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Rebecca Sinclair

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Namib Race (2010) blog posts from Rebecca Sinclair

11 October 2010 07:33 am (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time: Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London

Sorry  in the delay with this blog - you probably thought i was lost for good out on the long day! Nope, all went well, but i missed the cybertent as it shut up early.
The long 95km day started out well, plan was to run as much as poss in the relative cool morning. Ran through the Valley of the Whales which is a world heritage site with the most amazing scenery. Took pics of the whale skeletons that are laid out there. Steve was manning check point 5, around the 50km mark. CP6 was where hot water and shelter was available to those who wanted to sleep awhile. I had my spag bol in a bag before heading off on the final 35km, headtorch out as night was falling. I must say its experiance running in the night following the glowstick markers. The ground was rather rocky at this point so i ended up stumbling along to the finish. Legs kept on going and I came into camp around 1.30am. All in all, a very long day, but it went well. I had all the following day to recoup watching the final competitors coming in. Saturday we were bused back into Cairo for the final 2km run around the pyramids to the finish line where Steve placed the medal round my neck :) Happy days. A slice of pizza and a can of cold drink all waiting for us, heaven (so hungry). That night back at the hotel, we had an awards banquet and slide show showing photos and video of some highlights from the week.
I had an amazing time and loved pretty much every minute of it. Times were tough, but managed to dig a bit deeper to carry on. 
A huge thanks to all my fellow competitors, volunteers, medics and organising staff for making it a very memorable week. what a great bunch of people.
Thanks to those who posted messages of support, it was really neat reading them all after a long hot day. Thanks also for all the donations to my chosen charity Leukaemia Care (every little helps) Cheers x
Now to sort through the photos...

Comments: Total (8) comments

Posted On: 01 Nov 2010 07:58 am

Hey Rebecca, so happy to have met you and the lovely Steve who kept us going everyday. Atacama it is 2012 and we can be tent buddies, Woo Hoo...we are saving already...Sandy and Col P.S. Ozz is a great place come and visit us.

Posted On: 15 Oct 2010 08:26 pm

Congrats Rebecca, you are one tough Kiwi and a hell of a tent mate. Your pace was awesome and really strong. I knew nothing would keep you from finishing. Look forward to competing with you again in Atacama 2012 if you choose to do it. Hopefully Steve is there also. I think he was tougher then any of us. Cheers, Brett.

Posted On: 12 Oct 2010 07:54 pm

Well done, congratulations. Looking forward to looking at the photos. Back to Ireland now to cool down!

Posted On: 11 Oct 2010 11:30 pm

Congratulations Rebecca!! you are fantastic, a great achievement! Well done!

Posted On: 11 Oct 2010 09:34 pm

Congratulations!! What an amazing effort.

Posted On: 11 Oct 2010 09:06 pm

Congrats Rebecca, ur an inspiration to us all!! It must have been pretty cool to end it by runnin around the pyramids. Lookin forward to seeing ur fotos already xx

Posted On: 11 Oct 2010 08:55 pm

absolutely amazing Rebecca, well done that is some achievement :)

Posted On: 11 Oct 2010 08:30 pm

Congratulations Rebecca, Following your progress on the blog you've done amazing great finish time too, well done Also reading up on race, sounds a really good experience would love to try it lol ... btw you appear in one of the vids on this site #125 crossing the finish line Look forward to seeing your pics

06 October 2010 01:33 am (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time: Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London

Day 4 completed YAY!! Began with short section of  soft dunes which were great fun to run down, big strides - just as well the gaitors are working perfectly! qucikly followed by another very hot slog across long straight never ending plateau that stretch forever into the distance. It was extremely hot very early on as there was no breeze so felt like an oven, sweat pouring off my face. The competitiors were very spread out over the course, so all i could see when i came over another rise were tiny little dots miles off in the distance. i did stop and take some photos of the stunning rock formations. the final 5k felt very long as the energy levels were sapped, hard going. The pain shifts during the day from left shoulder to left hip! Todays most replayed song was by the Black Eyed Peas..(name escapes me...could be `i`ve got a feeling`?) thinking of particular NIYW member as i played it (Jill)  Whatever gets you through! Another tent mate gone after today, very blistered up feet an now can barely walk. no good. Tomorrow is the dreaded 95km day. its going to be tough. i`m planning on doing half then eating a meal before heading straight back out to finish the remaining. There is an option of sleeping at the half way point and then continuing. i`ll try and crack on i think at this stage. we have tomorrow and friday to complete the stage. Steve had a great day in the jeep cruising up and own handing out extra water. i di manage 2 pees outon course! happy days. i`m keeping well hydrated and electrolyted.
Congrats to Judy and David on getting married today in Cyprus. Thanks to you all for your messages - its fantastic reading them, cheers xx wish me luck for the long one....see you back here sometime within the next 48hrs! xx

Comments: Total (17) comments

Posted On: 10 Oct 2010 02:04 pm

Just checked results and you have excelled. Really, really well done you are on the home run now.

Posted On: 09 Oct 2010 08:14 pm

Amazing effort - you are doing so well! Atacama crossing next??!! One foot in front of the other, looking forward to the pics! xx

Posted On: 08 Oct 2010 11:06 pm

Hi there Just saw that your results for the big stage are in. Congratulations for such a huge effort! I hope that you are still intact in mind and body ;-) Looking forward to an update when you can move again.

Posted On: 08 Oct 2010 07:51 pm

I've been keeping an eye out for a stage 5 entry ....I hope that all is well . I see good time in the results section and an amazing ranking . Superb achievement Rebecca ! I can hear roars from Ravenhill as I type , tonight . I rekon you've gone to the pub :))

Posted On: 08 Oct 2010 07:41 pm

Well, well, well, done! Running in sand, without a toenail and in 45 degrees, for hours and hours!!!!!! Hard to even begin to imagine By now we think you will have done that long ,long stage. We hope all's still going well for you. We're sure Steve will be looking after you well. We're looking forward to reading the next blogs. We're on the road in the South Island (tremoring in Christchurch). GOOD LUCK from the Southern Alps! Nick and Rosie

Posted On: 07 Oct 2010 09:25 pm

Well done Becks!!!!!! U so deserve ur medal, hopefully u have finished now and r relaxing!!!! See u soon chic xxxx

Posted On: 07 Oct 2010 03:06 pm

hello i miss ya in work everyone is asking after you hope you are ok as you read this as it should be all over. you have done so well. tell steve you have to spoiled until ur return to work. enjoy a relaxing day in egypt before u board that plane. take care see you soon

Posted On: 07 Oct 2010 01:37 pm

Brillaint Rebecca , well done with stage four . You sound in good spirits despite the demands on your body ......fantastic! Take five as it comes ....by the time you read this , hopefully it will be behind you .

Posted On: 07 Oct 2010 08:58 am

Keep her lit!! Fantastic achievement and an inspiration to us all.

Posted On: 07 Oct 2010 08:45 am

Keep on trucking Rebecca. Seems like an emmesnse challenge but one that you are conquering. Just below 100K today - I feel for you. I did a 100k ealier this year (Oxfam T'trekker) and it was the toughest thing I have ever. I did it though and withtout much training so am sure for you, it will be a breeze :-) Keep up the good work and tell Steve that to make up for his lack of a special this week, that Pete's gonna have 2. And on that note, make sure when you get back that he takes you out for one - It's quite a feed.

Posted On: 07 Oct 2010 08:20 am

Rebecca you really are wonder woman! We're all so proud of you, you don't just push limits you destroy them. Glad to hear you're enjoying it and getting some amazing pictures along the way. I hope your personal masseue is taking good care of you at the end of each day, sounds like Steve is enjoying his volunteering roll anyway, well who wouldn't cruising around in a jeep, lol! I gotta feeling is a great song to keep you going although images of my drunken dancing at the Fermanagh wknd might be counterproductive... Good luck for the rest of the race and lets hope the rest of your toe nails make it home xx

Posted On: 07 Oct 2010 05:16 am

You are doing so well! Just think of all the nice things you can eat when you come home when training has finished! Burger and chips lol! Keep going and staying positive - its one awesome achievement!

Posted On: 07 Oct 2010 04:58 am

Hi there I'm so impressed that you are still sounding so positive even when the body must be hurting. I shouldn't be impressed - I always knew you could do it :-) Can't wait to see those photos. Good luck with the run tomorrow. Slowly, slowly...

Posted On: 06 Oct 2010 11:11 pm

Time to do a lot of future planning as you stride out for the long one tomorrow. will be thinking of you as always and look forward to seeing that you have made it through. Keep up the fuel intake. love mumxx

Posted On: 06 Oct 2010 10:27 pm

Rebecca you are doing so well so far, keep it up :) Your blogs always sound very upbeat to me even though you say you are in pain, I'm enjoying reading them anyway to see how you are doing. Sounds like the toughest is yet to come but I'll sure you'll cope. Hope Steve is looking after you at the end of each day, sounds likes he's doing a good job on support! Good luck with the next stage :)

Posted On: 06 Oct 2010 10:05 pm

Keep Going!!! You're doing so well. (Seems unfair that Steve gets to cruise around sand dunes in a jeep...??!!!) Take Care, Gillian

Posted On: 06 Oct 2010 09:44 pm

Rebecca Oh my God, you're doing brilliant, can't believe that you've done so much already and have another massive day ahead of you. I remember you telling me about the race on the NIYW Kerry weekend, can't believe its here already. Good luck with tomorrow :)

05 October 2010 12:14 pm (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time: Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London

Day 3 completed :) It was rated as `difficult` all day, which is pretty funny to me as it all is `difficult`! But a long 42km day starting at the usual 6.30am. I felt pretty good throughout, keeping a steady pace like the previous days. 8 and a half hours today, the longest day to date. i try and run, well shuffle along at least, the first hour or so while it is still cool, then once that sun gets going it starts baking. We had a  really big stretch of soft dunes to tackle, up and down, probably a good half of the course today. my poles definately saved the day, a must in the dunes. Good news, the toe nail didn`t bother me at all. Ive left it in place still wrapped so hopefully will continue to be good. My ITBs were screaming in places, taking it in turns from left to right. Shoulders of course are sore, but everyone is feeling it - its like the walking wounded here at camp at the end of the day. Another tent mate pulled out this morning. He unfortunately felt too ill the day before and had to get picked up. Tent number 10 is down to 5 - we all came in safely today. Steve was on sweeper duty today, walking behind the last person with the camels for half of the course - a long day for him, thank goodness i didn`t see him all day! He said he really enjoyed the day.The scenery was stunning again with the huges dunes then out onto a plateau surrounded by massive rock formations - think Arizona USA. The ipod was on the entire day, with Lady Gaga and Crowded House helping me through, good stuff. Tonight I have Vege Tikka for dinner, just add water! Yum, yum. Camp tonight is perched on a wee hill overlooking a plateau, stunning views, wish you were here :) Well, I`m getting there, slowly but surely, taking each day at a time. I`ll go eat then bed time is around 7pm. See you same time tomorrow.

Comments: Total (8) comments

Posted On: 07 Oct 2010 04:18 am

Boy have you got guts!You no i am new at finding my way around a computer but ive been keen to keep up with you each day.We are all thrilled with your progress so far. All the best .

Posted On: 06 Oct 2010 10:57 pm

Hey rebecca, sounds like your doing a great job!! Keep up the hard work it will all be worth it in the end! I'm so impressed by your stamina and endurance, I wish I had half the amount. Best of luck for the next few days and I look forward to Reading more updates! Diane xo

Posted On: 06 Oct 2010 05:03 pm

Hi Bex, I got up early to check if you had finished stage 4. Horray!! It was marvellous to see you get over the line. All the cousins send their thoughts and wishes to you. Had a call from Brendon and he says Outstanding effort - wish her the best. Look forward to hopefully seeing more pics of you. Love your "all white" look , easy to spot you. All the very best for tomorrow (last real hurdle) You will do it. love Mumxx

Posted On: 06 Oct 2010 04:21 pm

Good going Rebecca ! You're doing great, although I put it down your success to all the early walks with NIYW :) Just found the site and reading your blog, very interesting going to check out the rest of the site. Good luck with the next few day we're all cheering you one back in N.Ireland

Posted On: 06 Oct 2010 08:52 am

Good job - you are doing so well! Keep up the good work - one foot in front of the other, apparently! If all else fails - just give it rissoles hahaha - go you good thing :) x

Posted On: 06 Oct 2010 03:09 am

Great to hear you are still in the race. Good on you. Keep it up. At least with the numbers down in the tent at night will give you all more room. Still disappointing for those who couldn\'t keep it up. So glad to hear that the toe is behaving itself. It must be amazing out there. Each day brings a new challange and unexpected scenery in parts. love you. Mumxx

Posted On: 05 Oct 2010 08:26 pm

Good on you to keep up with the Sahara Shuffle - can just picture you doing the moves to Poker Face as you cruise along :-) Glad to hear the toenail is behaving. Love the sound of the views - must be beautiful.

Posted On: 05 Oct 2010 08:16 pm

Fantastic Rebecca , yet another display of grit and determination. Great to hear you're bearing up and fingers crossed for your toes ! The course sounds stunning. It may be time for Paolo soon? Take good care .

04 October 2010 11:49 am (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time: Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London

Hello again from the desert. Day 2 completed. I jinxed it yesterday by saying the feet were all good. Today during the first leg I ripped a toenail off! Och! The doctor at the checkpoint kindly re-implanted it as a type of bandage before taping it up. Bloody sore, but made my way slowly through the day to the finish. One less nail to worry about I guess. Makes me feel a tad nervous about how I'll be for tomorrows stage which is longer with more of the soft sand. On a brighter note, the scenery today was stunning as we made our way into the Sahara. I had The Magnificent Seven playing on the ipod which really set the mood. Not a lot of running done today, just a long slog through some undulating dunes. One guy in my tent pulled out this morning as he twisted his ankle and another pulled out at check point 1, so our tent is down to 6. Steve was on camp duty today, so no familiar face to see out on the course. Its brutal out there; who said this would be a good idea? Ha! I haven't been able to check my messages yet but thanks to those who have left comments!! I'll hopefully get them tomorrow. Well, off to rehydrate. Todays water intake 9 litres, with only one pee done during the race!
See you tomorrow

Comments: Total (6) comments

Posted On: 05 Oct 2010 01:13 pm

Keep going becks from all of us ur doing so well!!! Leigh says good choice of music as she starts dancing lol Paula radcliff should take a leaf out of ur book, peeing only once!!! haha

Posted On: 05 Oct 2010 12:29 pm

Well done, just keep at it, the toe will heal u are an inspiration.

Posted On: 05 Oct 2010 10:05 am

I see you are doing extremly well, now 69th and only a couple of hours behind other NZ competitors. Keep it up. Hope to see you in more video's. Mumxx

Posted On: 05 Oct 2010 09:06 am

Brilliant to see you are still keeping up. Really hope the toenail lose is settling down now. Thinking of you day and night. love mumxx

Posted On: 05 Oct 2010 05:21 am

Well done Rebecca . When you say it's brutal , I believe you ! Best of luck for stage 3.

Posted On: 05 Oct 2010 02:24 am

Ouch for the toenail! I know how that feels. Slow and steady matey. Liking the choice of music :-) Even though I'm not there with you I'm thinking of you every step of the way.

03 October 2010 12:39 pm (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time: Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London

Hi all, pleased to report finished day 1 in 6hr30min. Course was fairly flat with a couple of small dunes thrown in, but stinking bloody hot!! The course ran right around one of Egypts lakes (yep, they have lakes out here), unfortunately we were advised not to dive in as the water could be dodgy. The soft sand plus the heat made the going rather slow - temp measuring in at around 45 deg midday. Feet all good and energy levels too, made sure to pace myself as tomorrow we hit the big dunes! Not really looking forward to it, it will be a long hard slog.Steve was in fine volunteer form at check point 2, doing a great job. See you all tomorrow - hopefully still in one piece.

Comments: Total (5) comments

Posted On: 04 Oct 2010 09:21 am

Well done on completing stage 1 from all @ Northgate.

Posted On: 04 Oct 2010 05:53 am

Well done Rebecca, you are right on in timing, keep it moving slowly and you'll keep yourself fresh for the long day. Cheers Hamish

Posted On: 03 Oct 2010 11:24 pm

Excellent news , well done . Good luck with stage 2 .

Posted On: 03 Oct 2010 10:53 pm

Nice work! You sound like you are enjoying it. Good luck with the big dunes tomorrow.

Posted On: 03 Oct 2010 07:43 pm

AWESOME! Doing awesome, keep it up, great time! :)

28 September 2010 01:03 am (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time: Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London

We're all set. Early morning flight from Belfast to Heathrow, then onto Cairo. We're looking forward to meeting fellow competitors and volunteers, should be a great couple of weeks. Lets get this show on the road :) See you all soon

Comments: Total (8) comments

Posted On: 03 Oct 2010 07:00 pm

Hey becs welll u shud be in a tent now I hope cooling down I hope ur first day went good for you.lookn forward to an update.keep drinking lots of water.x

Posted On: 03 Oct 2010 06:47 pm

Hi Becks, day 1 over hope all went well and ur drinking ur water lol xxxxxxxxx

Posted On: 03 Oct 2010 12:38 am

Good Luck sweets from everyone at Ards Dental xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Posted On: 02 Oct 2010 11:46 pm

Thinking of you. You are no doubt up and going as the run has started. Hope all is well. Just think each day your pack will start to get a little lighter with each meal.

Posted On: 01 Oct 2010 08:34 pm

Warrior Woman , wish I'd had the chance to give you a good luck hug before you left . I'm sure it will be amazing for you , and Steve too . You're in great company with your fellow competitors ...similar breed, I imagine :)) Looking forward to updates and will be thinking of you. XX

Posted On: 30 Sep 2010 11:47 pm

Looking forward to the updates when you hit the sands :-)

Posted On: 29 Sep 2010 03:50 pm

Have fun Rebecca and keep us up to date.Good luck!!!!

Posted On: 29 Sep 2010 07:33 am

Go Girl, thinking of you. all the best of luck as they say. Kiwi's candoit. mum and auntyL xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

03 September 2010 12:02 pm (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time: Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London

Swahili for "slowly, slowly"...However, I'm talking about trekking poles.
 I've been using Grivel lightweight poles when out on my sand runs, and have to report on how really helpful they are! Walking in soft sand is tricky enough but running in it is even worse! Especially with heavy pack. I have found using the poles stabilise and control 'wobble' as I plough on through the soft stuff. I've developed a rthythm with the arms that go with what I call my "Sahara shuffle". 
Someone asked if I was training for skiing; silly man!

Bon chance my fellow competitors

Comments: Total (1) comments

Posted On: 08 Sep 2010 04:58 am

Hi Rebecca - some people do get a great rythym with poles - many more take them but don't seem to use them particularly well. Certainly the fast end of the field, with packs of around 7kg, don't bother as their packs are light enough and they are running at a good speed. Those averaging slightly slower speeds but putting in a fast 'Sahara shuffle' (as you call it!!) do find poles help on a lot of the terrain - so go for it! Good luck Rob

19 July 2010 05:09 am (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time: Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London

52.4miles done and dusted yesterday, my first ultra race and I can still walk today :) happy days. Time 10hrs3mins with backpack. Nutrition and hydration systems all worked great, so did the kit. All in all, a good training run.

Comments: Total (1) comments

Posted On: 24 Jul 2010 04:02 pm

That's fantaaaastic, Rebecca! Congrats on finishing safely and on the good time as well. Seeya in the desert :)

04 July 2010 12:28 pm (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time: Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London

Hi All
I've been following the recent Gobi March with keen interest via the great blogs and pics. Congrats to all who finished, it sounded brutal with the scorching temps! After reading competitors accounts, I have to admit to feeling a tad apprehensive about my own race. Still, no time for nerves...onwards with the training.

Comments: Total (4) comments

Posted On: 02 Oct 2010 12:24 pm

Hi becks, good luck for the start of the race tomorrow xxxx

Posted On: 07 Jul 2010 01:44 pm

Hi Rebecca, thanks for the note. Glad the blog entry helped and GOOD LUCK for your upcoming ultra! It'll be a ton of fun :) See you soon.

Posted On: 06 Jul 2010 02:28 am

Hi Rebecca, If you need any advice on training, gear, what to expect in the desert and how best to prepare be sure to drop Eric LaHaie a line on his blog: Gobi March 2009 winner and currently in training for the Taklamakan 100. http://www.4deserts.com/blogs/index_taklamakan.php?pid=ODM4&blog=114 Sam H -RacingThePlanet

Posted On: 04 Jul 2010 10:50 pm

Hi Rebecca, give me a shout on my email [email protected], I'm in Auckland and can help out with any advice around equipment, what to expect... Hope the training is going well.