OK Guys…

Not getting any easier – got up to 46C on th3e course today. I’m feeling pretty fresh all things considered. Not tired or fatigued but my feet are a bit of a mess.

Top Tip No.1 – If you’ve got a black nail don’t kick every rock and stone in the bloody desert. I must be one of the few people in the race praying for uphills – because my toes won’t bang against the front of my shoes. They say you should get shoes 1.5-2 stages bigger than your normal size to account for the swelling, but at this rate I’ll need to cut the toes off the front of the shoe!

My IT band is still stupidly tight so I’k downave pretty much resigned myself to not running much for the rest of the race. Doesn’t actually make it easier – just means you end up spending a couple of hours extra in the sun. No other major issues. Feeling pretty good all things considered. Going to head back to the tent shortly, pop a few anti-inflammatories and hope I can squeeze them into my shoes for tomorrow am.

Tomorrow’s not going to be any easier apparently – hours and hours on the baking salt-flats.

Just to give you some numbers to play with – I’m popping about 6 electrolyte tablets a day, about 6 salt tablets, at least one energy powder a day and a load of nuts, raisins and other little snacks.

We’ve got another 40kmish stage tomorrow and then it’s the long stage the day after (75kms). There’s a rest day the day after the long stage so if I can get through tomorrow with no other major issues I’ve got a good shot at taking the long stage.

This whole thing is basically about managed decline. From the moment we started on Sunday our bodies were beginning to break down. The trick is basically to keep your body going as long and as well as possible before the end of the race on Saturday.

As I said earlier – I’m feeling fresh – just hope my feet hold up through tomorrow and the long stage, then I’ve got a day to rest before the short final stage.

Just one thing about the Atacama – it’s unbelievable how many stars you can see in the sky. If you ever get the chance I’d highly recommend it.

Keep the emails and blogs replies coming guys.

Cheers

Bryan

Ola Peeps

Just finished stage 2 – 46km. Had to walk rather than run as the IT band was too tight. Blisters seem to be holding up ok at this point although I did have the somewhat dubious pleasure of having one of the doctors drill a hole in my big toenail to release the pressure and hopefully stop me losing the nail before the end of the race. I’m not in expert in these things but I think losing your toenail in a race like this might be a wee bit ticklish…

One other thing – driest desert in the world my ass! We spent the first 5km walking through rivers up to our knees in the water that runs of the mountains from the glaciers on the Chilean Andes! This meant our feet were pretty wet for the first half of the race before drying a bit on the stage 2.

Stage 2 was physically the hardest – uphill all the way but that allowed me to claw back some time on the runners. Worst stage was the last –across these relentless salt flats. The temperature today was well north of 40C – and when it hits the sand it bakes and reflects straight back into your face.

Got back to camp a few hours ago and have spent the last few hours rehydrating and getting some food – it’ll be a really early night tonight. Tomorrow’s supposed to be harder than today and today was the toughest day I’ve ever spent in a race. Lots more salt flats tomorrow – very difficult to run on those. Every time you plant your feet they sink through the crust and you have to dig your feet out – very draining.

Other than feet and IT band I’m feeling pretty fresh. If the IT band doesn’t loosen up then I might need to focus on finishing. Got to hope the nail doesn’t cause any more problems as that could be a real deal-breaker.

Anyway – more fun tomorrow. Stay tuned for more adventures tomorrow!

Bryan

First blog from the campsite. We arrived a few hours ago after a 2 hour drive from San Pedro De Atacama. Had the full check-in this am. The briefing this am went over course details, all the rules and tips etc. Then we had the full check-in – equipment check, medical check from the doctors on our hydration plans and salt / electrolyte strategy. My bag weighed in at 11.5 kgs but doing my best to get rid of excess gear and food. So hopefully now I’m down to about 10kgs. We’re sharing in tents of ten. The ground is very rocky – not sure it was a great idea to skip on bringing a mat – but we’ll see.

The landscape here is incredible – everything has an orange, coppery colour – not surprising from the country with the largest copper deposits in the world. The landscape feels very other-worldly – Martian I guess – which is why NASA tests its rover vehicles here. Tonight’s the first night I’ll get a chance to see the stars. Atacama has the best viewing conditions for astronomy in the world. The air is so dry that the images produced by the telescopes are the best that can be captured on earth.

The race starts tomorrow at 8am. So try to get an early night tonight and prep for the race. Tomorrow’s first stage is 35kms and we’re starting at over 3000m above sea level. Looking forward to getting started now after what seems like a lot of waiting. The air is so dry it’s very easy to get dehydrated – so need to be constantly drinking water. I’ve hardly run at all in the last two months so I’m really hoping my feet and legs hold up!

Speak soon.

Bryan