In case there was any ever doubt, I

Nelofar and Zainab have pushed their way through day four - 160km done! Only the long stage to go and then a victory run to the finish!

After quite a tough and emotional day yesterday, I think we all needed a bit of a mental break today. Thankfully, other than a brief period of wind and rain, the weather cooperated. In fact, it did a 180 and we found ourselves fighting off dehydration in 35C+ weather for most of the day! It was a rough start, but as we have learned, Nelofar and Zainab just take a bit of time to find their feet in the morning. Nelofar mastered the art of the fast march today, which was impressive to see. With sheer determination, she pushed her poles into the ground and pushed forward. Zainab was experiencing quite a bit of knee pain today, but Nelofar was the one to step up and talk her through the course.

Virginie, Belinda and I walked ahead, leaving the women in peace to figure out their own pace. We are here to support them and push them, but ultimately they have to will themselves through the race. It was such a lovely sound to hear them chatter away in Dari and giggle every once in a while. Despite the pain, Nelo and Zainab are soaking up every moment of this experience, enjoying the chance to walk and run freely in the outdoors without having to worry about their safety.

We have a huge challenge ahead though. We are facing 80 km tomorrow, which is going to really test Nelo's and Zainab's physical and mental limits (and maybe ours too!). It may take us 24 hours or longer. But we are up for it. And when we are done? There will only be 10 km left for Afghanistan's First Ultramarathon Team!!

Thanks for your messages of support. Nelo and Zainab are enjoying meeting new friends around camp and they say hello to their moms. (Me too). Check out our other programs on our website and please consider supporting our work!www.freetorun.org

Today Team Asma'I overcame immense challenges and came together during some really dark moments...but it certainly wasn't easy.

It was another slow start, but we were confident that Nelo and Zainab would pick up speed once we got warmed up. The scenery was stunning as the path followed along the Tian Shan mountains. Unfortunately, however, just when we were getting into our stride, the heavens opened up and it started to pour. And pour. And pour.

Quite simply, it was miserable. Freezing cold, wet, and very windy. Unlike the other days, the rain showed no signs of stopping. Belinda, Virginie and I tried to keep Nelo and Zainab going with more songs and by counting out 20 second runs, interspersed with short breaks, but we were all chilled to the bone. It was tough as 'vets'to keep our energy up and cheer up Nelo and Zainab, and it was really hard as their friends to see them struggle. But they pushed on, silently and persistently, through the bitter wind and rain.

To be honest, most of the day was a blur. We knew it would be tough - over 42 km today - but we really weren't anticipating such horrendous conditions. At 1pm, Nelo and Zainab stopped to pray in the rain and mud without complaint and then we carried on.

When we reached the third checkpoint, there were a number of people huddled up under the tent in plastic bags and bivvy bags, but I knew if we stopped then we would never get going again. We continued calling out 20 second runs, which resembled more of a shuffle by that point, until Nelofar suddenly started struggling. For most of the day, we had been more worried about Zainab as she had barely spoken a word, but then our focus was on Nelo. I think everything caught up to her - the physical exhaustion and the emotional journey - and she broke down into tears. In a great display of teamwork, Zainab sprung to life, grabbing Nelo by the arm and giving her a pep talk in Dari. Virginie, Belinda and I all stepped back and let the two of them work through the pain and the struggle.

Arm in arm, we finished the race - finally! As I type this, it has started to rain again so I must run to grab my clothes from around the fire. Hoping for clearer skies tomorrow.

Nelo and Zainab have shown incredible strength and resilience and are now both smiling and warm in their sleeping bags. Thanks so much for the messages - they are reading them all!

-Stephanie, on behalf of Team Asma'i

Today was a day of extreme lows and highs...but what a strong finish! Day two is done!

After another cold night in the yurt, Team Asma'I lined up to begin the 40 km stage two. While it was sunny and warm when we first woke up, by the time it hit 8am, it was snowy down pretty hard. No one really wanted to believe that we would have TWO days of bad weather, so we just layered up and told each other that the snow would end soon.

Both Nelofar and Zainab had some aches and pains, but Zainab was really struggling. We weren't even more than a few minutes into the race before she was limping and grimacing from the pain. Pretty soon, we were the last competitors on the trail. Belinda, Virginie and I all knew what was going on in Zainab's head. The second morning is the hardest: you are stiff, in pain, and you still have hundreds of kilometres ahead. Doubts creep in...Can I really do this? We knew she could, but Zainab needed to find the confidence within herself.

The course turned up a hillside, giving us an incredible 600m climb in the snow! Neither Nelofar nor Zainab had done winter hiking like this before - it was quite steep and tough going, but thanks to the rest of the team, we managed to pass people on the hill! Once we got to the top, we were treated with an amazing view, which gave the team a boost. Nelo and Zainab were really happy to see that we were overtaking people, and dare I say the competitive spirit came out! Zainab proved to herself that she COULD do it, and once she did, she was unstoppable. We walked and ran our way down the path, overtaking three teams and a number of individual competitors. It was amazing to see the team rebound!

Nelofar started feeling some pain as well, but like Zainab, she pushed through it. She said anytime she hit a low moment, she thought about her mom and Allah, and that would help get her through. At one point when she was racing down the hill she giggled and said that she felt like Allah's angels were pushing her forward.

We hit checkpoint two right at 1pm, which coincided with prayer time. As Nelo and Zainab prayed, the rest of the team went to work filling up bottles and taking out snacks. It finally started to warm up, so we shed our raincoats and warm layers and basked in the sun and 20 weather...It was hard to believe that a few hours earlier, it was freezing and snowing.

The last couple of stages were tough, but Nelo and Zainab dug deep. We finished the day as the third place team! Incredible effort!

We are seeing Nelo and Zainab get more confident day by day, which is what these races are all about. They are learning to break through the dark moments and enjoy the highs.

Zainab says that without the support of the team, she does not think she could have finished. It was a really tough day, she says, especially the hills, but we killed them!

Thanks to all for the support! Please do check out Free to Run (www.freetorun.org) and consider supporting our work! You can donate through our website or through the fundraising page specifically set up for the Afghan Ultra Team to help offset the costs of training and racing (www.youcaring.combackslash freetorungobi).

Thanks for all of the messages!

Team Asma'I has finished day one intact!

Just one week to go! This has been a stressful week for Team Asma

We are into the final few weeks of training before Nelofar and Zainab head out to China to compete in the 4Deserts

This past week in Afghanistan has been particularly turbulent. Deadly attacks were carried out in a number of different cities across the country, including where Nelofar and Zainab currently live.

Over the past week, Free to Run

Last week in Kabul, an Afghan woman, Farkhunda, was beaten to death after being

Free to Run