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Namib Race Blogs 2010
6
PostsNamib Race (2010) blog posts from Devrim Celal
08 October 2010 07:23 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi
Thank you,
To all friends and family who helped with their thoughts, comments, e-mails and good wishes. Specially to Ricky, Denvy, Sandy, Shuhan, Catherine, Jude, Declan, Lawrence, Ali, Derek and Rana.
It was a mentally and physically tough race. Heat and soft sand make for a mean combination. Sahara graced us with both, however, she also gave us incredible beauty, allowed us to set camp and sleep on sand and sea shells that not been turned for millions of years, preserved whales bones for millions of years for us to see in amazement and presented us a night sky clearer and more vibrant than anywhere else. Thank you Sahara.
As for me, I am almost blister free (nothing major), knees and joints all OK, muscles fine, enjoyed the running here, took it relatively easy after day one in case I got a place to go to Antarctica which is now in 5 weeks. Would I do it again? No! Too hot and sandy. But regardless of the Antartictca outcome, it was a success, I met many great and interested people and probably made a couple of very good friends.
Overall, great camps, great people, extreme sense of camaraderie, satisfying sense of achievement.
Best moment: The last 35kms of the Long Day. I had a pack of Salt and Vinegar Cattle Crisps and ran the fasted time that I ever did at a RTP event (this after having run 215km, 60 that day). You should all add Kettle Chips to your recovery and fuel bags. Incredible! However, it was also helped by being alone in the desert at night silence, the warmth, the stars, as if waiting for something extraordinary to take over, that`s when I felt Sahara`s enormity the most!
To all friends and family who helped with their thoughts, comments, e-mails and good wishes. Specially to Ricky, Denvy, Sandy, Shuhan, Catherine, Jude, Declan, Lawrence, Ali, Derek and Rana.
It was a mentally and physically tough race. Heat and soft sand make for a mean combination. Sahara graced us with both, however, she also gave us incredible beauty, allowed us to set camp and sleep on sand and sea shells that not been turned for millions of years, preserved whales bones for millions of years for us to see in amazement and presented us a night sky clearer and more vibrant than anywhere else. Thank you Sahara.
As for me, I am almost blister free (nothing major), knees and joints all OK, muscles fine, enjoyed the running here, took it relatively easy after day one in case I got a place to go to Antarctica which is now in 5 weeks. Would I do it again? No! Too hot and sandy. But regardless of the Antartictca outcome, it was a success, I met many great and interested people and probably made a couple of very good friends.
Overall, great camps, great people, extreme sense of camaraderie, satisfying sense of achievement.
Best moment: The last 35kms of the Long Day. I had a pack of Salt and Vinegar Cattle Crisps and ran the fasted time that I ever did at a RTP event (this after having run 215km, 60 that day). You should all add Kettle Chips to your recovery and fuel bags. Incredible! However, it was also helped by being alone in the desert at night silence, the warmth, the stars, as if waiting for something extraordinary to take over, that`s when I felt Sahara`s enormity the most!
06 October 2010 01:21 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi
Thank you for all the supporting messages and comments. It really helps.
Slow and easy day, through an incredible landscape. At one point I stopped and looked around and took in the vastness, beauty and brutality of Sahara.
It was a relatively easy 38km day. Nothing too spectacular apart from some dunes and sharp climbs onto a few platos. It got silly hot at one point but then the wind came to our rescue. Today was all about keeping enough for tomorrow.
Tomorrow is 97.5km and it will go through the day, therefore the strategy of running to get in quick to avoind the heat will not work. We will have to run and gain ground in the morning, move efficiently through the day and try and pick it up in the cool of the afternoon. In theory anyway.
No blog tomorrow, next blog will be from Giza.....
Slow and easy day, through an incredible landscape. At one point I stopped and looked around and took in the vastness, beauty and brutality of Sahara.
It was a relatively easy 38km day. Nothing too spectacular apart from some dunes and sharp climbs onto a few platos. It got silly hot at one point but then the wind came to our rescue. Today was all about keeping enough for tomorrow.
Tomorrow is 97.5km and it will go through the day, therefore the strategy of running to get in quick to avoind the heat will not work. We will have to run and gain ground in the morning, move efficiently through the day and try and pick it up in the cool of the afternoon. In theory anyway.
No blog tomorrow, next blog will be from Giza.....
Comments: Total (1) comments
Posted On: 07 Oct 2010 01:12 am
Hey Devrim, I'll be thinking of you throughout the long day - it's going to be brutal but I have every faith that you will do well :) By the time you read this, Day 5 would be over so well done!! You can almost taste the ice cold beer....
05 October 2010 12:11 pm (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi
I was hot, very hot, outrageously hot and sandy, yet it was beautiful A combination of a long beach in Cyprus and the Grand Canyon. However, with the heat and the soft surface it was hard. It was the longest day for me since the 110km at Gobi. Partnered with Cole again and took it easy, possibly too easy and got stuck in at peak temperatures in a low area and suffered. We did pick up the pace significantly in the last stage and finished strong and had plenty of time to recovered. Many people were not as lucky. We had a significant people drop out today. Tomorrow is meant to be an easier run, still almost 40km but flat and hard It will be a day to take it easy finish well and have plenty of time to recover before the long day.
Looking forward to finishing at Giza!
DC
Looking forward to finishing at Giza!
DC
Comments: Total (1) comments
Posted On: 06 Oct 2010 01:49 am
Well done Devrim! Another day down and onwards still. You are almost halfway through so stay strong and keep up the great work. It's all about staying strong in the mind now. Stay strong and your body will get you through. xx
04 October 2010 01:20 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi
I take back my comments about Sahara. It was beautiful, amazing sand dunes, an incredible plato and flats.
I took is very easy today. I woke up still in pain from yesterday. As I was getting off to a slow start Cole walked by me and started chatting, five and a half hours later we were still chatting and walking fast but no running. My legs were not collaborating until the last 5km when we came upon a massive sandy drop. Only one thing to do, jump and jump again and hope for the best, all the way down. A little big like sand skiing without the skis, one dune after the other. That was fun! a lot of fun. I even forgot the pain. In fact by the end of it the pain was gone.
The camp site is perched on the edge of a hill over looking the sand dunes we ran today. However, it has been impossible to enjoy the view because of the sand in the air, I have sand everywhere, ears, eyes, nose, in my bag, even in my food.
I am still suffering balancing my electrolytes. I started on enduralytes today and they seem to have done the trick. We will see tomorrow.
Tomorrow we start with my favourite, sand dunes for 10kms, then some more and more but we do have a natural spring (Waha) on the way. It will be very difficult to resist the temptation to jump in, and we all need it!
Rana, kizim yikamaya gerek yok, once kesinlessin. Optum!
I took is very easy today. I woke up still in pain from yesterday. As I was getting off to a slow start Cole walked by me and started chatting, five and a half hours later we were still chatting and walking fast but no running. My legs were not collaborating until the last 5km when we came upon a massive sandy drop. Only one thing to do, jump and jump again and hope for the best, all the way down. A little big like sand skiing without the skis, one dune after the other. That was fun! a lot of fun. I even forgot the pain. In fact by the end of it the pain was gone.
The camp site is perched on the edge of a hill over looking the sand dunes we ran today. However, it has been impossible to enjoy the view because of the sand in the air, I have sand everywhere, ears, eyes, nose, in my bag, even in my food.
I am still suffering balancing my electrolytes. I started on enduralytes today and they seem to have done the trick. We will see tomorrow.
Tomorrow we start with my favourite, sand dunes for 10kms, then some more and more but we do have a natural spring (Waha) on the way. It will be very difficult to resist the temptation to jump in, and we all need it!
Rana, kizim yikamaya gerek yok, once kesinlessin. Optum!
Comments: Total (2) comments
Posted On: 05 Oct 2010 09:20 am
Devrim, you are a machine! Keep steady and stay hydrated. You have karma on your side after helping me at the end of Stage 1! Was a pleasure competing with you and looking forward to following your progress and undoubted success! Rock and roll. Beer on me in Hampstead when you're back.
Posted On: 05 Oct 2010 02:59 am
Woohoo!! You have spring water! Well done Devrim and you deserve it. Great effort for another impressive Stage. I so wish I'm with you in the desert enjoying the beauty and solitude of it. I hope you get the electrolytes sorted out soon. Stay strong and keep your chin up - you will rock this race :) xx
03 October 2010 01:21 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi
It's soft sand, it's outrageously hot (50 celcius), it's all sand and nothing else to look at. Therefore, the only option was to run and get it over with before the sun was too high. That worked well till checkpoint 3 (30km). I arrived energetic, in position 20 and with a clear chance to finish under 5 hours. I got my water from Dr Avi, said I was OK to go, took 10 strides and my left calf gave up, then the other and then the groin, all cramping at the slightest fast move. I ended up walikng the last 7.5km and finished just over 5hours with Ricky Pough who was suffering from elevated heart rate. We slowly walked in.
Tomorrow is meant to be event harder with massive sand dunes and temperature promissing to be at least as hot. The only good thing about tomorrow is the fact that we will start an hour earlier and hopefully finish before it is too hot. We will be circling the lower lake and camping at night by the lake with the potential to take a dip which will be welcome as already we smell nasty!
more to report tomorrow, hopefully I will be in a better mood after my dip!
Rana, keep them coming ;-)
DC
Tomorrow is meant to be event harder with massive sand dunes and temperature promissing to be at least as hot. The only good thing about tomorrow is the fact that we will start an hour earlier and hopefully finish before it is too hot. We will be circling the lower lake and camping at night by the lake with the potential to take a dip which will be welcome as already we smell nasty!
more to report tomorrow, hopefully I will be in a better mood after my dip!
Rana, keep them coming ;-)
DC
Comments: Total (2) comments
Posted On: 04 Oct 2010 12:58 pm
Good Work Devrim. Just remember to take it easy in those dunes.
And that there will be beer and pizza at the finish line.
Posted On: 04 Oct 2010 01:17 am
Hey Dev, impressive placing on the first day! Amazing strength you showed despite the cramps and the pain. Keep it up and stay strong. I will be following you and thinking of you - sending you positive thoughts. x D
02 October 2010 02:35 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi
After two sleepless nights at last here I am. Half a day at the hotel, 3 hour bus ride and we are at the shores of Lake of Rayyan, its hot, its humid and sandy. Look anywhere apart from the direction of the lake and it`s sand, yellow sand, brown sand, grey sand, just sand, even in the air.
However, so are many friends from Gobi. The air is full of excitement. Afterall, we are all here to have fun.
The next two days we are going to be running around the Lake of Rayyan before we leave the Lake westbound in to the Valley of the Whales on day 5. The valley promises to be spectacular. We will have the possibility of seeing some fossils along the way.
Tomorrow is a 40km run possibly (hopefully) on packed sand.
However, so are many friends from Gobi. The air is full of excitement. Afterall, we are all here to have fun.
The next two days we are going to be running around the Lake of Rayyan before we leave the Lake westbound in to the Valley of the Whales on day 5. The valley promises to be spectacular. We will have the possibility of seeing some fossils along the way.
Tomorrow is a 40km run possibly (hopefully) on packed sand.
Comments: Total (0) comments