for cracker - the love of my life....wahad, neen, tletty, rhumsie, arabah, sity, sahba,many, ishma, anshee!!!!
 
the long day is ver,complete, done, finito, ended, final....we started at 6am i finished at 5am...ya baby!!!!!!!
it rocked - we had nearly a full moon...so nice a bright with lots and lots of stars...
i have severely bruised my left foot, so i cant walk today....the other like that....think im funny looking...
 
the start of the long stretch was tough and the last stretch was uterly brutal...we climbed dunes and hills for the last 3 hours (15 minutes for the fast guys  :) ) of the lng day
it was 87 kilometers...but i now understand they measure from striaght point to straight point....so if u decide to go both up the mountain and down the mountatin - instead of buroughing through it....then those kilometers dont count....all that to say it was long!!!!!
everytime i came to the top of a dune...i looked at the stars ...thought...the stars are nice...they i looked aheead hhoping to see the campsite...no luck...on i went...
 
they had ht tea at checkpoint 4 yesterday
a swimming pool - yup a pool in the middle of an oasis in the sahara (i didnt swim....others did...it looked like dirty bathwater to me...im not saying anything...but you should see what these people look and smell like....
you could sleep on the ground at checkpoint 6...i did for three hours...
for those that like the stats...116 degrees F yesterday... a cool one by sahara standards...
i broke two nails...still trying to keep some (very very veery low) standards going
 
i ran out of toilet paper wednesday night - probably too much information
 
i still have no idea why i do these things
 
karyn and norm - about 15 hours into the long run i was singing sonny and cher....where were you guys for the second line???
then i started singing in the jungle....doing the wombee womps all by myself in the dark..under the sky...by myself was really freaky cool..
i think i have lost my mind...ummmm...yah...know i lost my mind
 
we lost one other from ur tent - anita was pulled from the race...she missed the cut off time
 
the mother and daughter ( the mother is the one withe the world record for flying a helicopter around the world...ya...some people should get a life!!) finished this mrning around 9am
 
there was a little egyptian entrepeur selling cke, bread and chees....i bought all three for $50 - im sure i got a good deal.....then my food was confiscated by the race director wh said it was against the rules to get supprt....and she made us all stop...i think she is in her tent now eating all the bread and cheese...i got to smell it...yummmmm..
i am soooo hungry.....i want collonade pizza, sterling steak, red awning sphagetti carbonara, 5 latte ( 1 for every day i missed), moms potato salad, turkey( i love turkey)
 
the conversation in our tent this morning was to never do another race like this again....then we started talking about the kind of races out there.... i think we have signed up for the nigeria one.....just kidding!!!! i didnt sign any paperwork
 
we are camping today on top of a cliff.....i guess thats one of the cliffs i climbed last night....too funny...i was looking out over the cliff and noticed all the dunes and mountains...i said to one of my tentmates..i guess we climbed up and down each of those last night in the last checkpoint...she laughed
 
there is agirl here...annabel....shen climbed all 7 summits in one year..only girl to do it.....she says she is not very athletic, not very technical and really afraid of heights....hummmmmm.....hummmmm....
 
the little kids were agressive in the towns we passed through yesterday....i said imshee ( go away...(thanks Cracker).....and they left me alone
some of the other runners had stuff ripped off their bags....or out of their hands...they like the water, our headlamps. our food, our sunglasses)
 
this is how the rest of the event works.....we relax today....early tomorrow morning we get on a 4 hour bus ride to the pyramid park...then we run 2 kilometers to a camel and drums finish line...i am going to trip all the people in front.....and try to gt to the finish line first.....im thinking photo op :).....it should be easy to trip them now...they are tired
 
ive gotta go peeps.....
 
cracker i cant wait untill tomorrow...i am hoping youn know where iit is...the pyramids in giza something something....the race team will not tell me...all i can get from them is that we are leaving early tomorrow morning...i asked if that meant 6am...they said maybe a little later than that
if we dont meet up at the finish line...i will be sure to find you at the hotel...dusit thani...
 
ciao...
/kmm

hey!!!!!
i have devastating news today - Ken dropped out before the start of the day today. He started vomiting yesterday - stayed tough thinking it woudl go away throughout the day wiht electrolytes and water - he was ghostly white most of hte day - personally Ken i thought that shade of ghost looked good on you - ghostly white is so hard to find in the desert
he was an incredible trooper - Ken i am proud to say we are commrades!!!! he tried througout the night to recover - they pulled him this morning when he couldnt stop shaking and dry heaving. 
 
I ran the day alone today - a lot of alone time - out at 8am back at 5pm
i am exhausted - i feel good now that i am back at camp. i alrday had sphagettin and meat sauce as well as some nuts and a full litre of water.
 
one litre of water weighs 1 kilogram - for those wanting the technical inforamtion. 123 degrees fareheit!!!
we started out in the dunes today...ugh!!!! they are soooo hard..you keep trying to find your footing as you move up the mountain of sand and you dont seem to be moving forward
 
the other girl in my tent - erika from south africe is a very strong first and she is feeling incredible strong. I found it impressive to know she has a pen in her backpack...you couldnt pay me 100 eqyptian punds to carry a pen....i have even been dumping the grains of sand out that collet during the day
erika is too funny - she eats everything is site - what a machne - she has been eating any leftovers..if people are sick and not eating she is asking if they  are going to be needing that!!! i love her - can we make her part of the goddesses.
 
lisa batchen smith - thank you for hte penultimate training program. i am ecxhausted by hanging in there - thanks to you!!!  jaybee, karyn, norm, nat - thank you for the endless hours of samurei runnign with me - i could not do this without you.
 
dad - you have to open a shoe store - everyone loves my gaters - they keep aking me how i made them. i tell them a story like i made them myself - taking all the credit. just like when you  used to do those art projects for me in school...thank you daddio!!
 
ncracker - iam thinking about you - i miss you - i hope you are having a good time in cairo...
 
hi graysen - you momma loves you child!!!!
 
theresa - i was thinking about the countless hours we have rn together - in particular i made myself laugh out loud when i said to myself ....the flowers are nice. hi alex....im running from the bulls - well some of the rock formations look like bulls...and moving so slowly they look like htey are chasing me
 
After the dunes at the front end of hte day - it was a lot of sand - thankfully i did all that swimming in my training - it seems to be paying off :) sorry lisa - just kidding.
we seemed to be ploddign along is soft beach sand for a good part of hte day.  i hope we move on to hard packed sand tomorrow.
 
you shoudl see my hair - it is hilarious - i will try and get the camer guy to take aphoto so you can have a good laugh
 
dree - i didnt get lost today - it seems my compass works here! i am following pink trail blazes. if i never see another pink trail blaze that will be ok.
 
we have lost a total of guys from our tent today - first was alistair ( cool accennt - from scotland...there are four r:s in sctoland as it turns out - yup he thought i was pretty funny. next we lost mike - thats american mike - really sick with strep throat - hes on antibiotics now. then today was ken.
....is it me?? no...tell me the truth....is it me???
 
we have done 129 kilometers so far...wow it sounds like a big number....10 and 1:s all the way mr. stanton....10 minutes samurai run...1 pain killer...just kidding dad....:just say no to drugs:!!!!!
 
when you come in at the end of the day - they beat a drum....it was nice the first time i heard it...ummmm...ya the first time i heard it.
 
i am still writing tonight since it is a new girl on the door and she doesnt know there is atime limit....woohoo!!!! shhhhhhh....
 
hi lynette, hi greg, hi john, hi marc, hi wenda, hi caroline!!!!
hi vilma, hi jb, hi luc, hi don, hi jo, hi marie, hi michael!!!!
hi wilma!!!!
 
i know there is a million people i should be saying hi to - i wrote thsoe that come to mind now.  i will try to mention folks as i think of them througgout the day
 
hi kevin - i keep thinking hyperactive would have a blast doing one of these events.
 
i dont knwo what else to tell youb about the day - i tried to hit the highlights - the scenary is beautiful....that guy is late with my latte!!!! i cant do a thing with my hair....and i smell wicked bad....i mean bad....like a skunk...my tan line looks ridiculous...and jaybee i went with the lighter shade of lipstick todya - thinking it would be a sunny day at the beach....
 
stupid marathon tomorrow.....long impossible day after that - then home my peeps...
i love you - i am thinking all day long about all of you and what you mean to me....
ciao
write as soon as i can!!!
/kmm

hi andrea, hi jaybee
just got your email
hi dad - thank yo
 
you insprie me....tahnk you
stage two done!!!!!!

hey!!!!! end of stage 2 -brutal day today
we started down a long stretch of desert - very wide open - nothing to take cover under at all - hours along this open stretch
ken is having a really tough time - feels nauseous and feels like hes gonna be sick - not fun! what a hard core athelthe he is though!!!! did the whole day
we are all starting to weat out now - and smell!!!
 
cracker - i had the sphagetti and meatballs - propak remember the one we had together by candlelight!!!! im thinking about that
 
tomorrow is another day- i am completely and totally exhausted - i am always amazed how you can feelsooo low/ sooo bad...and when you wake up in the morning - it is another day
 
they did a long interview wiht me today - hopefully it is on the website - i am not sure what they are doing wiht all the pictures and stuff -
 
i keep thinking Hyperactive should be doing this filming
 
erika from south africe - the woman in first place - is in my tent - she is very cool - bright eyed and smiling all the time....
two people ( out of 9) fropped out today from my tent - i find that really hard to take - you get to know htese people and you feel like you are going to hell and back with them - for htem to drop out is a killer - these two guys are really tough - really tough - so i am feeling pretty insecure tonight - wondering if i can do - howcan i possibly do it if they arenot doing it....
when i saw then drive by in the medical pick up - i started to cry - it really scared me - i felt tapped out/ incredibly tired/ not sure how i was going to do another 16km or so - and then mike and alistair drive by - realloy hard to keep it together at that point....i just looked up ahead and thought - comeon karen - just one more checkpoint ...and you are in...comeon...comeon
 
the temperature waa 48 degrees today - buut you knwo what they say its a dry heat - right!!!!! a dry heat...
 
i need more confidence for tomorrow - i am going to talk to erika and paolo  (paolo is a friend of rays) everyone knows rayzahab - the desert runner extraordinaire - ray you are an legend in these parts
 
nick i wish you were here - i am alwyas thinking about you
dad - i am safe and ok - just tired..
i love you
 
speak again as soon as i can
/kmm

stage 1 - done!!!!! Ken and I ran together 6 hours - we finished about 3pm.....we started the morning off with some drummers as we went through the start line.....the first check point  came up pretty quick _ i thinki Ken and I made good time.
Ken  is the same Ken as the one I ran the moose ultra with....yeah Ken!!! hes very cool - good athelete - great to partner up with
 
after check point 1 we headed to checkpoint 2 - the terrain started to get more difficult as we moved along - we startd with hard packed stone...and moved into beachy sand pretty quick...then it was tough slogging for the remainder of the day - just trying to not pay attention to the screaming calves at the back of my legs. It was 40 degrees - with a bit of a breeze at our backs - i ate a ton of salt - seemed to work ok
 
the final checkpoint was brutal - i think the terrain just kept getting harder and harder as we went along....to the ned.
we managed a few nice pics - there are these huge limestone rocks - i mean huge.....very impressive - they are sticking white...against a skyline that has shades of pink and white in it...i have never seen anything like them before
our camp tonight is amongst these rocks
 
we caught a white lzard on film as well
again very different type of desert here - but still hot and lots of sand
 
speak to you again tomorrow!!! good night!!!
/kmm
ps no blisters !!!!!!.....well yet anyway

hey!!!!!!!ok so the bus broke down last night on the way to camp. we arrive about 1am....went to sleep and the race starts in about half our from now....i think i am ready???? i feel really tired - 12 hour bus ride and all...my backis sore...complain compllain compllain......the oters in my tent are amazing...one of the women helicoptered around the world....wow!!!! i mett a man from another tent who has done badwater 12  times!!!!! wow!
 
it was freezing last night - starting toget warmer now - but i cant say i am warm yet.....i still ave my jammies on over my shorts - very fashion
 
Nick i have been trying to email you with no signal yet - i will keep trying...i love you - ope you are aving a great time
 
the egyptian workers are yelling now...yalla yalla imshy....nick told me that means hurry hurry.....sooooo.thats it for now..
we ave 21 miles to do today....i think it isa short day...not sure of te whole race plan - getting in so late last nigt i havnet looked at the race book yet
speak to you wen i can
/kmm

Hi!
Nick and I just came back from the race orientation. Team of 5 doctors, race director and race co-odinator spoke about what to expect for the race.
Really neat! A lot of the runners showed up with their race gear on - each individual has to put their country's flag on their running shirt.....and although you don't think about it while you are doing it....when everyone gets together for the orientation it is really cool to see all the different countries together.
There was a lebanese guy - I am now convinced Nick really does look spanish...
Next we register for the event - my registration time in between 10am and 11am.
I think i will buy a race jacket - they look pretty cool.....and Nick can wear it while I am running.
Nick is leaving for old cairo today - he is going to find  a hotel there....then on to Luxor late today or tomorrow depending on flights. Then next on to Aswan, Alexandria, then back to Cairo for Friday....we hook up again Saturday and then we will compare stories then.  i will try to blog everything i can think of.
if you have any questions - please just ask.
The runners here this morning look really professional. i dont look anthing like that - i just look like me. I was glad when i heard one american woman in the elevator say this is her first ultra of this sort....yeah!!!! It is going to be a really great adventure.
The group is pretty small and the number of women ...few...there are about 15 women and 5 of them are in my tent...we only have 2 or 3 guys is our tent....
ok....i have to go now - get dressed for the race and pack my bag one final time....it is so full it looks like the zippers are going to break....
i will blog as soon as i can after the 7 hour bus ride today.
/kmm

I will keep talking about the people that motivate me...Andrea Sloan....my compadre .....she ran marathon des sables with me...practically every step....and the moose ultra through the bruce trail....thats another story....Andrea i am thinking about you!!!
The way you let nothing get in the way of your goals is inpiring....wow!!!
/kmm

Hey!!!
Early tomorrow morning I leave for New York - tomorrow evening I leave from New York to Cairo wow!!!! I am excited and nervous right now!

I meet fellow race enthusiast Killer Kenny D! in New York and we head out to Cairo together - Killer and I will be sharing a tent throughout the race - so I will provide as many updates as I can about his progress as well.

As I prepare for htsi epic adventure I think of my g"friends (I can call you friends right!!).
I think most notably of:
Karyn Curtis - she is amazing - here is a mother of two young boys, works for the Canadian Mounted Police ( K - where's your horse?) and manages to run an all tiem personal best at her most recent marathon.....why she didnt come to Cairo with me...well thats another issue...you inspire me chickie - I'm thinking about you as I start this adventure
Norm - one of my best g'friends ....having jsut completed his 50th (yup I said 50) marathon....gulp!!! now thats intimidating!!! ...you inspire me girly man.... I'm thinking about you as I start this adventure
Janet Brozecki - best best best friends forever girly......Janet has agreed to be my lipstick applyer when i die...she will apply a lighter shade for hte daytime wake and a darker shade for hte nightiem setting....i think this is the highest honour you can confer on a g'friend....and she will apply lipstick all over my face if i piss her off between now and the day i die....JayBee....I think of the last time i did an epic adventure of this nature....you drove me to the airport....and I will never forget what you said...it was soooo moving..."is your life insurance all paid up.....and......do you have a beneficiery?" I love you g'friend!!!! rock on....
Kevin at Hyperactive - hey!!!! you inspire me with the enthusiasm you put into encouraging me to continue on...you says things like "what you are doing is cool....I have never met anyone that did that sort of thing.....and you are my man's best friend - that makes you one of my best firends......I will think of you...I will do my best to make you proud of me....
Ray Zahab.....I think of the amazing things you have accomplished.....you make all of us know great things that seems impossible can be possible! I think the world of you RayZeeeeeee! thank you for all your mentorship over the years....I will try my best to cross that finish line....
Dad - i love you daddio - and thanks for the kick ass gaitors - once again you came through for me....the gaitors are red this time out folks - so watch for the red running shoes on any of the photo ops
Graysen - you are the world's greatest daughter - I will work my hardest to make you proud sweetie

Nick Hasbani - you are the love of my life!!!!! See you at the finish line at the pyramids in Cairo

gotta go for now - i will try to post before i get on a plane
/kmm

Hey!!!!
cracker and I are here in Cairo at the dusit thani hotel. The plane landed at 1015 am Friday morning - (430am time back home) took about 22 hours to get here.
All is good - the hotel is gorgeous BUT in the middle of nowwhere....desole...we cannot walk around and see things.
It is now 5pm Friday - still super excited and i think i heard Nick say he was thinking about running in the next one with me....did i get that right Nick??
I think we will get a taxi and go into "old ciaro" tonight for dinner....we will be careful dad...don't worry!
Tomorrow is a full agenda....we start with registration at 8am...next breakfast...followed by a 7 hour bus ride (yup 7 hour bus ride)....on the bus we get an orientation and a map of where we are running.
I saw a few of the other runners in the lobby - everyone is coming from all over the world to enter this race...we met someone from Singapore, Switzerland, USA, and think some Irish people...(not sure about the Irish folks, could be Aussies or Scots) ....anyway freaky cool. This is where you can let yourself get realy intimidated if thats the way you are going to feel about things...these people all look so fit and prepared with their flags on their tshirts and their runner gear all prepared and they are all talking about the other races they have done etc etc.  I am not intimidated....I came to have a fun adventure and this is part of the epic adventure....these other runners make it soooo coool!!

the taxi ride into the hotel was an experience if I say so myself. The driver was this colourful expressive arabic speaking man. We started negotiating for a price for the taxi ride as soon as we got in (it is great that Nick can parle the language....nice!) anyway....the taxi dirver is speeding down the highway, hands waving adn gestering while he is laughing (like a shriek sound) and yelling at Nick - he wants $50 pounds Nick is offering $30 ( the difference in Canadian dollars is $4 give or take a dollar....too funny

anyway as it turns out the taxi driver does not have a clue as to where the hotel is - i hand him the print out from the internet with a picture of the hotel and the address ( all in englisho fcourse) he doesnt speak a word of english....too funny....
he takes us into town and finds directions from another egyptian at the intercontinental hotel...as it turns out we are no where near the hotel we want to be at....we turn a round,,,,and now the taxi driver starts yelling  ( that's how they talk here....they just wave their hands and yell) cause of course he wants more money for he detour....he calls it a tour of the city....
finally we get to our hotel...passing by the airport again...hey this looks familiar!!!
when we arrive he shows us a display near the floor of his car...Nick says its the radio...as it turns out it is a meter that shows $100 pounds have been spent.....
sooo. two of the hotel bellhops start to ask us questions about the trip confirming that we wanted to go into town first then back to the hotel...we explain the driver just didn't know where he was going.....Nick explains in arabic/english/slang/french/moreengligh/ cursing/ hand waving that we only wanted to go from the airport to the hotel ( just once) and we had agreed on a price of $50 (Nick stills feel sensitive about the extra $2 canadian the driver squeezed out of us....
sooo....because the conversation is getting pretty lively (i mean after all it is $2 canadian) the tourist police - yup that's the name tag....tourist police....comes over and hears both sides....kind of like judge joe brown.....then tells us to pay the guy $100....we agree on $70....yup....so we figure we are still $2 canadian ahead of the game

AND thats just getting here!!!!! cant wait for the dinner outing tonight!!
i will blog as often as i can....speak to you soon
/kmm