What a week it has been! Writing  this blog  from the Abu Dhabi airport and filled with happiness, exhaustion & a little sadness. Sahara 2010 was an epic race in terms of  the adventure. However it has been the people that i have shared this journey with that will make it a race never to  forget. 

Extreme endurace adventures are bound to bring out the best and worst in people & there has been some special moments on the sandy course. One which will stand out is  when Ricky Paugh  decided to  pull out on Day2. I cant imagine what was going through his mind but as he is sitting at the checkpoint waiting for a vehicle to take him to Cairo he  pulls  out  all of the gear from his pack and hands  it out to competitors around him. He even gave his gaiters to female competitor who didnt have a pair. 

I gave a brief  run down on the long day but here is a few  more details. I woke at 4:30am  incredibly nervous about the task ahead but focused and determined to stay strong. I had planned the previous night to go out with Dave & Maghnus (Irish lads from my  tent). The loose  plan was to jog out the first 30kms, shuffle through the heat, push on at dusk and simply survive once it became dark. My amiga Lisa Tamati had been having a tough week and was concerned about whether she could keep  up to our  pace. I didnt want to put any pressure on her but  I remember telling Sevan (Desert Runners camera man) that i just knew we would be running together- as  we had in Gobi. Without fail as we trotted out to the first  checkpoint Lisa was  glued to my hip as were about 10 other  runners. It is quite an experience heading out for 94kms and feeling the  pressure of a large group of runners who are all trying to keep  pace with the pace setter. I was incredibly proud of Sam Wilson and Rich Kimmens who stuck to  us till the second checkpoint. The crew of Dave, Maghnus, Lisa and myself had a great system. The boys took care of ensuring we all took electrolytes every 30-45minutes and Lisa and I controlled the pace  for the first 1/3  of the race. It wasnt too long till it was just us four plodding through  the sand, dunes, rocks and plains. Another Irish runner Shane stayed within 100 metres behind us or  just  in front of  us for at least 75kms of the day. 

As we approached a  checkpoint situated half way up a dune Dave's  knee gave way and he decided he needed  to set his own pace to survive  the day. And then there were three. As we descented from a skinny sandy ridge we entered a vast and expansive plain. It was hot  and appeared never ending. All of a sudden I was filled with emotion and thought of my Grandmother who  passed away a few days  before I came  out to Egypt.  From  sadness to liberation I realised  she was by my side helping me through one of the difficult and hottest  stages of the course, a special moment that I  wont forget. 

Without boring you with a blow  by blow of the whole 15.5hours I will tell you that
1: The companionship of Maghnus and Lisa made the day actually enjoyable and we spent alot of time talking and supporting each  other. Maghnus was a true gentleman & helped Lis up several of the dunes & Lis  would then pull me up by grabbing my  stick. 

2:  I drank over  15litres of water, 16 electrolytes, a bite of shephards pie (courtesy of Maghnus), dried fruit (courtesy of Lis) and a few  lollies. I never went to the  toilet as the  process of pulling  down my  shorts seemed unappealing in the heat. 

3: We saw a shooting star just before we approached the finish line & the three of  us jogged in hand in  hand to the hugs of fellow tentmates Malcolm  and RB. 

The final 2kms to the finish line at the pyramids was great and I am amazed that I am now injury free and nearly home. 

Final words are  of thanks. 
Thanks to RB, Malcolm, Sambot, Maghnus, Dave and Ed. Every desert you bond with people but this goes to a whole new level. After  the disasters of day 1 I will always remember  how  each of you supported me in your own way. I feel privileged and blessed for the week we have shared and  cannot wait till 2012-2013 Yukon 430 (Ed's business card is still in my  pocket & I will bring  it when we next  meet). 

Thanks to the best group of sponsors a rookie desert  runner  could  ask  for. 
- Juice Plus: I think i fought my head cold  during the first few days due to the high  dosage of JP i was  taking!
- CW-X & Ascend: your products  are invaluable with recovery and  I had no cramping & minimal body fatigue the whole  race. 
- Injinji & Brooks: No blisters for the whole race!! I am in shock and very happy  to  have  my  feet in tact (to the  jealousy of  many competitors). 
- 720Armour: best  sunglasses going round. Light & stylish, so  much in fact that the mysteriously went walkabout on the final  morning. Boohiss.  
-Rog: for making  my great  website. Check  it out  on http://www.samanthagash.com & please donate to the Royal Children's Cystic Fibrosis Research Trust if you have the capacity. 

Thanks to my family and friends. I was very lucky  to have my parents at the finish line, my sister volunteering  at the race, my  'Sane Cousins' following  my  every step and  friends & previous RTP competitors sending much  appreciated comments and  messages.  I couldnt have done it without you  all. Big love to Maddog as well xx

Thanks to Sam Fanshawe, Alina Brown, Eric  LaHaie &  the rest  of  the  RTP crew  for   putting on a spectacular course which was well organised  from start to  finish. Look forward to seeing you all in Antarctica. 

From hot deserts, to long blogs to impending  study  lockdown. The task  I have given  myself this year is massive  but  one thing I always take  away from the desert is the need to put  things in perspective. Its all about one step at a time, whether  it be in the desert or not. 

You will  see me back on the blogs in  less than a month when I attempt  to finish off this challenge. 

Signing  off. xx

This is going to have to be a quick email. I didnt get the memo that the cyber tent was shutting at 3pm and have been avoiding entering into here because it is so hot. The long day over and it went through with minimal dramas, which is a huge blessing. As you plod through the kms you keep waiting to hit a wall where you are going to struggle to move on. It was pretty hot but we had a nice breeze which provided some relief but it is pretty unbareable right now as we are awaiting the final competitor to come through.
 
I will send a long blog about the long day when I get into Cairo but I wanted to say I am safe & sound. The body is having a little melt down and my legs resemble elephants legs but what can you really expect after 248kms of racing through the hottest desert in the world.
 
I ended up placing 24th yesterday with one of my tent mates and Lisa Tamati. We did the whole day together and it was lovely to come in with them.
 
Love and thanks to everyone for supporting me.
 
xx

Mahhhh.... I am writing this blog a few hours after I read all of your lovely messages and it was the nicest thing to come into after 38kms.
 
I want to say congratulations to Cheets for the arrival of his first daughter Kitty Jane. So excited for you Cheets and hope to meet her one day soon. 
 
Day four is over which means the long day is tomorrow. I am feeling suitably nervous about the 96km stage.. The potential for so many things to go wrong is huge. Today's stage went through with minimal dramas and I headed off with the same crew - Malcolm, Dave & Maghnus. The first section was pretty tough as there was no wind to break up the heat and by 8:30am it was already 41degrees. It was a serious sweat box and the lack of wind meant I was able to smell how truly putrid I have become. We climbed up some big dunes and I was very relieved to feel the wind pick up when we reached the top. One of our crew had a knee issue about 20kms in so he went back to the docs to get some pain killers. We were worried about him as we progressed to the next checkpoint and were amazed when he caught up to us 70minutes later. My own knee started to play up a little towards the end but nothing like it was in Gobi. I'm sure it will flare up tomorrow but I feel confident that I will be able to pull through the stage even if im in excruciating pain. I have rolled out the toight legs on a tennis ball and a filled water bottle-  hoping I can have enough bounce in the legs to get me through in under 20hours.
 
The tent banter is getting to the point where we are dreaming about our first meal out of the desert. Malcolm is desperate for a burger and Ed just needs to eat something as he has probably lost 5kgs. When we arrived back into camp tonight Malcolm discovered that he had been wearing Ryan's shorts & vice versa during the race today. Quite disturbing as they are not wearing underwear underneath their shorts- hygiene is not top notch and I'm embracing the hand sanitizer whenever I get the chance. Everyone is trying to strategies for tomorrow - "do the first 30kms hard, walk during the heat of the day, start running when the sun goes down", "cook up noodles tonight to eat on the run, go slow and steady and not stop at any checkpoints".... its never ending & im sure it will all get thrown into the air and it will just be about survival.
 
The female grandslammers are still all in the mix and I am constantly in awe of Lucy who comes in late each night due to her poor knee and is shiny as a new button in the morning. Linda had some feet issues yesterday but was in great form today. Still feeling the absence of Ricky and wish he was here for the long day.
 
Came in equal 22nd today and fourth female in.  And luckily still no blisters.
 
Thanks to the advice of Rob James- been smashing the calories and resting ever since I came in :)
 
Love to my Gobi tent mates- Hugh, Dreamboat, Nick, Jimbo and Finn. Your messages are fabulous and I love it that your following the race. Sambot is trudging along, eating up a spag bol every morning and has become an RTP pro.
 
Thinking cool thoughts and hoping for an early and deep sleep.
 
PS: Good luck for the marathon and your Melbourne weekend cutie. Cannot believe you are in rest/holiday mode at the moment and I will be in massive cramming mode when I get home :( I have a horrid t-shirt tan that can only be cured by some tan o'clock sessions at the beach and on the rooftop. Love and miss you. xx

Haroo everyone,
 
Day three is over and I just ticked off 41.6kms. I always sum up each stage by how I feel at the finish line. Today I crossed the line with my two Irish tent mates and Dylan from Wales and it was a moment of celebration. Of course we each had down moments along the tough course, but it is amazing how you can help someone even when you are struggling (which also happens to make you feel better). We even got to the point in the final 5km stretch where we were each reciting poetry to each other (I embraced a recitation of 'a sunburnt country'). May sound silly but you can come up with some pretty crazy ways of making the time go quicker. I also had the running companionship for 35kms of another tent mate- Malcolm Brown, before he tore up the last 6kms.. Our tent posse is continually reminding each other how lucky we are to have such a good tent, which is another way of saying that we all think we are pretty great  Ryan Bennett is safely in second place and we are all rooting for him to take first place. He is actually pretty hilar, not only does he have a new pair of socks for everyday but he also has multiple photos to provide himself with changing images of inspiration. The best thing about Ryan is that he is incredibly chilled, the guy takes photos as he is on the course. We made a joke that he should run ahead of the first guy (Anders) and ask him to take a photo of him.
 
Enough tent banter, now onto the course.
Quite a picturesque day and the course director had us go through long periods of undulating dunes, rocky outcroppings, flat expanses with loose white sand and shale rock. NB: I had the assistance of another competitor in the cyber tent to come up with that description- the brain is going a little ga ga at this point. RTP decided to add in an extra checkpoint today to  break up the first two stages into three. This meant we had the kms broken into 8, 8.5, 8, 9.8, 9.4. I was quite thankful to be able to take on an extra 1.5litres as the heat was pretty strong out there today.  I have probably consumed close to liters of water today and plan to take in at least another 1-2 before bed.
 
Only a few people have dropped out today but there are a lot of people still out on the course and I suspect we will be hearing the beat of the drum at the finish line for several hours to come. Tomorrow is supposed to be easier but  I will be taking it carefully as the long day is just around the corner.
 
Placed equal 22nd and fourth female today. All about consistency! 
 
Best news is I have NO blisters and I say this as I guy just hobbled past me with the most horrendous bloody blisters. Knocking on wood that my injinji's and brook shoes continue to be my saviours in the desert.
 
Thanks to fellow RTP competitors who have showered me with support through the blogs- (Diana, David, Rossco, Dodsy, Matty, Melissa, Andrea, Nick, Dreamboat, J.Carter, Peter, Andrea and Gareth).
 
Big love to my Mum and Dad- hope you are enjoying your travels in Alexandria and I cannot wait to see you at the finish line (Malcolm and I just had  the thought for you to bring us some clean clothes at the finish line- we are happy for the clothes to be oversized and uncool).
 
Thinking cool thoughts!!

From the horrors of Day 1 to the beauty of day 2. I buddied up with two Irish lads from my tent and we planned to run the first checkpoint before we would hit the dunes and heat. We had a good, slow, steady pace going on and the boys are such lovely ones that it was a pleasure to run with them. Running on sand is such an art and I hope I am slowly learning how to read the sand. It can make you traverse through the sand considerably harder if you pick the wrong section to run on. My attempt to encourage was to continually tell the boys how good we were doing and they attempted to add to the morale through updating us whenever we needed to take an endurolyte.
 
Lisa joined the three of us out of checkpoint three and the four of us looked like soilders in the army as we pushed on in a straight line. Out strategy was quite smat and we passed about 10 people as we got into checkpoint two. Unfortunately I recieved news that my good mate and Grandslammer Ricky Paugh had pulled out at checkpoint 1 and it took an emotional toll on me out in the vast, hot and never ending desert. I let the Irish lads head off and stayed with Lisa and we reflected on how this experience will be different for us know that Ricky has gone. Both him and Tremaine plan to be in Antarctica!!
 
Checkpoint two to three was beautiful but I was too focused on moving forward to take out my camera. Lisa slowed down a bit and although I didnt want her to get out of reach I pressed on to catch up to my tent mate Malcolm. The surface was quite rocky and I had little alerts flashing in my head saying 'be careful with your knee on this surface missie'. So I was super careful but found some extra energy and transitioned my shuffle into a trot to checkpoint three. The last section was only 5.6kms so I did an internal Samantha Dance as I was feeling pretty good. Exiting the checkpoint we went down a massive dune and along a flat stretch of loose sand before we had to go up a sizeable dune. Not as steep as the long day dune in Atacama but compareable. I remember my feelings as I approached that dune in Atacama which was a complete breakdown. This time I got myself incredibly calm and I then gluided up the dune (or at least I felt that way). I felt great and I managed to create some space between myself and the competitors behind me. I alternated running and walking through the last section of sand and crossed the finish line placed 21st- just behind the Irish boys. Placed fourth female overall and Lisa was only 5 minutes behind me.
 
Good news for the sisterhood as two girls placed in the top eight today, which is fantastic. Hope they can continue this great run and challenge the boys at the top of the field.
 
My sister is sweeping the field today and is still out in the heat. Shes such a trooper and the only sweeper of the day that has taken on the whole 35kms- gooooo big sis.
 
There was around 8-9 people pulling out today and 4 have today. Alot of people who have done RTP have been suprised how tough this race has been considering people always say that the Sahara is the easiest out of the four. I think the Grandslammers are starting to feel the accumulative physical stress from the previous two events and limited recovery time. Despite this I still love being out here and wish that my previous favourites from other races could be sharing this experience with me
 
Kisses to Andrea, Nico, Manuel, Carro and Felipe from Santiago.
Cuddles and thoughts to Tango. Lucy and I wish you were here to join me in the state of delirium that we will soon enter. (Oh...Eric Lahaie and I goodled your famous model friend and a picture came up in google images that had you in all of your glory, hehehe.)
 
Thinking cool thoughts
 
- Samantha
 
PS: Cutie- thank you for your lovely message. I have taken all of your words wise words onboard.  Lisa and I have planned a solid de-brief on the long day. Racing is the never same when I can't share the experience with you. I cant wait till we get to go to the moon together:) Big love. xx

Hello Friends,
 
I always find that day 1 is one of the hardest stages of the race and this day was just like that. We headed off at 7am and the day was broken into four stages - 9, 10.7, 9.9, 7.4. In the two other RTP races I have entered it is always super cold in the morning and competitors stand around the fire trying to warm up. This morning it was pretty warm at 6am and it got progressively hotter and probably peaked at 45degrees.
 
Unfortunately I cannot give you a description of various terrain as we ran on sand, sand, sand and more sand. I headed out at a slow to medium pace and managed to run most of the first checkpoint. There were three medium sand dunes and the sand was relatively soft. The poles were quite a help and I truly felt like I had four feet as I scrambled my way to the top. Cass (my sister) was a volunteer at the first checkpoint and it was definitely motivation knowing that she was there.
 
CP1 to 2 was alot slower and I was struggling with my breathing a bit. There were no hills but I think mentally I started to realise that I am running on sand all week and BOY is it tough. I didn't wait at the checkpoint long just enough to pour water on my head and fill up my bottles.
 
CP2 TO 3 was probably the toughest section of any RTP race that I have ever done and unfortunately I was alone for the whole time. I couldn't see people ahead of me or behind me and I have now made the decision never to put myself in that situation again. Racing in a desert is tough enough and I think you need the support of your fellow competitors - and having there presence around you can pull you out of a funk. I managed to run in the final checkpoint and I was very relieved to have ticked off day 1 of the Sahara Race.
 
There are already a few competitors who have pulled out. One includes the famous Jack Denness who I spent some good QT with before the race started. He is a true legend of desert running and I am sad that he wont be here to complete the race. My friends Sandy and Col are still on the course at it is already 6:30pm. They will definitely get in before the cut off period but I am sure they will be quite exhausted when they arrive back to camp. Cass is heading back on the course to put out some glow sticks so they can navigate there way back to camp. Another Four Desert grandslammer Tremaine had a tough day with his very injured knee. He is one of the most determined men I know... I just stopped writing this blog for a moment as Tremaine came up to me and said that he has decided to pull out of the race. This is pretty shattering news and anyone who has done either of the Atacama and Gobi will know why this is so. Miss Emma Fergurson (also Gobi competitor) is walking around in her pink crocs right now with blisters that are worse that what she had in Day 5 in Gobi- which means they are AWFUL.
 
So to sum up today. One can never underestimate how tough a day marked as 'moderate' can be. I feel I have a new found perspective for this race and at such an early point. Tomorrow is supposed to be one of the toughest days terrain wise and I fear more victims will fall to the Sahara Desert. The night plan is to shovel some more food into my mouth and be in bed before 8pm.
 
Love to all of my wonderful family and friend. I know the St Kilda lose is terrible news for my Uncle Pete and all I can say is I am happy you were able to spend some time in Queensland away from the bogan Collingwood supporters.
 
Hello to the Houston trailrunners- Dino, Mariella, Mary, Larry and everyone else. Great to hear that you are following the race!!
 
Big love to my lovely boyfriend, really wish you were here.
 
Think cool.

Haroo All,
 
We have arrived in the warm, dark and beautiful desert. It is 7:40pm and it is pitch dark and the weather is still a balmy 30degrees.
 
Some of the locals are dancing and playing music and I plan to hit the hay after I finish writing this blog. We had quite a long day at competitor check in as the volunteers and medical staff were much more strict on checking we had every item of mandatory gear and adding our daily calorie intake. I came in at 5.9kgs, which was the lightest pack in the race- woot, woot. It makes sense however as I am (again) the shortest competitor in the field.
 
I have been drinking plenty of water and already popping some electrolyte tablets in prepartion for the 38km stage tomorrow. We start at 7am tomorrow and my tent has reached consensus for the alarm to be set to 5am. Plan to take tomorrow quite carefully to get myself adjusted to the heat and get the body conditioned to sand running.
 
Thanks for the pre-race wishes from Lyndal, Mimi, Rossco, Garry, Jayne, Jim, Jac, Hamish and Philippa.
 
If Cheets is reading this I am sending positive thoughts for the delivery of Baby Cheets and look forward to getting some updates on the gender, baby size and whether the baby has any hair :) Lucy just told me that she/he is already 1 week late.
 
Thinking cool thoughts
 
Peace
Pocket Rocket.

Hello Friends,

 

After arriving at Sydney at 7pm on Sunday night I arrived in my hotel in New Cairo 27 hours later. RacingthePlanet have provided the competitors with a rather pimp and luxurious accommodation. One notable setback is that the accommodation is in the middle of nowhere and there are no stores to stock up on copious amounts of water. Its key for all competitors and volunteers to stay incredibly well hydrated in the days leading up to the race and I hope to be drinking around 3litres every day. As I went to bed at 8:30pm last night my parents went on a water expedition and were unable to get a taxi out of the hotel. They walked for a few kms in both directions of the hotel and alas no water. We have now just returned from breakfast where we made the most of the buffet in filling up four of our own bottles with water.

Its been lovely catching up with my parents who are almost half Egyptian now with their extensive travels and knowledge of the area. This is the first chance they have had to get an idea of the harsh environment I have been racing in this year. They think I am even more crazy now.

 

I am hitting the books today and will hope to go out for a little run in the sun!! Looking forward to the other competitors arriving.

 

Cheers,

Samantha

Haroo All, There is no denying I am in a frantic rush to get everything together and ticked off before i jump on a plane for Cairo this Sunday. I have been spending the past few days writing essays on why alternative dispute resolution techniques are essential to conflict management and why a wife should have access to the sperm of her husband/defacto who is on life support. In my other spare time i am babysitting three little rugrats four afternoons a week (reminding myself there is no rush in having kids), working at Baker and McKenzie and flying back & forth between Melbourne and Sydney. Ohhhh in addition I am attempting to train and pack for a 250km desert race I have in less than 10 days. Despite the fact I will be spending my first few days in Cairo finishing up some uni assessments,

I am getting increasingly excited to breathe in that hot air and feel the burning sand on my feet. Many people have asked me this year if I have taken on more than i can chew, one of those people being me. I have always been one to live life to the maximum and fill in as much in my days as humanly possible. I feel i may be close to reaching the limit!! That being said I know that as soon the gun goes off in 10 days all i will be thinking about is moving from point A to point B. That simple concept is incredibly refreshing to me and those 6 days in Sahara will be my idea of a holiday.

Like all competitors i am sure your house is beginning to resemble a camp site and i publically apologise to my boyfriend and Emma for all of the gear that is consuming our living room space. I am beginning to make a mental note of everything I need to do - get insurance, pack pills, print off notes to read on the plane, apply more glue to gaiters, defer trust law exam (as it clashes with the last desert race) and the list continues. One piece of advice for competitors is to take as much of your gear onto the plane as possible - especially your runners and sunglasses (two of the most important items). There were horror stories in Chile with people's luggage going missing & they had a mad dash in Atacama getting food, clothing & mandatory items together from people who brought spares. A little reminder to put your sunscreen, hydropel and knives into your checked luggage.

Recent news is that my website has just been made live: http://www.samanthagash.com. In undertaking this Four Deserts challenge my objective is to raise funds for the Royal Children's Cystic Fibrosis Research Trust. There is a donations link on my homepage and I send big love to everyone who has donated and for those who have intentions to donate.

I arrive in Cairo on Monday and will be staying at the RTP allocated hotel. For those who haven't met me I will be the midget looking individual who will be completing her essays in the foyer. I encourage you all to interrupt me or even better, offer to finish it for me!

Time to start ticking off that list.

Cheers, Samantha

Just a little over 5 weeks until I make the long journey to Cairo. The reality of another desert adventure just around the corner has me very excited, nervous and anxious all at the same time. I feel like I am slightly underprepared for this race as I have been focusing on the tenbillion other things going on in my life. However it is always in the back of my mind and last night I had a dream that we were just about to start a stage and I hadn't packed my pack. The morning briefing was nearly over and everyone was telling me to hurry up but I was unable to move quick enough. I go to my backpack and I had filled it with bottles and bottles of gatorade and I it was so full that I couldn't even stuff my sleeping bag or jacket in. Mahhhhh, very bizzare dream considering Im not even taking gatorade with me. 

I did a beach running session on Sunday across the Northern Beaches in Sydney. The weather is slowly starting to pick up and I took a loaded pack and tested out how I run with trekking poles. I have been very reluctant to use trekking poles but after having my tent mates rave about them in Gobi I wanted to see if they would help me move through the sand quicker. After two hours of pushing through uneven sand I think the boys are right!! Sand is punishing and extremely difficult. It zaps your energy and I have found that I need to shorten my stride even more than i normally do to move more efficiently. I had beach dwellers shouting out to me "where are your ski's?" and despite the urge to challenge them to running with a pack across the beach I put my head down and continued on. 

I am nervous about how hot it will be in Egypt. I arrive on the 27th and will have a few days to acclimatise, but Sydney weather has been pretty chilly and mild since I moved here. I have therefore decided to be a bikram junkie for the next month. The plan is to do 5 sessions a week which will be tough timewise but I am hoping it will help with the shocking heat. 

The best news about racing in the Sahara is that my sister will be a volunteer and my parents will be at the finish line. I couldn't ask for better family support and I know seeing my sister at least once a day will motivate me to push on when I am feeling rubbish. It is great seeing how excited she is about coming and she has even stepped up her own training. I just know she will be a great volunteer and I feel all of the competitors (including myself) are lucky to have her there. 

As a reminder the link to donate to Royal Children's Cystic Fibrosis Research Trust is http://www.rccfrt.org/how_to_donate.php

Well end of rant and time to put my head in the books.

Hello Friends, 

Well finishing the Gobi March has me half way to achieving my goal of completing the FourDesert Series this year. I returned to Australia from China pretty exhausted with pain in my right knee that had me limping and whincing for a few weeks once I got back. Injury and exhaustion has forced me to approach The Sahara Race slightly different. I have embraced deep water running, bikram yoga and swimming and I am ready to gear up for a big few weeks before I fly to Cairo on the 26th. On the 11th of September I have a six hour deep water running session that is sure to leave the kids and lifeguards perplexed. I look quite the sight with my purple water belt and aqua ipod.

Training has been incredibly difficult to squeeze in as I have been attempting to complete my final year of law studies whilst also working part time at Baker and McKenzie in Sydney. Though time is not on my side I have the benefit of completing two 250km races in the past six months and I have a clear idea on what food and gear works for me. I am looking to shed a kg off my backpack weight from Gobi, which will mean I am taking the bare essentials (with exception to my camera). 

My fundraising efforts are still to raise some "serious cash" for the Royal Children's Cystic Fibrosis Research Trust. To support me in my 1000km challenge please donate though this link www.rccfrt.org/how_to_donate.php. 

I am happy to have Sam Wilson (tent mate from Gobi) signed up to race in Sahara as well as Lisa Tamati & all of the 2010 Grandslammers. Looking forward to meeting everyone else is a few weeks. 

Cheers, 

Samantha