I was thrilled with the way the team performed on the long stage. Guesses for time were in the 11 to 13 hour range, The terrain was a lttle easier than previuos days, but a big effort by all got us home in 10:35. Even better was our position improvement. CP 1 46th, 22nd at the finish. Also we moved up about 8 places overall to 31st.

The day started out nice, but soon warmed up to be the hottest day of the race..By late morning it was hot, and in section 5, mid afternoon, along a dry river bed, we were in a heat trap. It didn't hold us back by much, as we ran/walked with purpose all day.

The stage ffinish was amazing. We were so excited to have this day behind us and havie only 11k to go after a days rest. It was a huge relief for all, and plenty of emotion was produced.

It's been a great week. We can report no serious isses at all. No blisters, injuries, dehydration, electrolyte problems etc. In a team of 5, all new to multiday events, that was a huge bonus to "finishing", which we officially do tomorrow..

I write somewhat in advance, as I'm not sure I'll be able to blog after the finish.

Personally, I had some doubts that I would finish well.. My knee was playing up only 2 weeks ago, and all this year, and most of last year.

I'm still pinching myself that it's been so good.so far this week.

Thestage was a similar length to day 3, but a little easier terrain. Amazingly, the time seemed to fly today. Also, I felt great (relatively) right to the end.

The first leg was mostly up hill, over rough ground, and a few sand dunes. I'm glad we got that out of the way first.

Next leg was a gentle slope downhill, on fairly hard sand. We cruised that section quite well, before the salt flats of leg 3. These were not overly difficult, but just slow going. Then a nice 3.3k track to the finish, and we all finished running solidly.

Similar weather, cool early, then warming up to hot at the finish.

The super bonus today was a pair of sink holes next to the camp. They contain fairly fresh water at the ground water level. I didn't  think the ground water could be 2m below the desert. Everybody jumped in for a swim, straight after finishing. You can imaguine how it felt to get the sweat and grime off.

Long day tomorrow, and plenty of easier running. So we'll aim to start easy then finish like there's no (running) tomorrow.

We are all looking foreward to the finish tomorrow, and the rest day.

Thans to all the message senders, it's great you are following our team, and sending such encouragement.

Day 3 was a long hard slog. Some very slow sections of rough ground. The surface is sometimes like a ploughed field, soft and hard. The last leg was 11.5k, mostly rough shale, sand, and a couple of short but brutal sand dunes.

However, the good news is I have pulled up better than after day 2. Most runners seem to agree that the large amount of walking today has protected our legs.

Team Born to Run are all in good shape, no major issues.We are gettting close to half way, so are confident of finishing well. The packs are taking a toll, with sore shoulders, ribs  and backs common. As we eat, the packs get lighter, so we try to eat well.

Tomorrow, the "infamous" salt flats. From what I have seen, they are like the ploughed gtround, but crusted with salt crystals, that are extremely sharp - I'd better not slip over!.

The weather has been great for the earlish finishers. Start is 8am, and the heat does not really start until 10am or so, and then the maximum is from 2pm. It's always hot when we finish, so we just lay around in a heated tent, until it cools. Nights are nice and cool, but we have had fierce winds every day from 4pm or so. Sand all through the tents etc.

So another 40k tomorrow, then 73 k, then a days rest, and a final 11k into San Pedro. They have pizza at te finish, which will taste so great after dehydrated meals, and snack food. A cold drink will also go down well.

Day 3. 39.6k  6:45

Todays question was how I would go after a solid run yesterday. Surprisingly I started well, feeling quite fresh, not quite like day 1 of coarse.

However the constant effort, the big pack, and the heat in the 2nd half, eventually got to me and I know I have put in a hard effort.

Recovery for tomorrow will be interesting, but that,s the type of race we run here.

The whole team went well today with no problems, which is great so far.

The leg today started so well, a nice river to run along, then spectacular viewsof the greenest valley you will see.

Gotta go, out of time.

5:02 hours, 35.8km.

Day 1 was to be a day where the Born to Run team would discover the answers to a few questions.

For me, I wondered how I would fare -

Carrying a 10kg Pack

Running at 3000m altitdude

and how I would handle the rough surface.

I was surprised that I was able to run long sections of the race. After 200m I was puffing heavily at a gentle pace, but that seemed to pass and I didn/t notice a big altitude effect. The surface was a bit easier than I imagined, so all in I was pleased with todays run. We ran as a team, as per the rules, and all finished well.

The conditions were good early, but soon warmed up. I have a little pack rash that I will need to tape tomorrow.

I may have to back off the pace a little tomorrow, as I am a bit stiff, 8 hours after,

So tomorrow will reveal how we will handle the back to back running ahead of us.

GPS Distance 31.3k  Time 4:16

It's been a mad scramble this week, planning and organising gear and food. It's a good thing I'm on a team, as the others have done most of the ordering and pickups.
I did a final shop today and now have everything ready to pack. I will take extras to Chile, and fine tune over there.
The trick is to race with as light a pack as possible. without comprimising performance.
Tomorrow we fly out and one week from now we will be well into Stage 1.

I’ve been running competitively since 1992. My first marathon was in 2000, and my ultra debut was 2005.

I finished the Coast 2 Kosciuszko 240km race in Dec 2011, and was then invited onto the Born to Run team.

Our plan is to do the Grand Slam, 2012.

My training since then has been a little limited, as my recovery from C2K has been slow.

I have done some altitude acclimatisation and the Sydney Altitude Centre. I work outdoors, so that and running through summer is my heat training for Atacama.