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Atacama Crossing Blogs 2010

Mark Jorgensen

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Atacama Crossing (2010) blog posts from Mark Jorgensen

10 March 2010 12:47 pm (GMT-06:00) Central Time(US & Canada)

Had a rough day two and while I finished the day I decided it would not be good to continue.  Started the day vomitting with altitude sickness in the first 1/2 hour and spent the rest of the day trying to rehydrate.  Blacked out face down a couple of times in the last 10km, rested under the last tree in the desert for about 20 minutes and then finished the last 4km.  Was not feeling bad this morning when I woke, but had decided last night that it was not a good idea to continue.  Emily was right, Dad was not ready this time.  Look forward to seeing you all!  Not sure if I can get a flight a day or two early or not, but am looking.

Comments: Total (6) comments

Posted On: 14 Mar 2010 01:01 pm

Mark, I am so proud of this effort...you make me stand a little taller when I speak of my nephew....And I am even prouder that you knew when to stop...

Posted On: 11 Mar 2010 11:06 am

Wow Blackout and no beer involved. Way to push things to the limit! Enjoy the rest of the adventure! - Kathryn

Posted On: 11 Mar 2010 07:09 am

I reckon passing out 3 times, without beers in the belly, is a pretty good reason to head home...given that the Atacaman heat and altitude didn't agree with training in Wisconsin, I'm sure you'll be up for 6633ultra in the Yukon in March 2011 with Toby, Jill and me...good decision to quit, I know its a hard decision to make given the committment you've made, but is the right decision. Now its time to think about the next challenge...

Posted On: 10 Mar 2010 11:30 pm

Congrats for getting this far mate. Love the self portrait shot

Posted On: 10 Mar 2010 10:42 pm

YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE! ALTITUDE SICKNESS? SHAMEEE! haha, just kidding, ignore me. I LOVE YOU DAD im so proud of you that you got so far even though we prevented you from preparing because of after school stuufff :D GOOD JOB DAWWGG!!! im sorry you got sick :( but im so proud of you you rock my sox guess what? 2day in art i used the POTTERY WHEEL and i failed miserably :D I LOVE YOUUUU!!! bob marley, i think you know who i am

Posted On: 10 Mar 2010 09:00 pm

We all love you so very much, big guy. Thanks for making a smart decision. Just train a bit next time, K? You scared your wife. I'm glad you're ok. I will be very glad to see you. So very proud of you for the tremendous marathon you just finished. I would have been flat on my face! You watch me run my paltry little runs when you get home and just gloat!! :)

09 March 2010 06:11 am (GMT-06:00) Central Time(US & Canada)

1st day done and still standing, but just barely.  Had a long uphill trudge between checkpoint 2 and 3 that nearly broke the spirit. Got a good batch of cramps at the finish line, nearly cried like a child.  Going to have to take it real easy tomorrow if I want to have a chance.  Rest of Los Flamencos tent finished strong.  On the bright side no apparent blisters today.  Got to get a little weight off the pack tonight somehow. 
Swanny, got your message and as usual Si has a weightless kit that seems to have 100 times as many good things as my clunker.  He did serve an impresssive notice of his presense in the tent at about 2:30am.  Gotta go recover or I'm going to run out of time tonight.  Hope all is going well at home and everybody is behaving!  Jen, have you tracked down Jill?
 
MJ

Comments: Total (2) comments

Posted On: 10 Mar 2010 04:37 pm

Mark--can't get email to go through. Day 2 was a turkey. I was a good chickee and called the Jill, now please send us some news, alright. We are all thinking and thinking and thinking about you. Got the posting this morning. My heart is dragging along the floor. Let me know what's happening in Atacama with my guy.

Posted On: 10 Mar 2010 07:32 am

sounds like a brutal day 2, particularly given it is day 2...day 3 sounds tough...just focus on how good it will feel after the race, I don't remember any of the pain from the Gobi just the good times..btw, Si is claiming that the tent is quiet at night...

07 March 2010 06:10 am (GMT-06:00) Central Time(US & Canada)

Have arrived at camp 1.  Tent all set and getting ready for the first of many freeze dried meals.  Pretty amazing site we're at.  Been unbelieveably hot during the day and looks like it will be cold tonight. Believe camp is at a little over 3,000 meters  Had a good day in San Pedro de Atacama yesterday.  Got some great food and some not so great and spent the day relaxing.
 
Look forward to getting underway tomorrow and seeing how the legs and feet are going to do.  Off for now,
 
MJ

Comments: Total (4) comments

Posted On: 09 Mar 2010 06:28 pm

hope all went nice and smooth for you on day 2. The wicked heat; the freezing cold water; the endless salt flats. No problem..been there, done that, right? Put a post up if you can. We'd love to know how you're faring. Hope that bod of yours is taking what you and the desert are dishing out. Lots of hugs from home!

Posted On: 09 Mar 2010 03:33 am

good to see you followed my advice - only 5 mins behind Si (did he throw you any of his mini salami?) - the most important part of my advice is the second bit (opposite corner tonight) - sleep well

Posted On: 08 Mar 2010 09:52 pm

thrilled to see, at every stage posting that they forwarded to me today, that ALL the racers were still going strong. Gave me a big smile to know that that surely included YOU!! Keep up the good work, my guy...tomorrow looks like a pile of great fun. I'll be thinking about you while your wading in that chilly water. Enjoy and be a tough guy. Just think, it will be a great inspiration for your son, who, btw, pounded Oregon on Sunday for their last game. You would have loved the team and his performance. They rocked! Swanny...you crack me up! (above post)

Posted On: 08 Mar 2010 10:05 am

a piece of advice or possibly just a reminder - stay very close to Si and his front pouch during waking hours but get as far away as possible during the night. Looking forward to tracking your success

06 March 2010 04:55 am (GMT-06:00) Central Time(US & Canada)

Arrived in San Pedro de Atacama and a good nights sleep had.  Started training last evening with a 7th Stage trek down to Simon and Ed's end of the hotel.  Great hotel and plenty of food on arrival.  Look's like we'll be starting and day late and skipping the Friday recovery day as the earthquake has created a number of flight delays for competitors. 

Was good to see a number of recognizable faces from the Gobi here. (Andrew and Jill-hope all is going well and wish you were here.)

Bye for now, got to save a little battery for tomorrow.

Comments: Total (1) comments

Posted On: 07 Mar 2010 09:20 pm

Hope you're relaxing and stretching your body and mind around the race to come. You're making me mighty proud, cowboy! I'll think about you as I do my humble little runs in the coming week. I promise to try my hardest when I run and send all that tough chick karma your way. Wish I could be there to do it by your side, for real. Maybe someday..... Many cheers from us all!