The race is over and I am back at my desk in HK - struggling to get back to real life... Here is a recap of what happened since my last post. The last day was a quick one (14km). I spent the first part of the morning taking it easy and walking with Lionel - getting some advice on life. Once my foot was warmed up I managed to break ino a run and held that until the end. Crossing the finish line was the best feeling in the world - it was finally over and I made it all the way... sprained ankle and all. After the race there was a table full of food waiting for us. After finishing 2 full plates of food there was lots of congratulations and patting on the back going around. We had done it! Now it was onto a bus and back to reality. I would like to thank everyone who supported me in this event. Also special thanks to everyone who helped to support the charity. Though I promised myself several times during the race that I would not do another one, I am already feeling the pull of the next one...

Firstly I would like to thank everyone for all the wonderful messages of support - they really made my day when I saw them. I have been quiet as I was too exhausted to to go to the cyber tent on day 4 and the past two days was spent marching.So here is the update of that has been happening over the past couple of days.
 
Day 4 - we were woken up at 3 am for a 3 hour bus ride to the start of the 4th day - the dunes of the turpan basin.We were lucky to have cloud cover to start with. Running in the dunes were absolutely amazing. Given the hill training in HK and my relative light weight I found the dunes easy to master and  made good speed. That is about as far as it went... Stage 2, 3 and 4 was a  different story. Endless marching through soft sand in the most mind numbing environment imaginable. Checkpoint 2 and 3 looked like a warzone with people getting sick from dehidration and exhaustion. My foot was also starting to hurt more with every step. After and unbelievable 10.5hr march to complete a mere 30 somthing kilometers I finally made it to camp where the carnage continued. Several of the  competitors had either dropped out or were on drips. I was in bad shape myself and collapsed in the medical tent unable to stand on my right foot. It was so swollen that they had to cut the compression sock off my foot. The initial diagnosis was that it was a torn ligament but a second opinion confirmed that it ws just seriously sprained (this must have happend on day 3 already) - the doctor recommended that I go home on crutches. I was also severely dehidrated and was struggling to think straight. At this point I was seriously considering how wise it would be start the long day in this state...
 
Day 5 & 6 - I woke up feeling rested and decided to take on the long march. I obviously had no idea what lay ahead of me. I picked my buddy for the day and we set off at a good pace. My foot was still sore but the anti inflamitory drugs were working and I could manage a fast march provided that the terrain was not too difficult. Everyone had also learned valuable lessons the previous day on nutrition and hydration and we were taking this seriously. The course started in some dunes and then took us through the salt flats in turpan - the second lowest place on earth (after the dead sea). The terrain was easy but the temperature was hitting 44 Celcius. We were making good progress but the heat combined with the time needed to rest at each checkpoint made the going slow - there was just no way to speed it up. After 30km the drugs had long stopped working and my foot was in pain... we still had another 50km to go. The terrain was also getting more difficult and the pace slowed even more. My buddy Muz and I pushed on and after what seemed like an eternity we made it to checkpoint 5 at 22:30 just before it finally became dark. My eneergy was zero and my foot was in complete agony. The chekpoint was in the ancient city Gaoshang (Built in the 2nd century BC) - what an amazing place to rest. I managed to force down half a trailfood and collapsed into a restless sleep. At 01:00 I woke up under a clear sky filled with stars. I finished the rest of my food, packed my bag and started off on the last 22km. My foot throbbing and the only way to continue was on painkillers. In addition to that my right foot had swollen so much that I had to remove one of my socks to put my shoe back on... wonder above wonder I still had no blisters that required medical attention. We set off at a fast pace through the ancient city and into the village beyond. At the next checkpoint we caught up with a british soldier and we decided to march together to the final checkpoint. The combination of exhaustion, lack of sleep and marching with a headlamp made for quite an interesting experience - I cannot remember much other than it was strange... really strange! After what seemed like forever we made it to the final checkpoint just as the sun was a rising. A 15 min rest and we were moving again - this was the final push. Suddenly something in my leg snapped and I was in severe pain. I had just taken a painkiller but even this was not working anymore. I was forced down to a crawl. The pain was incredible but we just had to keep going. And there it was, the flags indicating the that we had reached the final camp. After 23 hours on the road, I cannot explain the feeling as we stumbled into camp.It was the most painful and challenging thing I have ever done but it was finally over. My feet were severely swollen this morning but after a couple of hours with my feet in the air they are already looking and feeling better. Now the challenge is to sit in your tent and deal with the heat - today it hit 49 degrees and sleeping is not possible. I'll get my leg checked out and then try to get some rest before the last day - a short 12 km walk.
 
Thanks again for all your support on this chellenge.
 
Next blog will follow from the hotel.
 
J

Today started off nice running down a riverbed with several river crossings. It son turned to disaster when I sprained my right foot stabalizer and I was forced to a slow walk. On top of that I got serious altitude sickness when we went into the mountains. Finding myself alone, dizzy and nauseous, I was feeling properly miserable and seriously questioned my decsoin to take part in this crazy race. After about 25km when I had passed through the mountains and dropped down to a reasonable altitude I suddenly felt much better and could finally break into a run and make up some lost time. Hobbling along I managed to run most of the two last stages of about 20km.  Unlike yesterday it was blazing hot out today and the mercury reached 42 degrees Celcius – we are really in he desert now. It was nice to finally arrive in te village where we are staying tonight. The locals have been so kind as to make their homes available to us altough they are not much bette than our tents. In addition to that there isa ice cold river stream where I managed to cool off my feet and get some washing done. All in all I am feeling pretty good and have been lucky enough not g=to get any sreious blisters. Tomorrow we hit the dunes and they are expecting temperatures up to 45 celcius. 

To all of you tryin to follow my progres, sorry about the issue with the blog but we are on sattelite uplink so it is not always uploaded on time. Thak you all for the kind messages. 

Karen – miss you too!!! xx

We were greeted in the morning by a thick mist making it almost impossible to see. After being postponed several times the start time was finally set at 12pm. In addition to that the mist made it too dangerous to go into the mountains the route was changed last minute and shortened from 42km down to 21km... what a blessing. Being overcast and flat this was the perfect day for a run. Everyone set off at a fast pace and I managed to keep runing for most parts. The effects of the altitude also seem to have been worn off and I was feeling strong. Managed to finish with a time of 2:20hrs - just in time to miss the rain. So much for a desert race. The scenery is absolutely stunning - one of the most amazing places I've seen.
It has been raining most of the day and after a river crossing I hope to get my shoes dry beforre tomorrow. I have also been lucky that I have had no blisters so far - lets hope it stays that way. From here on we descend to Turpan so the altitude should not be too much of a problem anymore. With 44km, tomorrow should be fun... Now off to get some dinner.
 
J

This is much tougher than i thought. After all the exitement we were finally off. I however soon realized that the altitude was going to be a problem. Despite trying to run as far as possible  I could hardly manage more than 5min at a time. THis seemed to be a problem for everyone. About 15km into the race i found some energy and managed to run for quite a bit but then the headaches set in. I found myself alone for some time in the blistering heat and with a splitting headache! I ran/walked the ret of the way and still managed to finish in reasonable time. The pack proved to be another problem. not being fitted correctly my right shoulder was absolutely destroyed at the end of the day. Some deep heat and self massge seemed to help a bit. This is definitely not an easy challenge.

After a long buildup we have finally arrived and I am ready to go. Follwoing a 6 hour flight we arrived in Urumqi at 11:30pm Friday night. The most of the day was spent regeistering, unpacking and re-packing bags with officials making sure we have all the right equipment. After registration we were taken to a village where we were welcomed with show of local song and dance. Another short ride and we arrived at the base camp where we will start the race tomorrow.
 
Base camp is in the most beautiful setting imaginable. Camp is in a popar bush surorunded by the desert and the snow capped mountains in the distance. It is extemely hot out here and running is going to be a challenge. After meeting fellow competitors and a quick meal everyone is excited to get going! With 30 odd kilometers in easy terrain the first day should not be too hard.
 
I'll let you know how I feel tomorrow...

It is now one day before we set off to the camp and I am about to leave for Shenzhen where we catch a plane to Urumqi. This will be my last entry before the race and the next one will be from the Gobi itself. Thanks to everyone who has supported me over the past couple of months in preparation for the race. Also special thanks to everyone who helped support my charity. I appreciate the generous donations made by the corporate sponsors - you guys are awesome! And now it is into the wild.... See you all in the Gobi!

With less than a week to go, things are getting stressful. Packing the bag over and over again, making sure that you have everything. Leaving something at home is not an option - not if you are spending 7 days in the desert with everything you need on your back. So far everything fits and the pack is not too heavy. 4 more days of reviewing things and then we are off. THe excitement is building and I cannot wait to start the race!

With less than 2 weeks to go, I am both excited and nervous. The last couple of months have been amazing and sometimes extremely tough. It is not only the physical fitness that counts but all the small things such as blister prevention, chafing and most importantly mental endurance. Final preparations are now taking place including food (counting every calorie and gram), getting the last of the gear and complying with all the mandatory provisions such as patches etc. I would also like to thank everyone who have been so generous in supporting my charity! It is amazing how much some people are willing to give to help others - thank you guys! ... and now back to calorie counting!

You are going to do what? That is usually the first response when I tell someone that I plan to run through 4 deserts. Hot, dry, and devoid of life - that is what comes to mind when one thinks of a desert. So why would anyone in his right mind want to run 250km through some of the most uninhabitable places in the world? Growing up in a semi arid country I learned from a young age to appreciate and respect the desert regions and have always being fascinated and drawn to it. But how often does one get the opportunity to really explore and appreciate such remote and extreme places? Providing the necessary logistics and support the 4 Desert Challenge provided me with the answer