So, we made it.  94km, stumbled and cursed through from start to finish.  We started at 6.30am on Thursday, and finally dragged our broken carcasses through the finish line today (Friday) at around 10.30am.  28hrs of fun and adventure!
 
The good news is, we still love each other, maybe even a little bit more after what we went through out there.  We laughed together, cried together, cursed together, and shared some of the best tasting salami ever together.
 
I don't where to start to try and describe all of our adventures out there.  It feels like a lifetime of things happened.  Both of us are sat here, a little sleep deprived and spaced out right now, so we've decided to write a proper blog entry describing our adventures after a good nights sleep, a shower, and some nice food.  And we only have to wait until tomorrow for those! 
 
We have the last few kilometres tomorrow to complete the whole challenge.  Short of a truck mowing us down on the course, we feel pretty confident that we are going to make it.  We definitely won't be first to cross the line, but we're not last either (in fact, when I checked the latest scoring yesterday I noticed that Toby was sitting 6 seconds ahead of me....coming into this race, he told our tent mates that he wasn't competitive, he just wanted to beat his wife!  I don't know how he has got that lead as we have crossed the line together every day, but tomorrow I'll be working hard to make up 7 seconds over him!) 
 
A huge thank you to everyone who has sent us messages and left us comments over the week.  It has been amazing to read them - they've cheered us up so much.  It's been an incredible week, painful at times (a lot of times) but the most amazing experience to go through together.  And now we are off for a week of pampering in Safari - and how we are going to enjoy those nice dinners, hot running water, and not sharing our honeymoon bedroom with 5 other smelly guys!
 
Loads of love to everyone - we've missed you all and can't wait to see you soon,
 
B&T

Sorry everyone for missing the blog entry yesterday.  It was a long day out there, and we weren't feeling full of inspiration when we got in.  So two installments today!
 
Hmmmm, what can I tell you.  Still hot, still lots and lots of sand.  The novelty is starting to wear off!  I've been gently trying to mention to Toby that maybe we should switch sports, and for our next competitive event we should enter a wife carrying competition......and maybe we should start practicing out here.  He doesn't seem to be going for the idea.
 
I got my first blister yesterday - Michele, I proudly named her after you.  Other than that, and some very ugly heat rash, both of our feet are in incredibly good shape.  I'm sure the 100km we have ahead of us tomorrow will take care of that!
 
The scenery yesterday and this morning was absolutely incredible.  We had to keep reminding ourselves to stop and take pictures.  The only downside to taking pics is that you actually get to see what you look like - I have an incredibly dorky look going on to try and protect myself from the sun.  I've been soaking my buff and wrapping it round my hat, which works really well, but does look exactly like I've got an old pair of knickers on my head.  Not the best honeymoon look.   
 
We had our first tent mate drop out yesterday sadly.  We all hugged him, and said how sorry we were to see him go.  Then we tore into his pack like wild animals, raiding it for food and medical supplies.  Roland, we miss you. but we are loving your protein bars and anti-inflammatory gel!
 
The smell in our tent is getting riper.  We've been noticing a strange smell like parmesan cheese for the last couple of nights.  Tonight we realised that one of our tent mates actually had parmesan cheese with him, and was kind enough to share some around.  It was incredible - like some dodgy drug deal, he cut us all a small piece - sweaty, stinky cheese never tasted so much like heaven!  Way better than crack cocaine!
 
So, the long stage tomorrow.  Just under 100km, in one go.  Our muscles are already shot, and my hip is giving me lots of trouble.  We are moving slowly.  The painkillers are streaming in.  It will be a long day (or two) out there, but with my best friend by my side I know we will get there. 
 
We've talked a little bit about how we're going to tackle the long stage.  Toby had this big idea about how we were going to tear it out in 16hrs.  I told him that last time I did something like this, it was over 30hrs of absolute carnage....if he was going 16hrs, he would be going it alone!  So our plan is to simply take it step by step, deal with whatever happens when it happens.  Take it slowly.  And eventually we will get to the end.  We do have one secret weapon actually - a giant salami sausage.  It has been sat in the bottom of my backpack the whole week, sweating away.  Under normal circumstances I would be absolutely repulsed by something like that, but I know that somewhere around the 50km mark of tomorrow, that salami sausage is going to absolutely make our day.    
 
So, that's all for tonight.  The next installment will be after we cross that 100km finish line.  Think of us tomorrow night - you'll be all tucked up in bed, and we'll be somewhere in the Sahara desert with our headlamps on, cursing and in pain!
 
Missing you all.  A massive thank you again to everyone for your comments and emails - please keep them coming, we love them, and can't wait to read some more when we get in after our long stage.
 
Huge hugs to Mans, Per and Karin, and wish us luck!!

B&T
 
P.S. Kim - I have been thinking of your Namibia finish line comment a lot over this past week.....'you forget the pain'.  You got me through the long stage in Namibia, and that comment will help me through tomorrow.  Thank you!

So, after a long nights sleep (we're still trying to catch up on our pre-wedding chaos inducing sleep deprivation - this may not have been the right place to come for that!), we were up at 4.45am for a 6am start.  We didn't actually set off in the end until 6.30am, which was good for me (as anyone who knows my time keeping abilities will agree with!)
 
Both of us were feeling pretty good this morning, and Toby was apparently feeling so good that he steamed ahead, and spent most of the first stage walking about 10m ahead of me.  I spent the whole of the first stage trying to figure out why!  I wasn't sure if it was a) my conversation was so bad, b) my slightly urine impregnated socks smelled too offensive, or c) now that we're married, swedes traditionally like to keep their women at a respectable distance behind them.  Anyhow, I managed to reel him in by the time we reached the first checkpoint, and he didn't manage to break free again the rest of the day!
 
Coming into checkpoint 1, Toby started complaining about a painful calf.  Being the caring wife, I told him to pop a painkiller, suck it up and stop complaining.  All was good until half way between checkpoint 1 and 2 when he fell over in the sand after his leg had given out.  I was very worried about his leg, but even more worried about how I was going to drag his giant Swedish carcass through the next 10kms of sand dunes.  Luckily, we streched out his leg, and he's back on his feet. 
 
Absolutely stunning scenery today.  We have taken tons of great pictures, and had lots of fun running down sand dunes (not so much fun running back up the other side though).  Toby has spent some of the long hours we are walking together trying to educate me in some of his beautiful native language.  We started off with the basics....counting, colours, items of clothing....but it wasn't long before he was teaching me some absolute filth. I can now insult in every Swedish dialect (but I still can't count to 20).
 
I do feel bad that I'm slowing Toby down so much.  For every one step he takes, I take three and a half, so he's at a bit of an unfair advantage.  He keeps trying to make me feel better by saying he couldn't go much faster anyway, but he disproved that today when about 4km from the finish, his 'Just Married' sign which was pinned to his backpack flew off in the wind.  I could barely muster up a shuffle, and said lets just leave it.  He immediately jumped into action and went sprinting off after it, catching it after going about 200m (in the wrong direction).  Then he bounded back to me, all smiles.  How on earth do people have that much energy after going 80km through a desert?
 
Anyway, bed is calling.....another long day tomorrow!
 
Huge thankyou again to everyone for all your comments and emails - they are so wonderful to read....keep them coming!
 
Missing you all, especially Mans, Per and Karin.
 
More tomorrow!
 
B&T x

Pissing in the wind is a phrase that Toby uses sometimes to describe doing something that he has absolutely no clue about.....for example 'honey, do you have any clue how to complete a 250km race across the Sahara', 'no sweetie, I'm just pissing in the wind'.  Today, it's a bit more literal.  A couple of discoveries we made about the Sahara today.....it is very, VERY hot, and really windy.  Temps got up to 48C today (that's an awful lot of farenheit), and the winds were whipping for most of the day.  So combine the very important task of drinking lots to avoid becoming dehydrated, and those winds, and you have the real life scenario of pissing in the wind.  For guys this isn't so much of a problem.  For girls...well, lets just say I haven't yet mastered the art.  And now pretty much everything I wore from the knee down got in some way covered by pee.  The winds were not those refreshing breezes that you wish for when its hot either, they felt like a hot hairdryer blowing in your face.  I actually had trouble breathing at times as it was so intense.  Luckily, like most Swedes, Toby was born and brought up in a Sauna, so it felt just like home for him.  One positive about all this though is that I think the top two layers of skin on my face have been scrubbed off in some sort of extreme micro-dermabrasion - I should look 10 years younger by the end of this race!
 
We have both had one foot 'professionally' taped as we are taking part in a medical study to see if taping helps.  And, miracle of miracles, we are both still blister free.  I have swollen up quite nicely though, and my hands and feet look like I have a minor case of elephantitis.  Toby is trying hard not to be too repulsed!
 
Thank you so much for all your comments and emails - it makes such a difference to us when we get in at the end of the day.  Keep them coming!  And Matt, you'll be pleased to hear that the giant sleeping pad as seen in Namibia has made a comeback in Sahara.  Built for comfort more than speed (just like me!) it is less of a sleeping pad, and more resembles a childs bouncy castle - always guarantees me a decent spot in the tent at night!
 
Off to bed now - more tomorrow!
 
B & T

So, in the beginning this trip corresponded exactly to the general perception of what a honeymoon should be.  A five star hotel, a complimentary upgrade to the biggest suite I have ever seen.  It was when we had to get up after 4 hours sleep, and sit through a race briefing telling us about the torture we will be going through over the next 6 days that it started to sink in what exactly we were doing.
 
I thought Toby and I had exactly the same kit in our packs.  However, when we weighed in, Tobys pack came in at a skinny 9kgs, and mine weighed a whopping 12.5kg.  It could have been because I had half of the breakfast buffet stuffed into my front pack, but I am suspicious that Toby is slyly moving his things into mine.  Little does he know, that this will all backfire around day 3, when he's not only carrying my pack, but me as well (why else does he think I brought him!).
 
The journey from the hotel to camp was....long.  A bumpy bus, with no toilet, was a challenge for my over active bladder.  Toby stayed glued to the window, telling me excitedly about all the cool things outside (including the pyramids!).  After a lot of late nights in a row, the only thing I saw during the bus ride was the inside of my eyelids.
 
We have been assigned to Tent 1 - the only time we will be in the number one position this week!  Toby was very excited to find out that there are another two Swedes sharing our tent, so there is an official Swedish majority.  Its like an Abba tribute night in there right now.  Another Swedish tradition that Toby has introduced me to is that apparently they walk round naked a lot.....ladies, I'll be posting my pictures on facebook when I get back.
 
So, we had better go and have our romantic first meal together....I can hear the hot water pot calling our name.
 
We're missing everyone back home.....lots of love to everyone, and especially Mans, Per and Karin who we are missing like crazy.  And keep those comments coming!
 
B & T

So, when I suggested a honeymoon destination to Toby that has beautiful golden sands, guaranteed sunshine and free drinks, he said he didn't need to hear any more.....'sounds perfect..book us up!'. Now, as he sits here trying to cram everything he needs for the week into a tiny backpack, he's wishing he hadn't left me in charge. And although this all seemed like such a good idea a year ago, and our wedding date has been planned around this event (sorry to all of our guests who have had to come to a Thursday wedding so we can catch our flight to Cairo on Friday!), one piece of advice I can definitely give now is never try and plan a wedding and a 250km Sahara run at the same time! There are the age old dilemmas....do I diet to fit into my wedding dress, or bulk up to give me a few spare calories along the way? How long will it take for my perfectly pedicured toenails to fall off? Do champagne and wedding cake provide the ultimate in carb loading? I still don't have the answers, but I do know that in less than a week from now I will officially be Mrs. Wikstrom, and we will be somewhere in the Sahara desert ready to run! Many people have asked us why on earth we wanted to race across the Sahara for our honeymoon. I could think of many romantic answers.....how we wanted to start the journey of our life together by making an epic journey across the desert......how the bonding experience of this kind of an adventure is like no other......but the truth is, if we didn't lock in before we went, once we had smelled each other after 6 days of running in the Saharan heat without a shower there is no way we would have stuck together! With all the chores on our to-do list the past few months, training has definitely taken a back seat. Toby has taken up running to work, wearing his backpack full of gear. I have taken up step aerobics, after finding that they run a class at my gym?! I thought step aerobics only existed in the early 90's, and that's most definitely where I should have left it. My total lack of co-ordination has left me with shins covered in bruises, and my dignity in shreds. Although I know it will all be worth it when I can pull out the perfect 'Mambo, cha-cha-cha!' in the desert. (God knows how I will do running with a backpack through the sand though!) As the perfect new wife, I have offered to take care of all the cooking for our first week of married life. I described the mouth watering pasta dishes I was going to lovingly prepare...by adding hot water and leaving to stand for 3 minutes. In all fairness though, a week of living off of powders and freeze dried food may well be the best cooking I will ever do during our marriage. Actually, correction, it may well be the ONLY cooking I will ever do during our marriage! One thing Toby said he absolutely couldn't live without during our trip was coffee. I ummed and aaahed on this one - there are no calories in coffee...can we sacrifice the extra weight for something that gives no energy. Then I realised that avoiding the experience of a 6ft 4" swede without his morning coffee was definitely worth an extra 20 grams in the backpack. So, I had better get back to the final planning - on the list today is making sure that my ipod is fully charged and loaded. I'm betting that the Lady Gagas lyrics will provide more intelligent listening than our conversation on the long stage. To anyone who reads this and doesn't know us, we would LOVE to read your comments on our blog. It's so nice when you're out there to know that there are people back in civilisation following us. And to those who do know us, no excuses!! Send us some support - we need all the help we can get! Next installment from Egypt!....... B & T