete suffer fest.
The fact that the course markers were missing during a big section ( the race organizors are still trying to figure out what happened) did not help the morale.
I was nauseous 100 percent of the time and my initial ambition to do a good time very quickly turned into “surviving” the stage!
There are no words that can describe the beauty and the brutality of this place…. Canyons, sand, more sand, dry river beds, all so dry and deserted…

 

I really hope that I don’t feel the altitude to the same degree tomorrow because today I felt like death and that is the best way I can describe it.
Bdw, I came into camp 35 person out of 80 something competitors which was disappointing (for my self) but really the terrain/altitude and heat completely broke me today.
I will go and rest a bit now before the freezing cold descends on us. Last night was freezing below 0, as I said,butal….
wish me luck as I go through “ The Valley of Death” tomorrow and eye watering number of river crossings and sand dunes…
Hugs to all…

Comments: Total (12) comments

Andrew Melmoth

Posted On: 04 Oct 2019 11:26 am

Dear Sheila, We have been amazed at the race you have been competing in. We followed you through the desert plains and the valley of death. We can't wait to hear more about it. Mr Melmoth & 3X "You're a superstar!" exclaimed Philip. "I'm very impressed of the work you've done for charity and actually I would go crazy if I had to do that," commented Radu. "I'm so impressed about how much money you have raised for charity," giggled Abigail. "I'm very proud of you," stated Rupert. "I am very proud of you mum!" announced Marcus.

Del Williams

Posted On: 02 Oct 2019 11:12 am

I am following you every step of the way, it sounds a totally different physical experience than your last race. You have trained your body for this and it sounds like it/you have rise to the occasion. Sending the healing hands Del

Shirin Jan

Posted On: 30 Sep 2019 11:18 am

Wow Sheila very proud of you stay strong 💪😘

Emma Sullivan

Posted On: 30 Sep 2019 10:24 am

Oh Sheila - it sounds so tough. But a thrilling place though- your descriptions are so vivid.. Thinking of you my dear - stay strong xxxxx

Sarah and Gavin Family

Posted On: 30 Sep 2019 10:20 am

Wow! What a description. Hope today is better for you and that you have a good nights rest, despite the cold, to set you up for a better day. Looking forward to the next entry and hoping it’s an upgrade from feeling like death! Sarah, Gav, Rowan, Isla and Poppy x

Silvain DUCROS

Posted On: 30 Sep 2019 09:05 am

Hi Sheila, Incredible first stage ! It seems very hard but you're strong and well prepared. you succeeded pretty well this first day Take care Silvain

Keith Pearey

Posted On: 30 Sep 2019 08:33 am

Stay strong and be sure to take care of yourself!

Mafalda Riobom-Thierrée

Posted On: 30 Sep 2019 08:04 am

It sounds incredibly tough, but you are an amazing lady and you can do it! I hope today you feel better. Take care!

LJ (on behalf of 3T at BSP) Desmeulles

Posted On: 30 Sep 2019 07:17 am

You are unbelievably great and we think you are doing something amazing. We know that you can do it. Don't give up. Love 3T

Elaine & David Taylor

Posted On: 30 Sep 2019 07:16 am

That sounded a bit of a nightmare.Hope today will go a bit better and that the altitude won’t cause you so much of a problem. We are all thinking of you and cheering you on. Xxx E &D, Chris, Yasmin & Marcus.

Giles Bates

Posted On: 30 Sep 2019 06:17 am

Sounds like a tough first day. You are doing an incredible job and raising money for children who will be able to go to school all year because of your effort and determination. Absolutely fantastic determination. Look after yourself. Giles

Steven Taylor

Posted On: 30 Sep 2019 05:34 am

Wow. Well you knew it was going to be tough and here it is..! Fortunately you’re the toughest person I know..! Keep going honey. We’re all very proud of you! One day at a time and you will get through..! Love you.! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️