The Long March. I don't think it is really possible to describe exactly how this feels. The stage was 80km long, and we did this after running 4x 42km offroad marathons in 4 days across the desert. The stage was quite technically challenging but beautiful, with the snow capped mountains of Kirghizstan framing the prehistoric ocean bed that had now become desert and was our course.
 
My spirits were much improved, but in the interests of safety and sanity I teamed up with a friend, Nick. Our plan was simple - do the long march. Don't rush, but don't be slow, and never stop. We start together. We finish together. And we finish it in one day.
 
We were on our feet for just over 15 hours without break. Consider just standing in one place for 15 hours. I can't find the words to describe this - but after hours of constant repetitive pacing a deep almost basal element takes over and keeps you going. Discomfort comes in waves and then passes to be replaced by new found strength and energy, which is then replaced by fatigue and the cycle begins anew. When one of us lost his will to continue the other pushed forward, only for the order to be replaced after a few more kilometers. We marched through the day and through the night, from the burning midday sun to the inky black of remote desert midnight, walking along a path of luminous glow-sticks under the light of headtorches, listening to the howl of the occasional Gobi wolf through the night.
 
When we finally arrived in camp we were shell shocked and glazed, but felt good - relieved, happy and proud. The longest, and essentially the last stage was over, and we had succeeded in our ultramarathon.
 
The march took a toll, on my team-mate more than myself, but physically we were both shattered.  Muscles are soft and puffy, knees cannot be bent, we both looked gaunt, and our feet look like they have been in a meat grinder. This will be the last entry to this blog, as the race finishes tomorrow. I have had an incredible time, but I think this will be my first and last ultra. Next time I'm going to do something easy - maybe an ironman ;)
 
Thanks to all of you who have read my account, thanks especially to those who sent messages and those who were kind enough to make a donation to Sunbeam Foundation.
David.

When I was preparing for this race friends who had done ultra-endurance events told me that it was more of an emotional challenge than a physical one. Until today I don't think I really understood what they meant. I've decided to keep this blog entry short but before I left home I decided I was going to try to record everything, not just the good days.
 
I woke up today feeling just not in the mood. I had run a marathon (about 42km) each day for the past three days, and I had no desire to run another one today. I had no desire to eat another packet of half cooked tasteless freeze dried food. I had no desire to sleep in a tent with 8 other people (even though they are all really nice guys). I had no desire to burn at 40 degrees during the days, and freeze at near zero overnight, all the while breathing in a noticeably oxygen deprived atmosphere. All I really felt like was going home and spending some time with my family.
 
And so I came to question my motives for coming here. I think it is to try to find out your breaking point, to see exactly how much you can endure both physically and emotionally, because I think although there are hugely rewarding points, in balance it is a pretty damn unpleasant way to spend a week. And I say this with a smile on my face, because I think deep down inside that is exactly what I was looking for.

Another good day all in all. Today was through an oasis - farmlands, agricultural paddies and a fairly significant river. It was overcast and rained a tiny bit as well - these were all things I wasn't expecting given that we are in the middle of the Gobi desert. It was much cooler, and things went relatively smoothly all things considered. Very long uphill at the end - around 16km (Trilby: which brought back memories of riding towards into Cortona in Tuscany :)
 
We are now at around 8000-10000 feet, which is an interesting experience. The medical team briefed us this morning that there is 25% less atmospheric oxygen at this altitude and it becomes very apparent as soon as you push physically - feels like you just can't fill your lungs with enough air. It's also getting rather cold and tonight will be freezing. And tomorrow we climb to 12000. There are snow caps on the mountains.
 
Anyway, given that this is day 3/6 I thought it may be useful to pass on some thoughts and hints to others... I read previous entrants blogs before I did this and it helped, so time to repay the favour. As a note, this is probably most helpful to the average guy, not the super athlete.. and your mileage will always vary.. There's no one right way. With that said..
1. Take it easy on the first day. Others will bolt out. Don't stress. Find a pace that you are comfortable with and can maintain over the long haul.
2. Its all about consistency. There's no point running flat out for 10km then falling in a heap and limping the next 30km.. I know this is basically the same as point 1, but it is real important. You'll catch a lot of those guys who ran flat out just by being consistent, and you'll be much more comfortable & injury free.
3. Get through the check-points. Get the water. Get a snack out. Keep going. Unless you've got some serious foot issues or you've broken a leg, don't sit down. It's lovely to take that pack off, have some one mist you with water, take a seat for a while and soak up the scenery. But that can wait for the finish line. Sit down half way and you're likely to cool down & stiffen up and its rather hard to get going again.
4. For each checkpoint stage (there are usually 4 per day) make sure you drink all the water allowance (1.5 litres per time) and make sure you have a snack. The snack should be something easily eaten that doesn't require any prep (eg gels, power bars, pepperoni sausage, whatever your into). People say they prefer salty over sweet, but didn't really bother me. I didn't particularly feel like eating anything but its so necessary - otherwise low blood sugar makes everything seem so much more difficult.
5. Train for VO2 max. Especially at altitude the amount of oxygen you can assimilate makes such a difference. Training with a pack for endurance is also rather important of course. Road cycling made a huge difference for this - thanks RMRH boys (but when I come back my crit is going to be high 70's from the altitude training so watch out ;)
6. Pack weight is as important as everyone says. Over 10kg seems to be too much unless you're built like Mr T.
7. Time out on the course matters. Wtihout going overboard, the sooner you arrive back in camp the more recovery time you have - and this makes such a difference for the next day.
8. Without a very heavy pack you can't physically carry enough to eat during the event. People with calorie counters are saying its about 5000-6000 cal/day, and most of us with sub-10kg packs have allowed for around 2400 cal/day. You will lose weight quickly. Loading carbohydrates and protein pre-event is really important.
9. Its only a bit of fun. Human nature is a strange thing. You're thrown together with around 120 guys and girls who you've never met before and in most cases, frankly speaking, you're unlikely to see again. But most of us are by our natures rather competitive sorts. I guess it is part of the character profiles for people silly enough to commit to ultra-marathons. And while everything is always good natured and gentlemanly, it is at the back of most peoples minds. You know what I'm trying to say. Be cool.
10. Very important - be careful with home made sports drinks full of caffeine + red cordial + vitamin B. It sure keeps up the pace on the track, but I hardly slept a wink last night :)
 
I hope that helps anyone else who considers the undertaking. I would highly recommend it to anyone willing to put a bit of effort in - but planning, preparation, training and a bit of common sense will make the difference between a very tough but enjoyable challenge, and an overwhelmingly unpleasant ordeal.
 
Again to everyone who posted blog or email comments thanks very much, it makes a really big difference to hear from you guys. And thanks to those back home holding the fort, I really appreciate it - I hope is all ok, let me know how you are.
D
 

Trilby told me that I lost a little bit of my sanity with each year of university exams. That was one of the major reasons she didnt want me to pursue a specialty. I've come to the conclusion that this event is just a test of different sorts.
 
I took a different tack today. Yesterday I walked and talked with people the whole way. Today I decided to go it solo and be alone with my thoughts - one of the major reasons I wanted to do this race. Alternately, it is also possible that after yesteday no one wanted to listen to me jibba jabba for 6 hours.
 
And definitely it was a strange day. A very good day. But a strange day. On reflection I think there are a number of reasons that things were a little warped. Firstly, after a mellow start yesterday I decided to pick up the pace a little today. Going quick in 40 degree heat with no shade, when the sun rises at 6am and sets at 11pm does affect you.
 
I reached checkpoint 1 in good time and was going to recharge with some Fallout. For those who havent seen it I formulated my own energy sports drink called Fallout, primarily due to the bright yellow precipitate that forms when you initially mix it with water. 3rd year physiology and pharmacology finally came in handy. Completely legal but I suspect not safe for pregnant women or people with a low seizure threshold. Drinking it would have been fine, but when I opened it a dust devil passed through the checkpoint, and the Fallout went all over my face & half of it went in my eyes and nose. For those who have seen The Big Lebowski think the scattering of Steve Buscemi's ashes. And at that moment the official photographer took my picture with a face full of white powder and a runny nose. I hope that wont be the national geographic photo.
 
But after that nothing could stop me. Things went well and I checked a great time. Amazing scenery. Dunes, martian landscape, sand valleys and even crop circles (if rocks are considered the local Uygar crop).
 
Spent a lot of time thinking about my family and wondering what they were doing. Spent a lot of time thinking about things apart from work. Spent a lot of time thinking about hot it was. Spent a lot of time thinking about why people actually like Abba. Came to reasonable conclusions on the first three.
 
Anyway, probably said all that you want to hear so will leave it at that.
Knee status - 98% - going very good so far, even better than yesterday.
Foot status - 80% - I got my first blister today. I'm actually quite proud, even though it is only about the size of a 10 cent piece. I've not had one before and I was feeling a bit left out with how cut up everyone elses feet look.
Morale - good. A little achy but not too bad - mainly shoulders from carrying the pack but that is getting lighter every day.
 
Thanks again to everyone who sent messages, it was really cool of you and made arriving in camp all the more rewarding. Thanks especially to those who are holding up the fort in Hong Kong, miss you.
D

It was a good day. I think it is probably important to make that clear before I start saying all of the tough stuff that happened.
 
In reality, getting here was much more of a ordeal than the actual race..
My Swisscard (penknife thing which was fairly vital equipment) was confiscated by customs in Hong Kong.
I was taken aside and quarantined in Beijing after failing a temperature check (I suspect due to wearing a cap), and had to pass a full medical before being let though - I was sure it was all over at that point, so during the whole medical I was anxious & sweating, which didn't help my cause.
In Kashgar we were buzzed multiple times by Russian military Hind gunship helicopters, probably because we were all gathered on the hotel rooftop & they thought it was an unauthorised assembly.
In Urumqi nothing bad really happened at all, which kind of concerned me because it broke the pattern of hassles at every other point. Maybe on the way back then.
 
But once the race started things seemed to fall into place. Kept up a good pace, no major problems, all went well. Its a truly incredible landscape that is difficult to describe, and the local people share more in common with their persian neigbours than the chinese. Seen wild camels, goats, sheep, desert dragons. And ant lions. And it bought back some memories. Strangest things happen out of the blue.
 
The desert is fairly harsh - rather dry and rocky and hot, lots of dust devils. But I'm sure it would all seem quite routine if you lived on Tatooine.
 
Thanks to all those who sent messages - that was cool, i didnt realise that was possible and it was great to hear from you all... Especially to my mother who sent three. To Tim K. & Matt B. next year is a plan - you guys would love it.
 
Anyway, I've gone on enough.
Knee status 94%
Feet status 98%
Overall morale high.
D

Hi all, For those who were looking for the donation information for Sunbeam foundation, I have posted the Paypal Donate button below. I will start posting about the actual lead-up and race in about a week or so.

The Sunbeam Children's Foundation works in Baiwan, Guangdong province and aims to provide assistance to children requiring temporary or long- term housing in order to attend an educational facility and to provide care for orphans and children of special need in China. Sunbeam is a charitable organization incorporated in Hong Kong and all of the Sunbeam board of directors and executive committee are volunteers, so every dollar raised goes directly to The Sunbeam Children's Village. Click on this link http://www.sunbeam.org to learn more about Sunbeam... see what your donations can accomplish and have accomplished. http://sunbeam.org/pages/gobi_march_2009.html