Stage 4 had a lot of ups and downs. Staying in the village house was fairly disastrous for me. Our group was in a small room which had little ventilation and it remained hot throughout. I couldn't sleep at all. At 3am we began to get prepared for the 3 hour bus ride. On the way, the bus got a flat tire and it was seeming like an inauspicious start to the day. Then we got a good break with some heavy cloud cover. It was still deceptively hot but much better than it could be. The first section of sand dunes was awesome. Climbing was difficult since the firmness of the sand was different every step. On some steep sections you really needed to scramble up quickly to get over the top while the sand slipped away under your feet. Coming down the peaks was a lot of fun, almost like skiing down. The next two sections were over smaller dunes. However even the flats were a soft, crusty and sandy surface that was difficult to walk on. So it was still very slow going. The clouds disappeared and it got very hot, supposedly 44-45C. As I arrived into checkpoint 3, I felt very bad. I was very dehydrated and having trouble drinking. All the water is of course very warm and very hard to drink when you're already in that condition. A number of people were put on IV drips. That's not unusual and some of those people will continue the race. I rested at the checkpoint but had trouble getting myself recovered and decided I wouldn't continue in the heat. I waited at the checkpoint for an hour and half contemplating life when heavy clouds came back. It seemed that the clouds would stay a long while and I decided I could get to the finish. We were required to buddy up for safety and 2 of us set out together. 7km took us almost 2 hours with frequent stops to rest and fight off nausea. Total time was 10 hours, including my 1.5 hour checkpoint stop. After the finish, I continued to have trouble recovering. I didn't think I would be able to sufficiently recover for the 80km stage 5 which would be similarly hot. So I decided to drop out and now, after an unbelievably miserable 6 hour minibus ride, am writing this from the hotel in Urumqi. I never remotely contemplated that I wouldn't complete the race and it was very difficult to decide to drop out. But it was still a great experience. Thanks for following!

Welcome to the Gobi.  By 8pm last night the sun finally broke through at camp.  We were glad to see the rain go.  The night was cold again, but OK as long as you stayed fully inside the sleeping bag.  Sleep was as good as can be expected.

We woke to a beautiful  day.  The stage today was spectacular and very difficult.  It started with a 10km run through a mostly dry riverbed.  Needed to pick your way over rocks and cross a few streams.  Next was a 10km uphill climb.  Next was a 10km downhill through the canyon which was spectacular but very rough terrain.  It was still comfortable temperature until then.  The next stage was exactly what you expect from the desert.  Hot, dry, rocky, sandy.  Heat haze shimmering on the horizon.  Felt like the Grand Canyon with tall hills on both side.  I did a good job pacing myself but the last stage of 6km was brutal.  It initially appeared to be downhill but then took a turn up into the hills.  Very hot by then.  I had to finally give in to a walk for the last 4km as did everyone else I could see.

I finished 28^th in a bit under 6 hours.  I’m happy with that and I couldn’t have done any better.  Wear and tear starting to build though and not sure I will keep that up.  All loose earth today so very tough on the feet.  New blister on the bottom of my foot which hopefully will not be too bad after the tape job from the medical team.  Shoulders really sore with so much running and pack still at 7kg.  Some nice raw spots on the lower back too.

We’re staying in a local village tonight.  Not a plus from my standpoint, we enjoyed our tent.  Now our tent group is on a cement floor in a small open courtyard and now a constant buzzing of flies has joined the ants.  They must enjoy the sweat and remains of our electrolyte drinks.

Next two stages will be very tough.  Tomorrow morning we get up at 3am and then take a 3 hour bus ride to the start of the next stage.  The stage is about as long as today and starts with 10km of sand dunes.  It will be very hot the whole way.  I will play it safe tomorrow and probably stick to mostly a fast walk and save something for the 80km day to follow.

Thanks again for the e-mail and blog comments.  Till tomorrow…

So yesterday went as expected, today unexpected.  Overnight in camp at 2100 meters was cold, but fine in the tents with a nice sleeping bag.  In the morning we woke to heavy fog which everyone assumed would burn off quickly.   It was too foggy to see the course markers and we were due to start with a further climb to 2700 meters.  The race start was delayed from 8:00 to 8:30, then 9:00, then 10:00, then 12:00.  Finally the fog cleared although it was still completely overcast and chilly.  Because the start was delayed they needed to cut the stage short or else slower competitors would get in to camp too late.  So the stage ended up being fairly short, about 20km, and mostly flat.
 
It was chilly throughout, maybe 13C, and then started raining.  It rained for the first few hours in camp but has stopped now.  Still very overcast and chilly though and possible that it will rain more.  Its a shame we missed the mountain parts today.  The rest was mainly along a riverbed.  Still a spectacular setting all in all.  We had one river crossing to get the shoes good and wet.
 
I finished 47th today.  I did better yesterday because I kept a steady pace and was strong at the end and so passed many people in the last third.  Today was so short and cool that everyone could just take off.  I really can't go any faster on the flats with the heavy pack.  Anyway the time differences are not that much.  So I'm hoping for harder stages to come.  Its undecided whether they'll find a way to add back the 20km cut today.
 
Everything else going well.  One small blister on a toe yesterday, so feet are good.  Shoulders more sore today from running with the pack the whole stage.  Food and gear all working well.  Biggest concern at the moment is trying to get everything dry by the fire.
 
Forgot to mention yesterday that we saw camels.  Woohoo.  Thanks for the e-mails and blog comments.  Haven't received the next batch yet because of the heavy cloud cover.  Time to go heat up my freeze dried shepard's pie, or will I go for spaghetti bolonese.  Mmmm.  Till tomorrow...

Overnight at camp was chilly but not bad.  Tough to sleep though.  Seems like I was up most of the night, but I'm sure I did have short sleeps throughout.  Felt generally fine in the morning though.  Enjoyed my coffee and meusli.
 
The stage today was mostly as expected and went pretty well.  It looked on paper to be a relatively easier stage, but it wasn't.  Everyone taking much longer than planned.  Temperature was warm, not brutal, but did get quite hot in the later sections when there was also less breeze.  The stage started with a long very gradual climb.  Probably wouldn't notice it without the pack weight.  It was a little too much effort to run but walking was too slow, so did mostly a shuffle run.  I started slowly, much slower than most.  Later it got quite hilly and I felt good on the hills.  Gear, food, hydration all went well.
 
The course was beautiful.  Mountains all around and snow capped peaks.  Definitely feels like the middle of nowhere.
 
I finished 28th, which is a bit better than expected.  I worked harder than I planned for day 1, but I think that's the same for everyone.  A lot of people looking pretty exhausted and many thought the altitude had impact.
 
If you sent me e-mail, they haven't been downloaded at camp yet but I'll look forward to seeing them later.  Tomorrow is a longer stage, but maybe a bit less hilly.  Expect tonight will be pretty chilly at this elevation but hopefully will sleep better.  Till tomorrow...

Here at Camp 1 surrounded by a stand of trees near a small village. A nice scenic spot with tall mountains in the background.  Today went smoothly.  A lot of logistics involved in getting 150 people into the desert.  The caravan was at least 11 4x4s and 3 buses.  Pack finally weighed in at 9.25 kg, it seems that things keep crawling into it when I’m not looking.  We’re all quite anxious to get on with the race since we’ve been thinking about it for months.  It was hot today, but its cooling off nicely now. Actually quite comfortable in the tent, except for the ants.  It seems I can’t escape them.  5 guys from HK in our tent of 9, so we have plenty to talk about and, well, there’s really nothing else to do.  Looking forward to my muesli and coffee in the morning.  Till tomorrow…

Leaving for Urumchi in the morning. Pack is weighing in at just under 9 kg, a bit heavier than target. The mandatory food and gear gets to about 7 kg. My luxuries are extra food (18,000 calories vs. 14,000 minimum for 7 days), an inflatable sleeping pad, a nice pair of slippers from the Mandarin for walking around camp and a small titanium cup for my morning coffee and afternoon tea. And a small tube of tiger balm which is not only good for sore muscles but also mitigating the reportedly horrendous smell in the tents. Getting it all in a 25 liter pack is quite a challenge. There will be a few things strapped to the outside of the pack until the first 1-2 days