Race Coverage
RACE Coverage
Atacama Crossing Blogs 2019
5
PostsAtacama Crossing (2019) blog posts from Sheila Sanei
04 October 2019 04:04 pm (GMT-04:00) Santiago
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
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
Glenda Banyard
Posted On: 03 Oct 2019 02:30 pm
The Gagnons
Posted On: 03 Oct 2019 01:24 pm
Sarah, Gavin, Rowan, Isla, Poppy Taylor
Posted On: 03 Oct 2019 10:39 am
Mina Massoumi
Posted On: 03 Oct 2019 09:47 am
Elaine & David Taylor
Posted On: 03 Oct 2019 07:38 am
Steven Taylor
Posted On: 03 Oct 2019 05:58 am
Yasmin, Chris & Marcus. Taylor
Posted On: 03 Oct 2019 05:41 am
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
Mina Massuomi
Posted On: 02 Oct 2019 10:46 am
Yuli Mahatis
Posted On: 02 Oct 2019 07:26 am
Silvain DUCROS
Posted On: 02 Oct 2019 06:25 am
Nima, Shirin, Sean & Lemonie Sanei
Posted On: 02 Oct 2019 05:30 am
Philip Taylor
Posted On: 01 Oct 2019 10:00 pm
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
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Comments: Total (9) comments
Tim Black
Posted On: 01 Oct 2019 07:00 pm
giles Bates
Posted On: 01 Oct 2019 12:15 pm
Shirin, Nima, Sean & Lemonie Sanei
Posted On: 01 Oct 2019 11:32 am
Mina Massoumi
Posted On: 01 Oct 2019 11:25 am
Gavin & Sarah Taylor
Posted On: 01 Oct 2019 10:33 am
Elaine & David Taylor
Posted On: 01 Oct 2019 06:24 am
Chris, Yasmin & Marcus Taylor
Posted On: 01 Oct 2019 06:19 am
Steven Taylor
Posted On: 01 Oct 2019 05:28 am
Del Williams
Posted On: 01 Oct 2019 05:02 am
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 (9) comments
Del Williams
Posted On: 05 Oct 2019 02:14 pm
Chris, Yasmin & Marcus. Taylor
Posted On: 05 Oct 2019 02:12 pm
Yuli Mahatis
Posted On: 04 Oct 2019 08:53 pm
Nima Shirin Lemonie Sean Sanei
Posted On: 04 Oct 2019 08:46 pm
Mina Massoumi
Posted On: 04 Oct 2019 08:38 pm
Elaine & David Taylor.
Posted On: 04 Oct 2019 07:55 pm
Giles Bates
Posted On: 04 Oct 2019 07:48 pm
Steven Taylor
Posted On: 04 Oct 2019 07:44 pm
Steven Taylor
Posted On: 04 Oct 2019 07:44 pm