Day 5 - The Long March - 74km
 
This one was a tough morning-afteroon-evening in the desert... The last big hurdle (and definitely the longest) in the race and honestly I'm just glad we made it. Gareth and I linked up with Matt Meckenstock, the other young aussie from Brisbane for the whole long stage. The race started with a 15km crossing of MORE salt flats and then about another 10km of hard packed straights. After another 15km through a barren salt plain we went up the biggest sand dune I have ever seen, over a mountain pass and then down to checkpoint 3 on the other side. Really struggled on the next leg, which was an uninspiring run across a sandy plain in the hottest part of the day and as we wound through the neverending dry creek bed before checkpoint 4 we were caught by Samantha who was looking far too cheerful given the circumstances. From here we slugged out the final two legs together which were a blur of pain (but managed to take in the Valley of the Moon at dusk) and crossed the line, all four of us, after an epic struggle which had lived up to expectations. So, so good to see the lights of camp, hear the drums and finally cross the line. I literally just pulled my sleeping bag on, still in race kit and slept (I'm writing this the morning after), but today seems a lot sunnier with only a short 10km run into town to finish.
 
I may not get a chance to write another so thank you to all of you, friends family and randoms, who posted on this blog. I have been getting all of your messages and they gave me something to look forward to after a long battle each day...
 
The adventure is almost done. Til next time...
 
 
Today's lesson: Post-race celebration.
 
1. Beer
2. Food
3. Shower
... repeat

Must I say it again - another hard day in the desert. Yesterday's good form didn't hang around and I struggled a little but Gareth and I made steady progress through the day and managed a 36th/37th (in just under 8 hours). Sam had another cracker and looked easy across the line. The general theme of the day was long hot featureless straights so it was tough to stay motivated. The stage started with a dune climb then a long gentle rocky climb. What came next was actually quite fun as we dropped (literally) down a steep dune into a green gorge. After wading through the river we went through town and there ended the prospect of anything faintly interesting. The next 33km were stright lines into the distance across a rocky plain then the salt flats which, pleasingly, weren't as hard to negotiate as i had feared. We were told to expect the crusty surface to hold one step then break knee deep the next, but apparently it depends on how dry the season has been and I was thanking the rain gods for having held off this summer. The flats took us about 3 hours and this was the first time in the race that I considered the possibility of running out of water with the checkpoint nowhere to be seen on the heatwave horizon. I had been as rationed as possible and ended up ok but there were plenty without water, looking in all sorts, and I'm a little worried about the people still out on the course. The cut off tonight is 9pm (25hrs) and this will claim several more to add to the numbers more who withdrew today. Tough one... But 120km down, yeeeeeew! Tomorrow is the big one and I'm not even thinking about it, just dressing my blisters so I can get them back in my shoes in the morning.
 
Til next time gentle readers...
 
 
Today's lesson: Blister care
 
This is a controversial topic and one of great importance to everyone here, especially at middle stage of the race. I even caught Ryan Sandes, who is winning by hours, with antiseptic on his feet yesterday so it seems nobody is immune. The general idea of blister care is to reduce the friction causing the blister so that you can continue running, while of course avoiding infection. Blisters form on pressure points and areas of friction between your feet and whateveer you have covering them (usually socks...) and are collections of fluid between the layers of skin. Two methods: for small blisters, leave them intact, pad the area with gauze (Second Skin is better) and tape. For larger or painful blisters I am a big fan of drilling them - use a hypodermic needle and put a hole at the base to allow further drainage after you clean the areas (alcohol or iodine) and dress the area with firm pressure to try to adhere the seperated skin layers. If it's under the nail, drill the nail carefully. Always keep it clean and prevention is better than cure - many people pretape their feet although I don't bother, instead just get onto them before they blow up. With only 2 days left now as long as you can get your foot in your shoe, it's fine. Otherwise cut the front box off your shoe - yes people are actually doing this and leaving their blistered, dirty, bandaged toes flapping in the breeze while they trudge thoruhg the desert. Hilarious. Lastly I also slap on a layer of Hydropel before putting socks on int he morning and this seems to have helped so far. Everyone has a different opinion on blisters but that's my two cents.

Yet another epic day... This camp is like a warzone with people strung out over stretchers, chairs, stools and rocks, and dehydration has seen several runners pulled from the race. I'm pleased to say thought that for me it was the best stage yet, i felt inexplicably comfortable in the heat and ran strongly til the end. Gareth and I stuck together and despite having a hard last leg we did what we could to get through his pain and for us to finish in 26th overall. Poor Sam had another blistering run but a tough finish and was carried stright to the medical tent where she stayed for a couple of hours - all good now though, Coke does beautiful things for dehydration and heat stroke. The stage started with a hideous trudge thorugh crusty salt flats and head high reeds at Laguna Sejar. After this though the course opened up into a fast 15km on hard pack and dirt road which for me felt like the first opportunity we've had to ditch the "old man shuffle" and run properly. Heaven. Briefly. We then crossed more crusty salt/mud flats which shredded our shoes and would have put anyone with serious blisters in trouble. Then a loooong slog through some rocky desert which gave us a taste of the really barren Atacama - just full of emptiness. This went on for a coulpe of hours. Most people are complaining about the last section which was a neverending path thorugh the dunes (including a beautiful oasis) and finishing on a killer 50m dune which is currently providing us all entertainment as people continue to arrive. I feel good... Tomorrow the infamous salt flats but for now i'm going to wash my clothes down at the oasis.
 
Must run, I'm getting kicked off the computer but I'll see you tomorrow. Til next time...
 
Today's lesson: Hydration
Given the number of people suffering the effects of dehydration this seems a good time to talk about water. This is a particularly big issue in a desert ultra and you must replace both fluid and electrolyte adequately throughoutn the day. The are many ways to determine your need including sweat tests, but for us is it quite siomple as we are only given a limited ration - 1.5L at each checkpoint (3) and a further 3L at camp. I drink everything we are given - filling my 750mL bottles one with water and one with water + 2 Nuun salt tablets which so far is working a treat. A few notes... Always keep about 250mL in reserve - the checkpiounts are often further than you exoect. Also, small regular quantities are better absorbed than big doses... Always always always be aware of where you are and how much water you have - be obsessive about rationing. And lastly, if you are taking in gels or snacks it's a good idea to take a drink after this too to help with absorption.

Day 2 - The River Crossings - 42km
 
Another tough one in the Atacama.... This was longer, hotter and more desolate than yesterday and by the sorry state of the people in camp - crippled/dehydrated/burnt/exhausted - we weren't alone. Today started with 10 or so river crossings over the first 8km. Yes, there is a river in the driest place in the world... Flowing from the Bolivian Andes and carving a canyon through the desert rocks. After this a long climb, a ridge run, then a drop down an enormous sand dune. The local sandboarders were quite amused. The back half of the race was extremely difficult - a long, flat, featureless plain that for us lasted 4 hours or so. Hot. And dry. There are about 10 people in the medical tent strung out with IVs or getting fluids orally. I somehow managed to lose my sunglasses which were hook into my bag wiuthin the first kilometer so had to make do by wrapping by buff up over my face and pulling my cap down and this worked surprisingly well. Despite the initial 15 minute delay, we finished quite strong, passing peope all day and ending up in 38th. Sam smashed it again. Recovery will be important this avo after today's heat and before tomorrow's salt flats.
 
Today's lesson: Eating for a desert marathon.
 
Calories are vital in any event like this, and it is arguably as much a race of nutrition as a race of fitness. This must be balanced however by the weight of the food you must carry for the week, so most runners here are obsessed with "calorie to weight density". Geeks. The first step is to work out your daily caloric requirements and then DO NOT compromise on this. You can make your calories as light as you want, but dropping below your body's energy needs will make life a bit difficult. There are many ways to work out your body's caloric requirements based on your BMR and your energy expenditure while running, but Gareth and I were lucky enough to have the help of a sports dietician - Rebecca Hay. For me, I'm carrying about 20000cal, or 3300cal (14MJ) per day. Breakfast is a mix of oats, muesli, granola and dried fruit with powdered milk so just add water. During the run 2 packets of GU chomps, two Ascend protein bars and at least 8 Nuun salt tablets. I also have a bunch of random snacks for when things get difficult - crushed up potato chips, gummy bears, jelly beans, a rice pudding and hot chocolate. Yesterday we atlked about post race food, but basically this is a protein shake, 2minute noodles, 2 freeze dried 800cal meals and some tea. All this must fit into a tiny little pack and be carried through the desert - the calorie:weight geeks are onto something...

First stage finished... From Arcoiris Valley to Rio Grande the course was a rocky run through dry river beds, huge expansive rock filled plains and a deliciously difficult 5km climb to finish. And that was easily the hardest 35k I've ever done but Gareth and I did better than expected, coming in 34th with 5:15. Since arriving at Camp 1 I've smashed a protein shake, some noodles and a vegetable tikka and all things considered I'm not feeling too bad at all. No blisters (thank you Injinji socks...) and not much early tightness. Please post on my blog, we are able to read these messages and judging from the first day we could use all the support we can get... I plan to talk about a new aspect of racing a desert ultra each post, so for today we'll start with what to do when you roll into camp.
 
Today's lesson: Arriving at camp after a stage.
 
After crossing the finish line, you'll be swamped by volunteers who will take your pack, help you over to the officials tent and record your name number and time. Provided you can still move you then set about giving your body what it needs to recover for the next stage - the sooner the better. First things first, limp to the medical tent if you need to attend to blisters, nausea, dehydration or any number of musculoskeletal conditions. If you have escaped medical drama then throw your kit in the tent and start getting in plenty of liquids/electrolytes and of course food. For me this means 1-2L of water with 2 salt tablets, then a protein shake, then a pot of 2 minute noodles (in this case the ridiculous amount of salt is a good thing - just cut the top off a water bottle and use this instead of carrying a bowl) and while that goes down I put some boiling water in an 800cal freeze dried meal so that it can cook for the required 8 minutes. Although you probably won;t feel like eating, it's important to replace the lost fluid and salt as well as getting some protein and carbs in within the half hour.
Once this is sorted find some shade (tent) and have a stretch as well as checking your feet thouroughly. Blisters are the number one reason people donlt finish these races so you need to be obsessive about this. I'll talk about blisters properly another day. Lie down and put your feet up for a minute and if your super organised you can start getting your kit ready for sleeping and/or the next day.
Then relax! Stay out of the sun you will have seen enough already and a cheeky nap doesn't hurt.
Evenings are spent EATING and talking with the 150 other racers who are rarely boring people. Most like an early night and are in bed before 9pm for a 7am wake up.
In general, try to stay as clean as possible and avoid the toilets unless you are the first to use them.
 
That's all for now. Til next time gentle readers...

Nerves are building as I eat the last hotel breakfast for a week... Surrounded by 150 fellow idiots with flags from all over, some of the worlds best distance runners are here for the race which starts tomorrow at 8am. It's been a good effort all round so far and the race hasn't even begun... Despite the quake all but 10 people made it here on time. I must thank my sponsors Injinji, Ascend, Sydney Medical School and of course everyone who donated to our charity (almost at $7500 with donations open during the race too). 6 days, 6stages, 250km, 54L, 20000cal. See you in the desert...

Hello from Santiago...

Well, need I say, it's been a pretty eventful few days. Thanks for everyone who was concerned about Sam and I, but we are fine. We were staying with Nico, a past Atacama competitor, and ironically the first alert was the sound of his 2007 finisher's medal clanging rhythmically against the shelf it was hung on. Sam (or the earthquake, one of them) shook me awake and we were hit by the apartment shaking, the sound of crashing of plates, and the sight of explosions outside which I believe were the electricity transformers blowing up. We ran to the living room where Nico was holding on to a table and this was how we rode out the next 2-3 minutes. With the initial terramoto over, the aftershocks continued for the next 24hours or so and we watched in horror with the rest of the world as information about the magnitude and consequences of one of the biggest quakes in modern times hit home.

All in all, we were lucky. Neither of us, nor any of our friends, were hurt and the damage in our area of Santiago was minimal, with power being the only problem. One can't help but contrast this with what is going on further south near Concepcion and we both thought hard about how we could help, but with our lack of spanish have concluded that the best things is for us to stick together and continue with the race, raising as much money as possible through this for the relief effort. The hospitals here are on standby but at this stage it seems that things have stabilised in the capital. Thanks to everyone who has helped us out with couches, internet and food...

So we are looking forward to getting up to San Pedro later this week, hopefully the flights will be operational by Wednesday... but look, we'll bus, hitch, or walk if we have to... RTP have been great with regular announcements and hopefully they continue to keep everyone up to speed.

To all the other runners, if you need anything in Santiago get in touch, otherwise look forward to seeing you in the desert, travel safe

Hello team,

With six weeks to go, it's time to start some regular blogging...

Well, Gareth and I have been in Soweto for the last month... We were working at a hospital on a trauma surgery placement which kept us busy - I've seen more stabbings, gunshot wounds and burns than I ever thought possible. So, if anyone gets shot during the race, I'm your man... Seriously, South Africa is a beautiful country (training runs with zebra and wildebeest are hard to top) and I'm sad to be leaving as I sit in Johannesburg departure lounge.

On the plus side though, after a short run in Dubai I'll get to LA which means a reunion with my partner in crime Samantha... Then on to Chile where I'll have another 4 weeks in hospital - this time plastic surgery - and then the main event: Atacama...

Training has been hard to squeeze in while I have been here due to the high workload, however I managed to keep enough miles ticking over to maintain a base level of fitness. As an unexpected benefit, the long hours meant that I was forced to rely on regular gym/core sessions - which can be done anywhere, even a hospital tea room - I have to say, these have made an enormous difference already and hopefully I can keep the strength routine going in Chile while getting back to some high mileage.

That's my boarding call, signing out from SA... I'll see you at the next stop.

Best,
Dan
http://www.atacamacrossing.org

First post, and high time i put something on this blog. I've just been told that i'm lagging...

Well, where too begin... so many questions. too many to answer on a blog post perhaps, but over time, after a few runs, a few posts, hopefully i'll be able to document the madness that will be atacama 2010. one thing i've already realised about this whole circus is that actually running the damn thing will be the easy part (yes yes, i know, ask me on day five when i have no feet left...). right now my teammate gareth andrews and i seem to be drowning in a sea of planning trying to get this thing off the ground with lots to organise. sponsorship to cover our costs, sponsorship for our charity, flights, running gear, training, nutrition, fluid management - so planning so little time. however there is no doubt at all that it will be worth it, and that it can be done... will be done.

we'll get there... and it's been good to se a few other young aussies on board.

For now, i'm off put some food in my belly. i went out for a cheeky 25k with fellow atacaman samantha (such a cutie) this afternoon, good session, so right now a big feed and a nap are in order.

til next time gentle readers...

daniel