Hi All,
 
Well the hard yards over  and I want to thank everyone for their really important best wishes and encouragement. These event are always really defining and the 94km stage that finished for me this morning was the king of kings. Good news is that the web site has picked up the wrong time and should have picked a finish time 537 am which puts the stage 5 on a time of 23hrs and 7 minutes not 25 hrs and 7 minutes. That now means I move into 75th place ahead of Katie and JP's friend Rod Rutherford. (Katie I will track him down and say hello)
The bad news is that my left ankle tendon sheath started hurting at the 25km mark and 69,000 steps later as I crossed the finish line it was wrecked. Crabs I applied a pressure bandage around the 40 km stage mark and currently have it tightly wrapped. Not much more I can do until I get home. iIn stage 6 tomorrow I will be like Chester from Gunsmoke only I will be limping with a speed like a man possessed. Its only a small segment of 2 to 3 kms around the Great Pyramid to the flag so will Billy's I help  may be able to hold the position. In any case we will have a photo together across the finish line.
 
Billy was there to greet/cheer at the finish line which was fantastic and in true Billy style he was onto all the things that needed to be done by a person about to fall apart. He is a very thoughtful and considerate person. He has now recovered and as such we have just finished a feast of Cheese and biscuits, beef jerky, potato chips and Jelly Snakes. (Not sure what preservative are in cheese that can survive Sahara Desert temperatures of 55 C plus ... but in any case is was all delicious)
 
I spent the whole 23 hrs of this stage on my own and surprisingly other that the ankle trauma was able to get into a good zone. The day started with me having to cut my bandage on my left foot as I had incorrectly taped over my metatarsals on the top of my left foot and I could see over  close to 100kms it was going to cause problems. The day got hotter and hotter hour after hour but was compensated by some of the spectacular sites such as traversing through the famous natural Whale Museum where bones from Whales had been uncovered dating back 25 million years ago. I had to quickly move through but Billy did manage to come over that way with the volunteers and take some great shots.
 
My strategy was to take to more that 15 minutes break at each check station with the exception of the 60km station where I would eat some noodles and then put my feet up for 30 minutes and the head off again. I started to cook between the 20 and 30km stage and was in stress mode when suddenly a number of clouds came to my attention overhead which blocked the sun out for 10 very important minutes. (Pad with her umbrella over my right shoulder Katie .. had me thinking of the event for hours after that.) By the time I had got to the 80 km mark I was starting to doubt whether I could get me ankle through .... I focused on one segment at a time and one step at a time. Thanks Peep for all your input over the years (As well as Denis Haywood's Channel training)
 
I have just checked all the blogs that came through while I was on the track and must say that I am over whelmed with the energy that came though ... fantastic and I say thanks to all.
 
I had thought I may come in around the 30 hour mark (It is 1pm and there are still people rolling in) and therefore I would pay a small self imposed price to the SKMRC Foundation as per the donation I mentioned previously. I intend sending it anyway and once again if anyone sees fit to donate (Any amount is not too small ... as Crabs puts it) I am sure they will appreciate it.
 
I can only assume from the tone of the blogs that there is being a fatted pig prepared for the spit at Crab's house at a time in the near future. I for one am hanging out for food and I mean lots of food. I think Billy has lost around 4 kgs and myself probably around the 4/5 maybe 6kgs (Hard to know as I have not seen a mirror for 7 days) We also have not had a wash for 7 days or change of clothes (read undi..) for the same. We will no doubt make amends for that in Cairo after the stage 6 tomorrow.
 
One of our tent mates Michelle Pude came in 3rd in the women's section. She ran a fantastic race and gave it her all. Her sister Paula asked to give her a hug and wish her well in the stage 5 section. Paula I did that and she was elated to hear that you were thinking of her.
 
Well guys this may well be my last blog until I can get access to a computer as we will be leaving the Desert after the final race tomorrow. Once again I want to thank you all so much for your thoughts. I cannot imagine I could have completed without such positive thoughts fro all.
 
See you in Perth ....
 
Dog in the Desert signing off

Hi All
 
"This event is like an Ocean of sand, one day you are treading through soft calm seas and another you are battling against Tidal Waves" quote MGP RTP
 
Holy Shamoollllyyy. Every part of  my body is on fire. What a day 4 that was.
 
As you will read from Billy blog's he had to opt out of stage 4 as he was feeling lousy and sick and thought he would try and rid the nausea and get some food into himself. He did a fantastic job getting through the first 3 days as he was not feeling well after day one. Ten marks to Billy who is obviously disappointed but made the decision for all the right reasons. All going well he may reengage tomorrow for the whole or part of the 96km stage 5. (Here's hoping he feels up to it)
 
Today's 38.4 kms and was rated as Moderate in all legs. Not sure how the Course Director (Carlos the Jackal) recons this moderate but it definitely seemed harder. The sun burnt down over the course and the wind dropped to zero in a large number of spots pushing the temperature to huge levels with hydration problems all round as there was not relief. The terrain was scenic but brutal. It very much reminds me of the Kimberly with no trees ... not one tree anywhere.
 
I covered the 4 segment in just under 8 hours which under the conditions I thought was acceptable. Upon clearing the checkpoint I went back to the tent and removed my shoes and sox to find a huge blister on my right foot between the big top and the next right at the top. That now adds to the 6 pothers I have but this one does worry me slightly as the position is hard to treat.
 
I am dedicating stage five to my lovely wife for all the things she continuously does for me as I appreciate it very much. She is always there to help out all in need.
 
The stage is 96kms long and starts tomorrow at 6am and finishes with a cut off time around 5 pm the next day (I think as we have not been given exact cut off time) The stage is called Tethis Ocean March and ends at the Half Moon campsite. It has 10 stages which are mostly moderate but have some difficult segments. The terrain is soft sand and heads towards Waddi El Hittan and then through middle and  high Plateaus, Valleys and onto Hell Mountain and then to camp.
 
I will be making a donation of $100 for every hour I take past 24 hours up to the cut off point to the Scott Kirkbride Melanoma Research Foundation and would encourage any others to take a "Bet " on me also and send through to the SKMRC.
 
I will now be out of blog range for 2 days but will check and give an update then. May thanks for the emails yesterday and in particular the ones from Wen Pia (Great Joke) Rag Locks Tons Eden Crit.
 
I will give it my best shot and hopefully as Katie said, Pad will hover over my right shoulder with an umbrella and happy smile.
 
Dog in the Desert signing off

Hi All
 
Tough day today. We left at 630am this morning with Billy still about to eat his porridge. He was not feeling well this morning again and I wasnt sure whether he would go today or not. As it turns out he left 15 minutes after the start and just in front of the camel sweepers. It is currently 630pm and he is still not in so I assume he is resting further back. I arrived in at 420PM hot and weathered from the exhausting day. The Cyrbertent is next to the finish line so I am keeping an eye out for Billy. He normally feels sick in these events although it is generally on the 3rd day he starts to feel that way. I sure he will be OK ....
 
They decided to change the segments today into 5 segments instead of 4 as the temperature and wind were so bad. The early start was sensible and provided a little relief from the sun but not much.
 
My electolytes were on balance again today although a little on the excess side as I started to get an angry stomach betwen stages 3 and 4. I backed them off for an hour and a half and then restarted again. The Endurites electrolytes are working well and allow a dosaeage that would not be possible to swallow in liquid form. At one point I started thinking of Pad for some divine inspiration as we climbed a huge sanhill in stage 3 ... it felt very appropriate given this month is the 10th anniversary of her passing away.
 
My blisters are getting worse and I have decided to start taking anti biotics to stop infection setting in at an early stage. Generally me feet feel brusied from the ripples in the sanddunes which has also caused issues with the arche of my feet.
 
Thanks everyone for the emails and Pia I will make the suggestion to Billy tonight about the headscarfe... seems absolutley sensible to me and I am sure I would not smell any difference around me.
 
Mick now you mention it I think a Sahara Gundy mouse may have nibbled my ear last night. We are squashed in like sardines in the tent so it may have been Billy. I will look out for the Vultures and oother rodents and killers tomorrow. Keep the info coming through as I am learning on the job.
 
I can here the drum going signifying a competitor coming in so will break of to see if it is Billy.
 
Once again hi to all
 
Dog in the Desert signing off ..........
 
Tomorrow stage is called The Gardens of the castle and is 38.4 kms and is all moderate in difficulty. It is no doubt leading up to the big 96km day the next day.
 
PS Billy just got in safe battered but well. I have just fixed him some noodles which hopefully he can now eat

Hi All, thanks for all the great blogs they really brighten up the end of the day and I always look forward to them.
 
Today was a little cooler than yesterday (43 degrees) and took us through some fairly scenic (If you can call desert that) territory. We started the day with a 10.8 km moderate segment through undulating terrain and then moved into soft sandy dune mode. Oooccchhhee. My calves are screaming from the 25kms over three segments. We went up 439M in elevation which was spectacular but tough as most of the effort came in the last segment.
 
Billy and I stuck together for the first 2 stages and then we split slightly as Billy was having a few issues with hydration and for those who know Billy's antics in the RTP events he was like the Gobi Kimberly Sahara Bear all rapted up into one. Still good relative times for both of us 7 hours and 50 miins for me and 8 hours and 20 mins for Billy.
 
I left him a few minutes ago flat out on his back in the tent. The tent has leaks  all over it and allows sand to come flying in constantly .. doesn’t matter . It is what it is and it would take more than that to stop us sleeping tonight. I have been sleeping with a scarf over my face which tends to stop a lot of the dust and sand suffocating me. I have found that the chicken stock that Wen packed help to hydrate when at the campsite. (Shades of Jamie)
 
If Katie Stewart is reading this  then thanks for all the training and particularly the core and Glut training they have been essential throughout.
 
Tomorrows event will be 41.4 kms al rated as difficult other than the last one which is 9.3 kms.  It is mainly through Plateaus and Valleys and appears to be mostly soft sand again. Elevation gain will be around 250M. The Camp site we end up at is called Sea of Sand (Original eh!)
 
Things are getting a little smelly around here as there has not been any washing (Apart from teeth) as there is strict water rationing which allows enough water for drinking and food only. Needless to say I will be looking for a bath when I get back to Cairo. Even the flys (which are plentiful here) have given up as the scent must be wrong for them.
 
Dinner tonight is noodles with chicken stock (Like last night) however in Billy's delirium this morning he gave a away a sachet of tuna to Sally until I jumped in and said this is not how you treat a friend. Sally understood and handed over the Tuna, soooo tomorrow with be a Gala dinner of Deb mashed potato with onion (my favorite) mixed with Billy's spare tuna in Springwater. Can almost taste it now.
 
Need to go and tend to my blisters now. Hastle of all hastles as my bottle of Betadine leaked all over my medical kit and onto the top half of my backpack. So far have had a tinge of trouble with my ITB ut am hoping it all holds together.
 
God willing if I am fit/sane  enough tomorrow I will send another progress report.
 
Wen hope you had a restful day on your birthday and Katie thanks for adding Abe to the picture.
 
The Dog in the Desert signing off

Hi all .... big day today. Hooottt and hard.
 
The course was 37kms today and seemed OK this morning when we moved off however it soon started blowing a gale and the temperature shot up to 46/7 degrees. The thing that is different about the Sahara to other RTP events is there is no shade and therefore no respite from the sun and heat. Like the Kimberly the water in our bottles also became very hot and made it very hard to stomach.
 
Billy and I travelled along together and finished at 245pm at the Southern lake camp after being out there for 7 and three quarter hours. The course traversed around the Wadi El-Ryan protected area with sand hills and desert as most of the terain. Today was rated Moderate for all 4 sections which means that the course will be difficult as it is rated difficult for 3 sections.
 
Sally and Steve pulled out about 6 kms from the end on stage one as Sally felt sick and could not hold any water down. Billy is also alittle green at the moment however I am sure once he gets hydrated he will be right again. Most people other than the front runners are looking a little worse for ware as the Kimberly RTP boys will tell you there is a real advantage by being able to run the whole race as you get back to camp out of the intense heat.
 
I started my segment today preloading with electrlyes and then in true Jamie P form I took 2 endurites every hour to hour and a half. Needless to say Bill and I were very happy to see the finish line when we did. I currently have a resting heart rate of 95 which means I am dehydrated and will now start to try and bring it back.
 
Thanks to all for the message and to Pia particularly for news of the AFL. Collingwood thrashed St Kilda .... damn.
 
Happy birthday Deano and deanie and to you also Wen for tomorrow. I will be thinking of you while on the track. I had to resort to Wen's Inspirational songs today for the last 7 kms as the heat wa so intense.
 
My feet look a little battered which is unusual for me as it normally comes after a few days. My left big toe has gone red and looks like it will fall off through the event. No doubt there will be more that get that way.
 
Tomorrows event will take place over undulating dunes and through an elevation of 439M high and 250M down hill ... toatl distance will be 35.7kms.
 
Hi to all
 
Dog in the Desert signing off
 
PS forgat to mention that with Wen's help my packweight was 7.7kg without water which is the lightest I have ever had .... hope I dont run out of food!

After 3 hrs of travelling in a coach we finally arrived at the first station of  Wadi El Hassan. Bill and I have been adapting to the climate in Cairo for the last few days which was very worthwhile. We managed to vist a few of the more renouned museums and tourist areas and were fleeced only a few times by Ali Baba and his 40K thieves.
 
As a treat before the big push tomorrow and because we didi not need to carry it, we had a feast of Smoked Oysters, CHeese, Olives, Boilled eggs, Crusty bread and all washed down with a bottle of Sandalford Cab Merlot.  Given we now have a diet of noodles, sustagen, protein powders and more noodles we savoured every small bite.Bill used his leatherman knife to slice all the offerings and we ate them off the polystirine foam wine box I hadbought with me. Needless to say the surrounding people in our tent were impressed.
 
The RTP people have decode to start tomorrows evevnt at 7am and then each following day at 6am. I suspect the mood of tomorrow blog may not be as jovial as today.
 
The weather here at the moment is blowing fairly strong and the sand is getting in the eyes constinally. Temperature is around 30 degrees at 830pm. I dont believe the forcasts that it will get down to 10 degrees tonight.
 
Thanks for the messages todate they are really appreciated.
 
I intend to try and take it easy tomorrow for the 38kms and get control of all the hydration issues you get on these events. Bit scary tonight as I dont feel the anxiety of the last few events.
 
We have 9 people in our tent including 3 others from Perth. (Steve, Sally and Michelle)
 
Lets hope tomorrow goes well ......
 
Dog in the desert signing off.

While I am sitting in Dubai Airport on my way to Cairo I am seriously considering my sanity once again for entering another Desert run so close to the Kimberly RTP event in April/May. I remember around this time, before the Kimberly event and for that matter the Gobi Desert event in 2008 the same thoughts came to pass. Every little ache and pain seems to ampify to mind blowing proportions while you debate whether your joints or head will hold together throughout.
This time around Billy Biffin and I have decided to press on with the balance of the Prendiville family opting to either try another event or leave it to the Atacama Desert next year. 
The lead up to this event has been as hectic as ever and I am sure that my trainer Katie Stewart must question my sanity continually. She has been a blessing and I am sure that she will be there to repair the bones and joints after the event.
My wife Wendy is also a Saint when it comes to these events and with the help of our trusty Jutta (and her German precision) makes packing for the event managable. (Only people who have done one of these events will know how many packing and repacking and repacking go into this all too shed a gram or two and fit everything in.) I am not sure how we did it but I am about 1.5Kgs lighter in packweight than the last event.
Billy and I are going to catch up tonight in Cairo for a few beers/dinner and then get some acclimatising in over the next few days.
4 days to we head for the Desert ....