So the Sahara Race 2012 is officially over. The aching hips has subsided a bit, the balls in the calves have gone down, the dirt and sand has been washed away (and I realize I am sadly not as tan as I thought I was haha), and my stomach has been moderately satisfied with a well done cheeseburger from the hotel pool bar (although I cannot describe how much I wished I could have been ordered rare---but beggars can’t be choosers when mad cow disease is a risk factor…ha ha).  The final stage was a short 2km stroll through the Pyramids of Giza and did not count for time, so technically the race ended at the end of the final stage two nights ago. However, for me it’s all about walking through that final banner, getting the medal, celebrating with everyone, and enjoying pizza and beer. We unfortunately finished stage 5/the long day out in the desert, so had to wake up Saturday morning and take a four hour bus ride back towards Cairo. It was a bit of a mood dampener (not to mention extremely stinky and cramped) but once the Pyramids came into view, you remembered how lucky you actually were to go be out here. So we exited the buses and formed this mass of strange, dirty people in backpacks. Guards on tall, white camels surrounded us and attempted to keep some local vendors from pestering us with nonsense postcards and hats for “vedy good price maam.”  The camels were so interesting though—they stood so grand and proud, chewing on spit with these enormous teeth. Quite a sight.  Then we marched off for the final minutes of the race. Everyone pretty much walked it and took pictures, enjoying the Sphinx, and the Pyramids around us. Unfortunately the day was completely gray and overcast—go figure we have gorgeous (and uncomfortably hot) sun for the past week and then on the last day when we are seeing one of the ancient wonders of the world we are given a totally crap day—oh well, once again it is hard to be disappointed when you look at the big picture and realize how amazing of an opportunity this has been…and incredible year in general for both me and Jimmy.  Anyways, the 2km walk through the Pyramids took a lazy 20 minutes, as we shooed off young Egyptian children welcoming us to Egypt. They kept calling me Shakira and then told me I had a beautiful husband (aka Jimmy..haha but it was definitely not worth trying to tell them otherwise so we went along with it). And then the funniest part was when they asked Jimmy how many camels he had paid for me….of course jimmy thought this was great and responded, a half of a camel. Of course…

 

The last 50meters was up a hill and then it opened up to the finish line and everyone celebrating waiting for all the competitors to come through. Obviously for this last bit we had to play “Running Roulette” so at any point either of us could start sprinting for the finish line and that would mean the race was on…loser had last shower at the hotel…I wonder who that was going to be??haha. I started and of course Jimmy easily cruised right by but slowed up at the very last second and we were able to come through together. Pretty awesome moment since we have yet to come in to a finish line or even single stage together. AND THE BEST PART……as we were laughing and charging through we did not even realize our magnificent mother standing there with our medals to put on us!!! She surprised us and wow how freaking awesome that was! Definitely the most memorable finish yet. So good to so her and have her experience the celebration with us. So we wolfed down some pizza and beer/sodas and enjoy the final moments of the Sahara Race as competitors came through the finish and everyone laughed and danced and hugged and cheered in relief and joy that they had made it.

 

So with that, here are the summary points for future racers:

 

What you absolutely want:

 

-bigger size shoes (feet swell a lot). I wear 8 and had a 10 shoe and it worked out great.

 

-gaiters—silk, parachute fabric ones that have drawstring around the ankle and higher up almost to the knee. Also have them sewed on professionally by a shoe smith. This will save you lots of time and prevent blisters 100%.

 

-if you plan to walk at all bring some poles…also helpful with the big dunes

 

-fly swatter, fly net, anti-fly anything haha. This isn’t really possible but the flies are a huge pain in the ass and get pretty nasty by the end.

 

-hydration system so you can carry electrolyte water but also just plain water.

 

-food that doesn’t spoil or that still tastes good in the heat..lots of bars melt pretty bad and go down like slime—not fun after day 4. And a lot of the beef stews and such just don’t appeal in the heat. Buffalo chicken=the absolute way to go!

Overall, what an incredible week. I admit it went by the fastest yet, and as odd as it seems to say, I actually feel like it went by too fast!!! Looking forward to Antarctica in less than 3 weeks!!!

Helllssss yessss!! We did it we did!!! I am still in awe at what just happened. So the long day….phewph, glad that is over. Woke up feeling pretty strong actually—thinking its bc I took stage 4 pretty fair just because the long stage was still one third of the race so I thought I should save some for that (that fact was very scary though and I tried not to think about too often). So did a solid pace up until the third checkpoint. The weather cooperated too so that was a….score. Sorry to hear about all the weather crap back in the states…cant really say I feel too sorry for you people stuck inside and unable to go to school/work or go on the computer. Going 250km through the desert tends to put a damper on your sympathy card if ya knows what I means. Bummer about the house though—maybe this means we will get a real garage for cars….? Eh? Anywho, so at checkpoint 4 the pain of the feet kicked in and the sun decided to be a little monster, so that was unfortunate. However, I did have some freaking fantastic tuna teriyaki jerky and hot and spicy beef jerky (my mouth is currently water just thinking about it…also as I listen to people waiting in line for these computers scraping the bottoms of the bags for the final last scrap of food they have for the next 12 hours). So the food was a nice treat and we started checkpoint 4 up this huuuuuuge dune and kind of ran across the top which was AWESOOOMMEEE!!!! My gaiters have been so lovely this week. I watched as most people had to stop and dump their shoes afterwards but nope…never had to stop once. Booooom! So checkpoint 5 was the sleepover camp….i came in way earlier than I excepted and sort of collapsed in front of everyone with surprise that I was already there. Since I decided on day 3 that a 4oz meal was too much weight to carry today I didn’t have a full meal but just a cliff bar to get me through the second half….hahaha which was still over a marathon distance… depressing and overall a very poor idea. For some reason this race is a lot different in terms of meals, electrolytes, etc compared to the past two so it was a learning process. Next time I will take into consideration how long and hot the days are and how much extra food is needed. Although I did cut back on the electrolyte tabs and stuck to salt tabs and that made all the difference with the nausea. Good thing because that was becoming a real pain in the ars. Oh and my water bladder popped between stage 4 and 5 so it not only drenched my things but I also ran out of water. Luckily I was able to duct tape it enough to get me through the brutal heat of the day. So after the sleep camp which I didn’t sleep at, we had an 11km and then three 8km stages until the end. Sadly this did not go by as quickly as I would have liked and it was a haul to the end. I just kept pushing annnnd J: I listened to your cds and they were perfect for when I was going by the moon….a good mix of pump up with relaxation…that jazz twist…mmm..phenom. Anyways, so the last 25 miles or so were a blur. I had a few mental break downs, fought to hold back the tears, and just kept marching on. Even jimmy said he had hit his limit by the end. He got 26^th place today though and I was very happy with 60^th. Came in just past midnight which is the best ive don’t yet for the long stage and this was about 10km longer than the last two races. So that’s a positive and I can end this race with a little personal best—something I def didn’t except. Oh but the worst was you could see the spotlights of camp about a mile and a half away so youd start hauling ass towards it and then just hobble all over these mini sand dunes that made your steps all out of line. Basically it was one of the ugliest “runs” I have ever done but I just wanted it to be over. If I were to describe what it probably looked like…imagine someone running for their life from a T-Rex while someone else is pelting you with water balloons so you trip and fall and are just all over the place. Good stuff for sure. Anyways, Once I got to camp jimmy and Gregory were already in the tent. Jimmy mentioned that my legs were going to start throbbing real bad and sure enough within minutes it was like lightning bolts going up and down the legs. Jimmy was “sleeping” sitting up because he couldn’t lay down or his hips would hurt too much…yep….that damn satan sand just didn’t want us (or most people from what it sounds like today) to sleep comfortably. So the two of us tried to catch a few hours of sleep sitting up against the tent. Still throbbing….and it still hurts to lay down. Madness I tell you. Today has been long and hot. The last people came in at 11am this morning. And it is one of the hottest days yet. Wooooowwwwwwwww. Cant even imagine what that must have been like but more power to them. I have one bag of buffalo chicken meal left that I am saving for 2pm but wow is this day crawling. Starving. We are all starving. The camera guy Scott (who is just great by the way!!!) said he had a few extra meals and all of a sudden everyone around him just stared over like a pack of hungry lions—sadly we are not allowed to eat any one elses food though. So back to starving. It is only noon and I am sweating and its gross and I smell and im hungry and im hangry and tired but you cant sleep because you hurt and I am hungry. Cant wait for tomorrow. Seriously. Can. Not. Wait. Me and jimmy just played battleship in the sand haha his idea duh. Not sure what fun activities we will do to occupy our minds for the next 12 hours but I guess I cant complain since sitting here roasting is much better than running and roasting.

To everyone who keeps describing food in their blog comments (you know who you are): I say puck you man. Its cruel. And I now expect all promises to be followed through in terms of what food will be waiting for me. Also frobes-so weird that you mention sommersby and Danish dogs bc I have had the most incredible craving for that this entire week. So random right. but oh man do I want. Love the stef and dam updates. Makes me smile. Always. Loves yous.

Mom, Dad: thanks for all the updates. We did it. Three done. One more to go. Its been a long year eh???

Steve: awesome. Glad you and my mom are tight now haha. Ok everyone is glaring at me for taking to long so I shot them a Kalisse stare and my dragons hissed at them but they are still looking angry so I need to go. But you rock. Mvp on the blog status. So excited for the PDF also…we will need to have a long sit down and discuss everything I missed. All the important stuff of course. Toodles mon.

Its dark and these key boards are tiny so please disregard the typos. Anywho…Another day down and only one more super long day to go…86km….and thats gonna be a long one for sure. Anyways, today was even better than yesterday. The nausea subsided after the morning…I slept outside last night to try and get some fresh air…plus one of my lovely tent mates sounded like they were eating and/or choking on air all night so that was cooooool. So it was A slightly shorter course and moderate terrain with a good bit of hard sand and rock. And what made it even better was that the temperature was about8 degrees c cooler and man did that make a world of a difference. It was overcast until about 1pm. At this point me, john, and Collin were heading in for the last stretch to camp so it was really great in terms of lifting the spirits and saving some energy. Obviously since it was day 4 and we have about 175km under our belt the legs were incredibly sore—as in everything below the belly button was throbbing, especially the calves. Although I must say both gobi and Atacama were rougher on the feet and joints, despite the days here being so much longer. Maybe the soft sand helps reduce the pounding. I have definitely noticed that although I am not physically in as good shape as I would have liked, my mind is definitely much better now after having done two already. I cant believe it is already day 4 and to be honest it feels so good after all the countless hours of studying to just have a clear free mind..not having to think of anything. Being out here really makes you appreciate the small things too….like how a 10 second breeze can be the most refreshing feeling, or how good a salty beef jerky tastes after 8 hours marching in the sun, there was even a butterfly today that fluttered past us, oh and of course the casual banter and pep talk by the volunteers at every checkpoint makes you stronger to just keep on pushing a bit more…the simple things in life man.

Anyways, HAPPY HALLOWEEN. We had the most amazing holiday surprise this evening. Each tent got a little jack o lantern of candy and ohhhhh did that toffee tootsie roll taste so so good. And I don’t even like tootsie rolls. But what was even better was the COLD SODA….YES COLD SODA we each also got. Holy amah zing. Sipped that down real fast. Haha and then a bunch of guys had costumes they carried I guess and put them on and started dancing around to Gangham Star or whatever that new asain song is. Funny stuff.

Jimmy is still killing it. Im glad I have found some good buddies to trot along with. And by trot I mean this hobbling waddle that we like to call the Sahara Shuffle. It is a very funny dragging of the feet across the sand with some very strong arm pumping haha. Gets the job done. The fact that I prob look like a waddling duck from behind is besides the point.

About to chow down on a delicious freeze dried spaghetti Bolognese. Mmmmmm. Then its off to bed in hopes of another overcast day…chances are nah nah for that though.

Oh and one last thing…I was chaffing all under my armpit because my sleeves are too short and my bag rubs so I went to the medical tent and they did this awesome/hysterical duck tape job to try and cover it and hold the bandages on. The duck tape lasted about 10 minutes but the memories will last forever. It was a funny sight. Gotta love using your resources out here.

Ryan; our dear tent mate from gobi…thanks for the messages. Jimmy says that he hopes to see you in Madagascar.

Dad; everyone is really excited to meet the infamous father of the two siblings in Antarctica. Should be a gooood tiimmmmeee chilling on that boat. Also I am assuming the reason why you and mom have been mia in writing us messages is because of the hurricane..howeverit would be nice if one of you somehow got a message out to us. Its been since Monday and although we are the ones trudging across the sahara…we are concerned the hurricane has made our house float away or something. Just very unlikely to not hear from you…or get frobey to send word…or something. Funnyhow the tables have turned. But sheesh you children are giving us a heart attack out here. Go figure.

Again, thanks to everyone for the messages. Long line to get on thecomputers so have to go plus we receive everything a day behind in case I have not responded yet. Hokay shuper. Peace sign fingers emoji.

WOW! Today I was really able to see how nice the hotel is--I think it may be the only part of Egypt where the grass actually is always greener, including a golf course, and a very nice "water park" with two big pools, a wave pool, and a slide. There is even a little patch of beach with sand, although when I return I have a feeling I am never going to want to step foot on sand again...like ever...never ever. However, it will definitely be a nice treat to throw back some beers by the...I mean, relax in the pool next Saturday afternoon once we are finished.

We spent the day doing the last bit of meal planning and compressing everything down to its smallest and lightest form. Although we bought most of our equipment separately this time, we ended up having a lot of the same stuff...great minds think alike I guess. It was particularly amusing when I would flash my new (and the work of an experienced RTP genius I thought) 4-in-1 compass, whistle, light, and mirror multi-tool that was also incredibly lightweight and small, and then Jimmy would be like BOOM and show me the exact same one that he had, too. And then I would be like, heyyy Jimmy check out this awesome new anti-BO, UV protected, cool-knit wicking t-shirt with a half zip (half zip=so clutch)...and he would be like, yeah, cool, check out mine..its got all of that, plus two pockets for my salt tabs. Or he would show me how well his gaiters were sewn on to his sneakers, because he brought them to a shoe repair store and had them stitched perfectly (and I mean not even one tiny grain of sand is getting in there), and then I was like mmhmmm, nope...[(sad face emoji) + Bernice cry: uh huh huh huh (Frobes)]...and then proceeded to sew my gaiters onto my shoes myself...the fingertips still hurt from that. We'll see how they hold up. Good times.

Later, at the equipment check-in we found out that with two races under our belts maybe we actually have learned something. Jimmy weighed in at 7.5kg (16.5lbs) and I was just over 7kg (15.4lbs), not including water. These are the lightest packs we've had thus far!! Can you say uhh yeeyaaa!! It is now comical to think that we both carried about 12kgs(26lbs) at our first race in Atacama...talk about amateur hour. AND, I managed to fit everything INto my pack, unlike in Gobi when I had a very small pack, but about 7 different smaller "attachments" hanging off of it--dumb move since while you run those exterior "attachments" tend to fall off..over..and over..and over again. All in all, apparently 3rd times a charm. #Nailed it.

Anyways, already seeing some familiar faces today and getting excited to get this party started!!
Also, Jena I know you are wondering this...my last real meal consisted of the following: two pieces of bread dipped in EVOO flavored with, yep, rosemary, an appetizer of eggplant parmesean (split with the bro), and penne alfredo with chicken and mushrooms. (There was going to be a pizza for desert..obvs my idea...but Jimmy talked me out of it). Regardless, it was carb city in my mouth and I know you are mad jel. Loves.

Made it to Cairo and all I can say is, compared to China...this trip was a BE-REEEEZE!!!
Oh, except for a small blip that really helped start the travel day off on the right foot. When I realized on the train en route to Newark Airport my sleeping bag was no longer attached to my pack and instead still sitting in my apartment back in NJ (or in the trunk of my car...Kim, it is not your fault haha)...an hour away, in the opposite direction...classic.
Knowing my mother was also on her way to Newark to drop my brother, Jimmy, off, I decided to giver her a casual, little phone call and shower her with the good news. I knew she was going to be SUPER excited to hear, especially since these races have become a full time job for her in regards to helping us with travel arrangements, finding flights, researching equipment, finding doctors when we/I come home in shambles, picking us/me up 15 miles away from the house when we/I (yep it's always just me) realize I no longer want to run back...so basically my sleeping bag dilemma was just one more thing to add to the list. Whoops. But you know what they say, no use crying over a forgotten sleeping bag...(that corny joke was for you Steve). So after a brief conversation, I knew I had gotten myself into quite the pickle (back shot) and was left to spend the rest of my train ride wondering how much the Marriot in Cairo was going to charge me for "borrowing" their sheets and blanket to use as my make-shift bed for the week.
Now...did I mention that my mother is in the running for Mother of the Year? Because low and behold, who is waiting for me when I get to the airport, but Jimmy, my mom, and a...brand...new....sleepinnnggg baaggg!!! That gem of a woman sped twenty miles out to REI and back, all before I even made it to the check-in counter. What's really great about this is that I now have a sleeping bag that doesn't smell like sweaty, fire pit, a scent that has acquired from the past two races and does not seem to want to wash out. Although, I was a bit dissapointed she got a size large and not small...we can't all be perfect though...ha ha...KIDDING, mom. You da woman!
Anyways, that's about all the excitement I can handle for one day. Haven't really seen much of Egypt yet...except for all the brown...lots of sand, buildings, landscape, everything, it's all brown. So much in fact, that I started to wonder if I have ever in my life seen so much brown before in one setting...then I remembered...what's up UMDNJ (badum dum).

Just testing it out...