Hola!

Its hard to believe that its all over...yesterday was the final stage & celebration.  The last stage was more like a victory lap for everyone.  An easy 9.4km running from last camp into the town square of San Pedro de Atacama.  It was a bit of a funny ending because Fred & I wanted to run the last stage, as at that point I had nothing to lose with my foot.  Fred was in absolute agony with his feet (he developed brutal blisters on the balls of both feet, the worst place possible) but he managed to shuffle his way the entire distance, I was able to run as well but we as we entered San Pedro we got separated...the entire race was marked by pink flags along the course & I suppose some kids decided it would be funny to change the flags, so I got off the main course with another guy & we ended up doing an extra 1km & finally ended up in the main square where Fred had already crossed and was waiting to hang the metal around my neck.  It was ironic that we stayed together the entire race & did not end up crossing the finish together. The finsh was amazing...local musicians, lots of  people cheering, pizza & coke, lots of town dogs hanging out....it was quite special.  Chris was waiting for us at the finish line with cold beer, bless his heart!!!  We hung out for awhile & cheered the other competitors on as they came across, it was very emotional, even more so then crossing myself.  
We hobbled back to the hotel and sat outside with Chris for awhile enjoying some nice Chilean wine & then headed to our room for a much needed shower...I ended up sleeping for hours & it was the best sleep I have had in a very long time!
The awards dinner last night was so much fun...it was funny to see everyone clean & in regular clothes...it was hard to recognize people.  I love the atmosphere here, all of the restaurants have huge bonfires...we had a nice dinner & then the award presentation, which was awesome, and then a slide show. It was the first time we saw any pics from the race & they were excellent!  I also have to add that we had a 1 min moment of silence for the tragedy that is happening in Japan.  There were several Japanese competitors that were told about the quake & were given the opportunity to call home from the satelite phone to touch base with their families!  
We met some wonderful people and out tent mates were the best, 2 from Ecuador and 4 from Chile....you can´t help but get close to people you spend a week with in close quarters.  This trip has definitely ignited our desire to travel more in South America.  From what we have experienced so far, the culture & people are incredible!!!
It was a long night as neither of us could sleep....too many aches and pains which hopefully will subside in a few days.  I am happy to report that my infection is getting better but I will still see a dr in Santiago just to make sure everything is ok.
We are already planning out next racing adventure....the Coastal Challenge in Costa Rica, early in 2012...but this time not self supported, so in other words a bit of a luxury adventure race:)!

We have many learnings from the past week and the most significant one being that we are only limited by our own boundaries...that we are capable of so much more then we believe we are.  

Thank you all for your support along the way, as i said before we are incredibly fortunate to have so many wonderful people in our lives.  We can´t wait to support you on your next challenge!!!!

Love from Fred, CHris & Lisa xoxo

PS  chris is doing super well & is very happy with his decision!!

I will start with saying how much it meant to get on to the pc today and read all of your messages...I am so emotional that i had tears running down my cheeks. 
 
yesterday started with disappointing news...when we woke up chris had made the decision the exit the race...his feet were pretty bad and he knew that the only thing that would happen by doing the monster stage was that his feet  would be way way worse and the risk of infection to great to chance it.  he has already completed the same race but in china in 2008 so had absolutely nothing to prove to himself.  we were of course upset but totally understood and supported his decision.  its survival out here and when i realized he was serious i went vulture like and asked him for his peanut butter power bars (soooo yummy) and his left over tp and coffee...oh ya and he gave us a bag of peanuts that were amazing yesterday....i was suppose to save them for today but i just couldn't wait...chris thank you so much and can't wait to catch up tomorrow for an uber cold beer and start phase 3 of our chilean adventure!!  we missed you yesterday and kept wondering what you were doing and when we thought you would be sitting by the pool with a cocktail in hand we quickly took our thoughts elsewhere:)
 
yesterday was the most difficult thing we have ever done and will likely ever do. It took us just under 19 hrs...we arrived at camp around 2:45 am after an 8am start.  we had the choice to stay at cp (check point) 5 and sleep but we decided it was better to keep pushing through.  it was so amazing and wild to be trekking in  the dark with our headlights, when we finally arrived in camp i went straight to bed but knew i wouldn't sleep my body was in so much pain there was no position i could have laid in that would have been remotely comfortable, but it was good to just to be off the feet.  it was so cool to hear others arrive in camp with the drums beating and the cheering of the volunteers!  on my last blog i said how in awe i was of the leaders but the truth is i am in awe of every person here competitors, organizers and volunteers alike!!!
the cut off time for yesterdays stage was 12 noon today and the last person came in at just after 11...so incredible. 
i would say that there were 2 hi-lights yesterday...1 being the sky, i have never seen anything like it and wish each person the chance to see it like we did last night at least once in  their life.  and 2 being this super cute young dog that appeared at camp and started off yesterday for the long day with the lead runners and we ended up coming across her later in the day sleeping and being watered at one of the cp's...then this morning she arrived to the beat of arrival drums through the finish line...i had a huge smile on my face...she stayed with the competitors the entire stage and ran for 74km....sort oof like a lucky charm!
both of feet are so trashed...everyone's are with a few exceptions.   i developed a heat rash (so i thought) on the back of my lower legs on Monday and it got worse as the week went on and yesterday i could feel it prickling and when i looked at it at cp 3 my skin was all blistered on both legs so the dr put gauze on them and told me to watch it to check for infection. by the time we got to camp early this morning the blisters were (are) huge. i am freaked out because i have never seen anything like it...i went to the med tent and they told me to keep taking the antibiotics i started on wed night and go to a hospital in santiago but i went back 2 hrs later because i have the same thing on my shoulder so they gave me more antibiotics for a staff infection. its very ugly and i admit i'm a bit worried but we will finish tomorrow and will go to santiago earlier then planned. 
tomorrow is a short day of 9.4 km and they will stagger our start times so most everyone will finish in san pedro town square around noon.  i guess based on our times we will be the first group to leave and i'm hoping to be able to run the last bit.  i have been on borrowed time with my foot hence the reason we did not run at all. it was hard because in the 'runnable' parts the yrge to run was huge so thanks again to fred and chris for sticking it out with me.  i have been afraid to write anything about my foot but knock on wood it held out for me until now...very uncomfortable but didn't crap out on me!!
 
mum another thank younfor the desitin...all 3 of us used it for multiple applications....it was a life saver!!!
 
we are happy to have completed this much ....its the entire process of finding a challenge, deciding to do it, working hard to get there and finally doing it...its good to get out of the comfort zone and stretch your limits BUT i can honestly say that i asked myself at least 100 times why why would any sane human being put themselves through something so grueling knowing their feet and bodies would be scarred for ever....i guess i know the answer to that, but i think i am ready for some down time!
 
today is a hard day even though we are able to rest and recover a little and keep our feet up but its so hot and we are in our tents just waiting to get into tomorrow.  anyway i as write this the sweetie dog is lying beside me making me miss my doggies at home la little less.  btw toni thanks for the updates i know they are in such good hands.
 
the atmosphere at the camp is truely awesome, its very familial as many competitors come back and meet friends they havemet at other races...because its a small group the organizers have done a great job of making everyone feel special and like an in dividual rather then just a number.  tonight they have arranged for an astronomer to come at 8pm to tell us about the stars....how cool is that!
 
ok i will say good bye for now and will send an update either later today or tomorrow after we finish....  xoxo
 
PS   i was sitting outside of our tent this morning with my coffee and just observing all the activity and it resembled a mash episode...seriously it was like a triage unit,...everyone limping, barely moving, bandaged feet, moaning and groaning....and to think we all paid for it...i wonder what freud would say about it??
 
PSS hope everyone is well...sending some warmth and sinshine from the Atacama desert:)

just a quick shout out to my mum...thanks mum the sheepskin is working really well and has generated some interest!!
 
its funny sharing a tent with 8 men...as the days progress the night noises from our tent increase...its so funny last night was like an orchestra of snoring and farting...i was giggling to myself...but who knoes what i was doing while i was sleeping:).
 
today was very hard (again) and long...every day seems to get harder but its accumulative and its the pain that is the most fresh in ones mind.  tonight we are trying to get our heads around tomorrow the long marh day...74 km. we were all spent after today but having to do another 32 km on top...i can't wrap my head around it.  but as chris tells us its a mind set and putting one foot in front of the other.
 
all of our feet are trashed...so we have to spend lots of time in the morning trying to treat them and get them wrapped for the day.
 
chris and fred are doing awesome and feel pretty good.  chris told us that we would be consumed with thoughts of food and he is right....all i can think about is a huge bag of jelly beans and chips....oh ya and a cold beer on saturday:).
 
bye for now and thank you all again for your awesome comments .... we are so lucky to have such great friends and family.
 
fred says hello to the 3rd floor ladies from bite.
 
Adios amigos xoxo

hi everyone, wow thanks so much for all of your blogs and encouraging words...can't tell you how much we apreciate it!!  today will be short because its freezing and i'm exhausted and need to get into my sleeping bag.
 
so 3 down 3 to go :).  today was really tough and long...very challenging surfaces with the first 4.5 km on brutal salt crusted uneven terrain and the last 20km practically on sand.  we all stayed together again and i'm really happy for that....can get very lonely and quiet out there!  we were very happy to come across the finish line after they made us climb a steep soft sand dune after 41 km...cruel joke but a good way to finish.  after getting organized in our tent i headed to the med tent to get my big toe nails tended to...OMG  had to have both drilled to relieve pressure and drain them...worse then it sounds..they already feel better:).  chris and i are in competition for who will lose the most toe nails...so far chris is in the lead.  so much for nice summer sandals!
so far quite a few people have dropped out for various reasons...which is always sad but its better to have tried then to never have tried at all!!! 
i am in complete awe of the leaders as they are averaging 9 - 10 km / hr on very hostile terrain...its truely amazing when just trekking is hard.
all of our camps have been beautiful with the snow capped andes mountains in the background...its like a dream, i feel very fortunate to be here and to be alive!
just want to get through tomorrow and then start getting my head around stage 5....74km that will likely bring us in around midnight...so 3 - 4 hours in the dark with our head lights on but then we get friday to rest.  we are taking it 1 checkpoint at a time....still a long way to go!
 
will write more tomorrow....until then Adios xo

WOW  what a day...we started at 8am and predicted that we would finish between 4:30 and 5pm and we actually came in at 6:15....it was a long and hard day.  the first 2 legs were incrediblely beautiful with multiple river crossings and a big climb and completing the 2nd leg with a huge sand dune...it was so much fun going down!!!  the last 2 legs were pretty straight forward but long and not easy surfaces.  we didn't feel so badly when we found out that the leaders also took much longer then expected:). 
The guys did amazing today while I lagged behind on leg 3 and had a bit of a momentary meltdown when i kicked a rock on my already badly bruised and blistered big toe but pulled it together quickly..no room for whimpyness out here.
As of today over 10 people have dropped out. We were told by our tent mates that they were told by the coach of the Chilean team that tomorrow (stage 3) is the most difficult from a surface perspective and the impact on the feet...yikes alot of people already have trashed feet!
Gotta love the guys in our tent...they brought red wine....and plastic wine glasses...our heros:)!!!
 
ok its getting dark and cold and the cybertent is about to close so I will say good bye for now.
 
xo

YAHOO day 1 FINI ! I don't know where to begin....so I will start wth day 0, check in day:
 
yesterday was awesome, we headed through town with all our kit on and packs to the check in hotel.  it was quite a site with lots of racers and organizers and volunteers...very cool. we had our briefing and then had to wait for check in which was so well organized...i was  sweating bullets when my pack was weighed and it was 26lbs without water...too heavy:(.  at 3pm we loaded onto buses to head for camp 1 after a bit of a delay when the bus got stuck we finally arrived, headed straight to our tent that we are sharing with the Chilean team, got organized and went to the camp fire to cook our dinner.  the atmosphere was amazing.  everyone was super anxious to get going.  it was really cold last night and most people had a rough night. 
up early had coffee and breakfast then Lesson #2....we were up so early and then panicked to get ready in time for the 8am  start...tomorrow a different system is in order.
Day 1...OMG we made it in 7.5 hrs, 1.5 hrs longer then we expected (perspective - the lead guy came in in just under 4hrs).  it was hot, dry and high altitiude...BUT absolutely goreogous..tried toook up often but had to really watch the ground for footing.  there were 3 check points where we could get more water and rest our feet for a few min.  i am worried about the coming days based on how difficult today was but at least now there is a frame of reference.  as soon as we got back to camp we got organized in our tent, took ibuprofen and put our feet up. i need to drink more water as i have only had 4.5 liters and i haven't pee'd in a long time...sorry TMI:). 
the boys are doing doing really well, we were together for most of the time with the exception of getting a little ahead or behing of one another.  the boys are doing great and are right now sitting behind the tent in the very little shade available looking out at the beautiful Andes mountains!
no major feet problems for any of us except for a huge blood blister under my left big toe nail...but i managed to drain it and it feels better already....hope it does tomorrow!!  
tomorrow is a longer day and according to the description harder then today...oi.
ok gotta say goodbye for now and stop hogging the pc.  Amanda, Randy, Dar, Deb and Dave thank you so much for your emails....it means so much and helps a lot! 
until tomorrow... xo
PS more tomorrow about some amazing people we have met and how inspiring their stories are. 

Hola, it's show time baby! We are ready to head over to the hotel Don Tomas de Atacama for our 10am briefing and gear check in. My stomach is full of butterflies and will feel like this until the '10, 9, 8, 7,... GO' and we're off. Taking lots of mental notes of others peoples gear ideas...it's so funny all the talk about packs and weight and how to shave off grams...some really great ideas. Starting showing off my 'sheepskin' laden pack and someone already took a picture and others are looking at me wondering why they let me out? Will be a little warm but better then raw skin...we wil see how well it works under such extreme conditions...will keep you posted. Ok that's all for now, next post will either be tonight or tomorrow night. Thank you all so much for your support both emotionally and financially for our charity!!! Until later :) PS I had a dream last night thatbi was Dorothy from the wizzard of oz.... Follow the yellow brick road follow the yellow brick road....this will become our mantra out their especially during the long stretch on the killer salt flats:).

I was so sure I had everything down pat before leaving Riga..I went through everything enough times, but as I was putting my kit together this afternoon I quickly realised I didn't have the proper clips to hang my front pack from my backpack...OMG. Scouted through town looking for clips but to no avail so between the 3 of us we rigged up what seems to be a good solution with some extra caribiners I thru in at the last min. Lesson #1 do a dress rehearsal more then once and then do it again. On a side note San Pedro de Atacama is full of street dogs...i'm in heaven...gives me daily dose of dog while I'm away from my 2 at home:). Off to try and sleep for awhile as I suspect sleep deprivation will be on the menu for the week! Adios

Countdown begins for real, tonight is our last night in a bed for 7 nights but we are all so excited to get going. Today we change hotels to the race appointed hotel which we will stay at tonight and on sat Mar 12th. Tomorrow we will go to the race hotel headquarters for debriefing and gear check and then will be bused out to camp one for the night and then we're off 8am Sun morning for stage 1 which is 34km...but as a fellow participant just said to me 'be suspicious of the shorter days...read shorter equals uber difficult'. But that doesn't really distinguish the other days because long days ie: 74km equals uber uber difficult. I have to stop reading blogs and articles about the race because I'm, freaking myself out going back over my training and questioning everything but I am trying very hard to push those thoughts away because I only want to make room for positive thoughts. Fred and Chris are feeling the same as me, anxious to get started. Our plan is to stay together no matter what and support and help each otherthroughtout the race. Today I in will go through my pack one last time to see where I can streamline. I still think I am taking too much stuff, I feel like a walking pharmacy:). Last night again we were like seniors...eating dinner at 6 and after a short walk through town afterwards were in bed reading by just before 8. Back to writing from this morning because the wifi connection went down, and we're now at the new hotel and the wifi is much better. We are staying put for the rest of the day just chilling and keeping our feet up. Which is perfect because the new hotel is absolutely gorgeous! This morning we went for a walk and ended up in the town square at a really cute cafe for a coffee and what I was hoping to resist but as we sat there I gave in to my ferocious sweet tooth and had probably one of the best pieces of cake I've ever had....and I was totally justifying the calories knowing i'm about to be trekking/running 250 across a desert:). Ok that's all for now, will write a bit more later so until then adios!! PS Amanda I LOVE your incentive plan!!!! Sparkly definitely sparkly :):).

All the guys are racing are very friendly however there is one aspect where it gets a bit competitive. Backpack size. And here all of my male training is lost. As far as backpacks go - smaller is better. Hmmmm. Not like hockey. Guys here shrink everything. Fred

So far, the trip has already been an experience. And the race hasn't even started yet!

We finally arrived on Tuesday around dinner time after 37hrs door to door. Actually besides being long it was easy and uneventful with the exception of a 3hr delay in Madrid and no lost bags...whew:). The drive from Calama to San Pedro was awesome, the landscape is like nothing I have ever seen..absolutely dramatic and stunning and to think we will be getting up close and personal in only a few short days. Actually since arriving on Tuesday time has taken on a completely different feel and speed or better said lack of speed. Everything is moving in what seems like slow motion, probably dor 2 reasons 1) its like island life withoutnthe island and 2) we're all very anxious to get started. Definitely having a hard time relaxing but I keep reminding myself how important it is to be both physically and mentally rested. But the crazy in me who needs to exercise daily is getting antsy...today I did a bit of yoga and core strength just to loosen up a bit...Sandra you would proud! The town has an awesome vibe...very hippy and carefree..like backpackers come here on their travels and never leave. Foe such a small place there are a lot of restaurants and shops..even a North Face store, which we have been to about 4 times already. Chris Fred and I keep joking about being seniors in Florida who eat dinner at 5 and are in bed by 7...well I'm exaggerating but it's close. The boy a have both been out for a run to get a feel for the altitude but I am not taking any chances with my foot, which still does not feel very good but I see what happens and hope for the best out there. The town is being inundated with hard bodies as most competitors arrived yesterday and today and some on Friday, it's just a little intimidating but also very motivating. We met some competitors at breakfast today, 2 from Chris's home tone of Edmonton and 2 ladies from California...it's so cool that we will be meeting people from all over the world. I will say good bye on that note and hope to update again tomorrow. Adios amigos xo

As I sit here & tick off the umpteen things on my to do list the reality of what I'm (we're) about to embark on is hitting me square in the face. Today was another go around of checking gear, making sure all of the mandatory items are accounted for, still bewildered how everything fits into such a small pack. I have packed & unpacked & packed again, taken stuff out added stuff in... am typically not a savvy packer, I am one of those 'just in case...for every occasion' kind of packers, so honestly this has been a bit of a challenge for me. Tomorrow my husband (Fred Hrenchuk), a good friend (Chris Robbins) & I leave for San Pedro de Atacama, we arrive on Tuesday afternoon which gives us a good few days to settle down, acclimatize to the heat and altitude & generally relax, sleep & read in preparation for what will surely be a week of the highest of highs & the lowest of lows. I am really looking forward to meeting the other competitors & race organizers/volunteers. So happy travels to everyone heading to Chile this week & see you soon. Lisa:)