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Gobi March Blogs 2010

David Wallace

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Gobi March (2010) blog posts from David Wallace

05 July 2010 11:27 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Awoke to find most of the camp hobbling about after the previous day of the punishing 100km stage .The medics must surely be running out of bandages and IV drips after such a gruelling day. Today, the final stage, is a small 6km in comparison. I must remember that in the future, when my friends want to do a 5km at 6 am . Ran this stage, not only because I felt fit, but because running seemed to be more comfortable on my feet, or to more accurate, less painful !! Lots of locals came out to watch us, one old man gave me a bottle of iced water, which was the most savoured luxury for me for the entire week. Goes to show how limited our diet has been. It did its trick, and I passed the finishing line no problems. Todays victory for all of us was saddened when we later received news that our fellow Shanghai team mate, Nick Kruse, had died in hospital in Urumqi.Nick had collapsed during the final part of stage 4. Albeit I had known Nick only very briefly during the latter parts of our pre-event meets, clearly he was a very popular and likeable member of the Shanghai team. Everyone was deeply shocked by this news. Our thoughts are with Nick's family and close friends. Nick was doing what all of the Gobi 2010 competitors are doing, chasing their dreams and living life to the full. This is an admirable quality in anyone, and clearly Nick was doing just that. Albeit very young, he has filled his life with crossing all those borders that we all want to cross, but very few of us actually have the courage to do so. Good for you Nick!! Our thoughts are with you forever.

Comments: Total (5) comments

Posted On: 15 Jul 2010 09:39 am

belatedly congratulations David, what a wonderful achievement and only marred by the very sad news of your fellow runner's passing which does put into context just what a phenomenal challenge you have all faced. Look forward to hearing from you over the coming weeks and enjoy your well earned rest!!

Posted On: 09 Jul 2010 02:58 pm

Gidday David. Well done. Mission achieved. It was a great pleasure to go on this journey with you. You always had a smile on your face, but it's nice to read that it was pained as well. Onwards ..... looking forward to seeing you around SHA and in the Hangzhou hills.

Posted On: 08 Jul 2010 02:50 am

Well done David. What an amazing achievement! This is a quantum leap from the first short run one Sunday in Shanghai a few years back. You put this ex running buddy to shame - I am off for a run! Great stuff Gaine

Posted On: 06 Jul 2010 08:53 am

what a test you have been through well done david.we are very proud of you.you are now a free man.enjoy yourself and your holiday post cards please all our love mum+dad xxx

Posted On: 05 Jul 2010 11:27 pm

well done uncle david! Looks like one hell of an endurance test and I'm sure you will be glad to finally get your feet up. All very proud of you - well done!

02 July 2010 10:00 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Day 5 started at 8.00am, with a distance of 100km ( GPS cals say 111km), into the Turpan basin of the Gobi desert, the second lowest depression in the world at -180m below sea level. This area used to be a seawater lake, but now is complety dried up. In China, it is known as THE OVEN. We  started in an Oasis near where the Legend of the Monkey King orginates, Flame Mountain, and completed with me staggering through never ending sand dunes just after sun rise. To cut a excessively long story short, I completed this in one go, at a time of 25 30.YEAH BABY !!!!
 In that time, I went through so many landscapes, challenges, experiences and emotions to last a life time.Spent all of today on combination of water and electroloytes, in a tent with an internal temperature of 49 degrees C, outside in the desert was approx 55 degrees C. My mind and body is good, except my feet are mush. Needs lot of TLC to recover.
Medic team very busy with lots of casualities.
Tomorrow is a short 10km, then time to enter normal life again.Medal ceremony and lots and lots and lots of food and drink, and ice.......

Comments: Total (4) comments

Posted On: 02 Jul 2010 08:18 pm

Fantastic!! You are almost there, just a little stroll and it will be over. Your oz adventure is just what you need now!! Take Care Love Jaq, Ed and Harris xxx

Posted On: 02 Jul 2010 06:25 pm

well done David you must be very happy with your self,.sorry about your feet, have some reflexology it will help your feet.enjoy the party.we have enjoyed your adventure all our love mum+dad xxx

Posted On: 02 Jul 2010 05:52 pm

very good David glad alls well girls so happy for you love jim zanne

Posted On: 02 Jul 2010 05:05 pm

Darling you are our Hero!!!! So relieved to know you are okay and tomorrow will be a walk in the park for you. TLC in abundance for you..... All our love your girls xxxx

01 July 2010 03:19 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Day 4 - 40KM through the most spectacular scenery, looks as if I am on another planet. 7.15 hours to complete. Almost every 100m is another photo. Today is super hot, I expect gas mark 200, several people have not made it, and are on IV drips. 4 medics going into the desert to retrieve some others, hope the medics make it also!!
Saw myself in a mirror today for the first time in 5 days, way too scary, the beard must go !!!!
 
Tomorrow is the 100km killer,so lots of spag bog tonight. Hope I make it  to update blog day 5.
Thanks to all for your messages of support, they mean a lot to keep me going and staying focused.
 

Comments: Total (6) comments

Posted On: 02 Jul 2010 09:29 am

David, Amazing result to finish the 99km today. Have been watchign your progress, as I know John Warren and Declan well. Congratulations so far, and good luck for the final one tomorrow. Next time you do the Shanghai half it will seem like a walk in the park ! Becca won't let me train for one of these (at least that is my excuse!!)

Posted On: 01 Jul 2010 08:23 pm

dear david what an amazing time you are having.youdo look pretty scary in your photos.we are very proud of you and we are sure you will complete the course.real Indiana jones stuff . go david go love mum+dad

Posted On: 01 Jul 2010 06:52 pm

to daddy i am missing you sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooomuch. i love you.xxxxxxxxx love sophia and harrisxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Posted On: 01 Jul 2010 05:59 pm

hi dad i am sooooooooooooo proud of u.Are u ok there missing u loads you'l manage it fine........looks hard is it?i stapled my finger on teusday but i surrvied.How are u huges and kisses oliviaxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Posted On: 01 Jul 2010 04:51 pm

Hi Darling, Good luck tomorrow...you'll manage no problem....you have a wine iv in Australia. Love you xxxx

Posted On: 01 Jul 2010 12:55 pm

hi so glad you made it without any problems we are very proud of you. Having every one for tea tonight. Hope you all have a great trip. love Jim Zanne

29 June 2010 08:16 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

It was raining last night, at one point we thought we would all get flooded in the tent.Started the day with 12km fast walk down a river bed, with 100m high sides, wow, with several river crossings, through strong flows up to your knees. Then the landscaped changed into desert, ran the remaining 20km , up and down dunes and along long, long flats planes.Running instead of walking shaved 2 hours off my usual time. Passed a really old village carved out of sand/rock dunes, 5 storeys high, must be 1000 years old or more, just there in the desert. Lots of photos of this for sure.
Camp tonight is in Peach Village, an oasis in the desert, where the local villagers have given up some of their houses for us to sleep in tonight.Feel very humble. We are so remote now, must try to find this place on a map,if it even exists. Lots of the village kids are awestruck seeing us all walking about in our gear. One of the photograpers is letting them play with his laptop, you can imagine how excited they are.
Tomorrow we leave at 03.45 am, several trucks are driving us for a few hours to the OVEN, where the heat really gets turned up. Today is a modest 40 degrees at least. Hope my shoe soles do not melt.

Comments: Total (3) comments

Posted On: 30 Jun 2010 09:39 pm

You are doing amazing!! Look forward to seeing all your pictures. Take care and enjoy the rest of your adventure. Love Jaq, Ed & Harris xxx

Posted On: 30 Jun 2010 08:50 pm

Sounds like you are doing really well David and loving the whole experience. I look forward to hearing a few more details over a cold beer/glass of wine we next catch up. You are doing a fantastic job, hang in there, we are all thinking about you. The Reas

Posted On: 29 Jun 2010 07:42 pm

I'm impressed that you have the energy to run 20k. Sounds like you are doing really well and what a great experience! Good luck for tomorrow - we know you'll rise to the challenge. Love from all 4 Simpsons. xx

28 June 2010 09:50 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Last night must have been amost 0 degrees, but used my emergency bivy which did the job, space technology and all that.
Started day with 14km of uphills and downhills, then into a 500m wide, 10m deep riverbed, then through canyons/gorges, all spectacular scenery. Had a rest in very remote village with lots of horses. We also had a river crossing, so off with my shirt, and head into water, so refreshing, and really needed - no washing facilities for the whole week !!  A big bug bit my leg though, so lets see how that pans out later this week.
 
Today at camp it is 36 degrees, it is hot. Ground is also becoming more sandy, also passed a few cow carcasses that have perished in the sun -a little taster of what is ahead of us for the rest of the week.
Chicken Tika tonight- yum. Pity some of the local villagers cannot roast up a cow for us.
I have not uploaded any photos, if you go to the racingtheplanet Gobi March site, they are uploading  lots of photos each day. Look out for me, number 136.

Comments: Total (2) comments

Posted On: 29 Jun 2010 02:02 pm

hi david w well you have collected your first Gobi desert souvenir a bug biteglad you are enjoying yourself love mum+dadxxx,

Posted On: 29 Jun 2010 01:32 pm

Great stuff David Will be thinking of you as i head up to central Park for a dip in the open air pool in the relativly mild heat of 92f compared to you.Will be following the rest of you progress, so if you can pick up a few culinary tips for me from the locals thay would be great!lol...all the beast and well done. iain

27 June 2010 09:07 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Well, today is end of day 1. 32km / 20miles, starting from an oasis village, along a flat for 10km, then up into the mountains, and ending at a set out of Jurassic park, an enormous flat plane surrounded by even more enormous mountain range. It is very beautiful.

Claudine, nuts and chocks great. Olivia and Sophia, I narrowing missed standing on a big lizard, Alex, I wish I had your motorbike.!!!

Now off more packet food, yum, and a sleep. Tomorrow another 20+ miles.

Encourage to hear from medic staff that we have access to IV drips, but only if you vomit twice in front of them involuntary .

Comments: Total (0) comments

27 June 2010 07:45 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Well, today is end of day 1. 32km / 20miles, starting from an oasis village, along a flat for 10km, then up into the mountains, and ending at a set out of Jurassic park, an enormous flat plane surrounded by even more enormous mountain range. It is very beautiful.
 
Claudine, nuts and chocks great. Olivia and Sophia, I narrowing missed standing on a big lizard, Alex, I wish I had your motorbike.!!!
 
Now off more packet food, yum, and a sleep. Tomorrow another 20+ miles.
 
Encourage to hear from medic staff that we have access to IV drips, but only if you vomit twice in front of them involuntary .
 
 

Comments: Total (7) comments

Posted On: 28 Jun 2010 06:55 pm

Hi darling, how was day 2? Thinking of you....only 4 more to go! Cxxxx

Posted On: 28 Jun 2010 06:55 pm

Hi darling, how was day 2? Thinking of you....only 4 more to go! Cxxxx

Posted On: 28 Jun 2010 01:53 pm

Well done David, you are doing very well, keep it up, we are all following your progress and looking forward to your next blog. Karl, Kay + Kids

Posted On: 28 Jun 2010 09:52 am

we are so proud of you well done love you mum+dadxxx1

Posted On: 28 Jun 2010 06:36 am

Go David Go !!!!

Posted On: 27 Jun 2010 08:45 pm

We are so proud of you!! Glad you enjoyed the nuts and smarties...looking forward to sharing a bottle of Cloudy Bay with you in Hong Kong. Olivia and Sophia are sending you great big kisses and promise to massage your feet everyday in Australia. Are you freezing? or tough enough?? We love you xxxxxxxxxxx

Posted On: 27 Jun 2010 06:01 pm

Well done on the first day. Have a great time and hope you don't get any blisters.

18 June 2010 10:01 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Training is going well and my final big walk will be a full Marathon around the streets of Edinburgh, tomorrow midnight, in aid of Breast cancer. My wife, claudine, and I shall be walking in matching bras for 7 hours through the night. So from The Scottish Fridge to The Chinese Oven

Comments: Total (2) comments

Posted On: 22 Jun 2010 03:53 pm

Sorry we never got that coffee before you left ..... have an amazing trip and experience , look forward to the stories afterwards . Will be thinking of you , all the best.

Posted On: 19 Jun 2010 03:31 pm

Good luck David, safe travels and see you at Urumqi!