It seems my blog I wrote yesterday never got posted but to recap on the long stage (100km)..

Stage 5 was my most memorable and enjoyable day of the Sahara race. I had never run further than 80km before and did not know what to expect or how to treat it. Mentally I was tired as it had taken a lot out of me running the previous four stages out in front (solo). After 500m meters into the race I found myself running with Dean Karnazes and this did not change for the next 100km. I could not have found a better and more experienced person to run my first 100km with. I learnt a huge amount from the Ultra Marathon Man and it is not a day I will not forget in a hurry.

Today..

We woke at 3am to catch a bus back to the pyramids to complete the final "sprint" of 6km. The 6 hour bus trip seemed to take for ages and all I could think about was pizza and beer at the finish line. Paul Liebenberg and I planned to run into the finish together as we have become really good friends during the Gobi and Sahara races. This did not go according to plan as Paul did not see one of the flags and ended up just about running into Cairo before getting to the finish.

Crossing the finish line I was really stoked and chuffed to have won the Sahara race and the entire race has been an awesome experience. But I am definitely not the only winner as every competitor that crossed the line today is a winner. This is not a race about time or results, it is about the experience and I have huge respect for the people that take 8 hours to complete a stage when I take 4 hours. To be out in that heat for 8 hours, 6 days in a row in mind blowing - I could do that!

Congratulations to Paul Liebenberg (Ou Boet) for coming fourth in the long stage and fifth overall in the race. After day three Paul was really battling (when he blows he blows in style) and his head was not in a good place. But on stage 4 he picked him self up a bit and then had a stormer on the long stage showing how determined and mentally tough Paul is. Good luck in Antarctica dude!!

Thanks to everyone for all the support messages during the week, they have kept me going forward when my body has wanted to stop!

Rob and Andrew hope Three Peaks went well and you did not suffer too much. I thought about you when I was drinking beer at lunch time.

I am  off to awards dinner now so will update my blog tomorrow.

Cheers

Ryan  

I have been in Cairo for a few days and have been to look the Cairo Museum and local markets which were awesome. I also ventured for a run along the Nile River , which was very interesting trying to cross the busy roads but made it back in one piece. The local Taxi drivers don’t seem to have much respect for pedestrians, especially an idiot running on the side of a highway.  Rob I am saving my run over the pyramids for tomorrow!

I am currently packing my race pack which seems to be taking forever as I have put all my different days nutrition, food etc into different zip lock bags as it seemed to work for Gobi this year. Unfortunately the hotel cleaning service walked into my room while I was busy putting my various days Recoverite into zip lock bags (Recoverite = lots of white powder). I definitely looked like a drug dealer (or felt like one) and have been waiting for a nock on the door from the local drug squad.

All competitors have to be at the Movenpick hotel by tomorrow night for a race briefing and equipment check first thing on Saturday morning and then it’s a seven hour trip by bus to the desert. I am very excited about seeing a number of familiar faces (competitors, race volunteers and organizers) from the Gobi March earlier this year.   

I arrived in Cairo about 2 hours ago with all bags which is a big relief. As I do not think I would be able to find any Perpetuem etc in Cairo . The trip was fairly relaxed except for where we had to abort our landing (at the last minute..) at Joburg airport due to a stray vehicle on the runway. I did not think we were going to make it past Joburg for a few seconds and by the silence of the other passengers I was not alone in my thoughts!!

Cairo is massive but looks awesome and I will be off this afternoon to see some of the sights.

Bye for now 

Ryan

Competitors from thirty countries are expected for the Sahara Race (Egypt) 2008, the third leg of the 4 Deserts series; a record field from six continents will participate, with top endurance athletes coming from Africa, North America, Asia and Europe.

The third leg of the 4 Deserts, also known as the "Race of No Return," is scheduled to begin on Sunday, 26 October in the remote Sahara Desert in Egypt.  The Sahara Race 2008 will feature 170 competitors from thirty countries, 32 of whom are female.  This year's event will take place between Bahariya and Farafra Oases.  These oases are famed for the mummies discovered and for the unique white chalk formations that dot the landscape.
 
This year's Sahara Race again features some of the best endurance athletes in the world, as well as many who simply want to finish and raise money for a great cause.  The field includes recent Gobi March 2008 champion, Ryan N. Sandes of South Africa; best-selling author and "Ultramarathon Man," Dean N. Karnazes of the United States; Gobi March 2006 champion, Byeung Sik Ahn of Korea; ex-Gurkha Rob D. James of Hong Kong; and eight-time Badwater veteran, 73-year-old Jack E. Denness of the United Kingdom, who is also the oldest in the event.  The youngest in the event is 21-year-old Jon C. Miller of Canada.
 
The six teams participating include:  Team Egypt – the first-ever local team from Egypt; Team Stanton from the United Kingdom; Team SiPA/Teko Socks from Denmark; Team Memento Vivere, an all female team from Wisconsin in the United States; Team Pura Vida, a mixed team from the United Kingdom; and Team Polar Bears, also from the United Kingdom..

The Sahara Race is the hottest in the 4 Deserts series with temperatures frequently reaching more than 45 degrees Celsius or 135 degrees Fahrenheit.  Competitors will be required to pass through up to 30 checkpoints over six stages carrying all their own food, clothing and equipment for the week.  The terrain will incorporate sand dunes, plateaus and oases along the course.  Competitors must complete up to 250 kilometers, with Stage 5 expected to be nearly 100 kilometers; this stage is known as the "Black Desert March."

Competitors in the Sahara Race will have access to a cybertent which will feature fifteen Intel-powered aidstation laptops.  RacingThePlanet has utilized these laptops for the past year, testing and validating the devices for use in rural schools.  The laptops have become a key resource for the event.  Breaking news from the field will be sent utilizing these Intel-powered laptops and BGAN satellites. 
 
The Pepsi-Cola Company (Egypt) will be supplying more than 10,000 bottles (1.5 liter) of water for the Sahara Race.  The Pepsi-Cola Company (Egypt) has been involved with the Sahara Race since 2006.
 
RacingThePlanet, the organizer of the Sahara Race, has raised US$45,000 to support a first-ever Operation Smile medical mission in Cairo, Egypt.  Throughout the world, Operation Smile medical volunteers repair childhood facial deformities while building public and private partnerships that advocate sustainable healthcare systems for children and families.  Through RacingThePlanet and 4 Deserts events, more than US$500,000 has been raised for Operation Smile. 
 
The Sahara Race will be covered by the international media, with television shows produced for the leading networks in Korea including KBS and TBS, and with footage supplied to TransWorld Sports (IMG) for broadcast in more than 80 countries.  Website coverage of the Sahara Race (Egypt) 2008 can be found at www.4deserts.com/sahararace featuring hundreds of pictures, breaking news texts, daily journals, video clips, field updates and full results.

About RacingThePlanet
RacingThePlanet Events Limited organizes the world's most prestigious outdoor events of their kind.  RacingThePlanet® is a unique category of rough country footraces that take place over seven days and some 250 kilometers in remote and culturally rich locations around the world. Competitors must carry all their own equipment and food, are only provided with water and a place in a tent each day but are supported by professional medical and operations teams.

RacingThePlanet is international; the events typically involve competitors from over 20 different countries who are able to mingle around the campfires and in their geographically mixed tents. Currently the events consist of the 4 Deserts, a series which encompasses the Gobi Desert in China, the Atacama Desert of Chile, the Sahara Desert in Egypt and Antarctica, and a fifth event which roves to a new location each year. 
 
RacingThePlanet also maintains an online store which carries only the best products for endurance events, travel and the outdoors.  The store can be found at www.racingtheplanet.com.
 
RacingThePlanet is headquartered in Hong Kong with representative offices in Japan, Korea, Germany, Italy, Israel, South Africa, Chile, Spain, Italy, Denmark and Brazil.

It's crucially important for me to use this platform to say THANK YOU to my sponsors, without whom I would not be able to do what I do .... so, to each of the following ... THANK YOU for all the support and to family and friends, thanks for putting up with me and supporting my quest.




Cape Kingdom
Financial backing that keeps my dreams alive of completing The 4 Deserts Series and running in different places around the world. I look after my body by taking a scientifically researched natural anti-inflammatory BUCHULIFE that has no side effects, is soft on the stomach and prevents inflammation and pain caused by the large volume of training that is required to compete in multi day running events. I have also experienced a much quicker recovery time.

New Balance
Provides me with shoes and apparel that keeps my feet and body comfortable during all my runs and races. I only got one blister during the 250km Gobi Desert March!

Hammer Nutrition
Provides me with nutritional fuels that keeps me going during training runs / races as well as recovery supplements to help my body recover after a hard training session or race.

Canterbury
Provides me with compression gear and clothing which helps speed up my recovery after a hard training run or race and I feel fresh again for the next day.