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Martin Palethorpe

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Namib Race (2008) blog posts from Martin Palethorpe

01 November 2008 10:25 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

As I sit here with tears rolling, I cannot begin to describe how I feel right now.  We did it.  We completed the 100km stage 5, which rates as certainly one of the toughest things I've ever done.  I am truly exhausted, with severe foot and leg pain, drained, tired, emotional and at the same time totally relieved, joyous & elated to finish. 
Team Polar Bears completed the 100km at about 0230 this morning in 57th place (out of 170) and second top team (we think), having started at 0800 - that's 18.5 hours on the go stopping about 30 mins in total. 
 
The race was gruelling.with barely a change of scenery for the whole way; plateaus of rock and sand reaching for about 85k of the distance.  Each time we reached the brow of a vast plateau, the next one followed on and on and on... endlessly.  Needless to say, I have no interest in seeing sand or desert for a rather long time.  It is so dull.
 
Our challenge was made greater because poor Miles has been sick for a couple of days.  I didn't want to mention it before, because I did not want to worry family.  He was sick on Wed, and for the big day had a constantly turning stomach for the first 65km.  Even pills from the doctors seemed to have no impact.  Eventually he perked up with extra-strong anti-sickness pills that they give to Chemo-patients; plus some salty food.  Miles did superbly to hang in there for the first 8-10 hours and to keep a good pace up throughout.  He was a shining example of his family motto 'never give up'.  Well done Milo.  PS. He's fine now by the way.
Stu was his usual strong, supportive and generous self.  He struggled immensely over the last few kns with severe blisters on the balls of both feet but did a great job.  Well done Stu, you stallion.
And then there's Martin.  Some of you may know of my challenges in my Gobi Desert race in 2005 and then in the Arctc race in 2007.  May be I didn't even know how important it was for me to finish this race.  I'm very proud say that I completed this brutal monster-of-a-race in strong shape. Hurray!
 
So the race...
There were 10 checkpoints approx 10k apart.  Luckily there was a fresh wind all day so the temp was not too hot.  We slowly knocked off the check points one at a time.  The first half wasn't too bad - we were used to doing 40k in a day so that felt 'normal'.  But as we got into the second half, legs started to get heavy and energy waned -  things got alot harder (especially as it was pitch black by this point).  All navigation was done following glowsticks with our head torches.  Second half distances were as follows: to Checkpoint CP 7 12.4km (still 47k in total to go!); to CP8 11km (still 35k in total to go!); to CP9 9km (still 24k in total to go!); to CP10 14.5km .  At CP7 there was hot water.  I had a really tough 12k to reach that point.  I was starving and in need for warm food which made 7.5ml go very slowly.  I thought that to CP8 would be ok after food, but psychologically I was struggling with still 35k to go.  My inspiration came from Rachel.  After all that she does for me and us, I knew what she would say to me - come on Palethorpe, you can do it, get on with it.  It worked a treat and hellped me quell the inner demons and find another depth of determination.  The final part to CP10 (still nearly 10 miles), when we felt like we were nearly there, was also a killer - it was by far the worst terrain of the day; an endless trek across deep sand which drained every muscle and remaining energy we had. 
As we limped to the finish line the relief was huge.  We had done it.
 
At that point, I'd never experienced such extreme physiological pains and strains in my body.  I wanted to be sick but had nothing to throw.  My feet were throbbing as if they were alive with anger at me.   My legs were as tight as never before.  I almost had this surreal feeling that my body was out of control.  It wasn't happy with me (rightly so!). 
 
So as I sit here at 11am writing this email, some people are still out on the course.  The sun has risen and the heat is intense, as they struggle on to complete the race.  We're still waiting on Jacqueline and Ji Hi from our tent (Tent 6) to arrive - fingers crossed they're ok (sure they will be).  The last people are expected in this evening, making their 100k journey a gruelling 36 hours. 
The front runners finished in about 12 hours.  The top 25 started 2 hours later than us, so we saw them pass us on the course.  They're are fit people - not fast, but incredibly consistent running most of the way.
 
For those of us at camp, today is a rest day - time to chill and recuperate.  Thank god for that.  I believe that we're leaving here at 2am tonight for the 7hour trip back to Cairo.  The race formally finishes in front of Giza Pyramids with a 5-10k tomorrow morning, which should be a spectacle.  Whilst it'll hurt to get running again, it's only a small distance and I sit here so satisfied that the real hard bits have been done.
 
After that it's back to the hotel where we began for an Awards ceremony with real food and beer (!) on Sat night before we fly out early on Sunday to return home.  This is my last blog from Egypt.  I'll do another when I return home.  Thanks for reading it :)
 
Ella/Max - thanks for your emails.  It's great to hear your news.  I'm thinking of you because it's halloween tonight.  I hope you have a great fun halloween party. I can't wait to see you tomorrow.
Rach - thank you for being so supportive of me.  I appreciate you very much.  Thanks also for helping me get to CP7 and CP8.  You were my rock.   
To RacingthePlanet - thanks to all for the incredible support, help and encouragement you gave us yesterday!  It was excellent.

Comments: Total (1) comments

Posted On: 02 Nov 2008 09:16 pm

Congratulations, Martin. So pleased you made it so well, and made it with the team- well done to all. Proud to know you!

30 October 2008 03:56 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Day 4 is now over.  It's 3.11pm and we got to camp at 1.22pm in about 55th place having started at 7am - another 6h day in the desert.  Today was a game of two halves. The first half was great - quite hard sand with a breeze and not feeling that hot, also it was gradually downhill for 18km so we managed to run at reasonable pace for most of it. The second half was another matter.  It got extremely hot, certainly into the 40s and it was very sandy which made walking hard and running even harder.  The stages were a different length too today which psychologically didn't help.  The last stage was a long gruelling 14km with alot of dune.  The best checkpoint was the third one, located at a beautiful oasis in the middle of nowhere - sand for miles and miles in both directions and then all of a sudden a clump of about 20 palm trees feeding on the water of the oasis.  
We're all feeling pretty good right now.  I'm feeling great actually.  I found the first day the hardest, which had me then worry about how I'd cope with the whole race, but days 2-4 have gone well for me (I even felt strong today which is a rare feeling when you're out in this environment!)
I'm sat here now listening to the Egyptian porters playing the drums and all the early competitors clapping & singing - very pleasant.  The atmosphere in camp each afternoon is great.  There's probably 20-30 countries represented and the camaderie is great - some fascinating people who've travelled far and wide and who share things in common. Many are seasoned ultra-marathon runners.  They've done loads of these races all over the world.  There's a 73 yr-old man from GB who's one of them; a 4ft8 japanese woman another... 
 
So 4 days down and 2 to go.  The last day is just 5-10k running through the streets of Cairo so that doesn't really count.  Really there's just one day to go. The challenge is that that day is the 'mother' of all days - tomorrow we'll leave at 7am to complete 102km (that's 62.2miles!) - how totally insane is that!  I have never done 102k in a day before.  We're guessing that we'll take about 20 hours though it massively depends on the terrain.  That means we'll finish at around 3am.  The way I see it is that the day is in two halves - the first half up until about 4pm when the sun is hot, very hot; the second half from 4pm to 3am it'll be cooler but we'll be far more knackered.  Our strategy is to go out slow during the heat of the day and then see how we feel and see what we have left to push a little harder to the finish.  One of the challenges during that time is to eat well.  Obviously we won't have a main meal during that time and it's a long while to survive on energy bars and nuts.  
 
Time for me to sing off - one more day, one more day.  Nice and slow. We can do it.  Off to have my dinner (at 4pm) and relax in time for bed by 7pm.
 
Ella/Max - thank you so much for your email.  It was really great to hear your news.  I went very fast on day 3 (but not fast enough to win it).  Holding a snake sounds exciting - I've been looking for them out here in the desert because some of them live out here, but I haven't found any.  You made me very happy today because you wrote to me.  Actually I cried when I read it.  I miss you too. I love you lots and lots and look forward to seeing you on Sunday. Do you want anything from the desert? or from Cairo?  some sand? or a pyramid?
Rach - How are you?  Would love to hear from you after our long day. I've been thinking of you lots.  Pls tell Grandma/pa to get on the email.
JohnWyn Richards of Frome - if you're reading this - Happy 40th Birthday my friend. I'm so sorry I missed it.  You're a dear friend and I've been thinking of you out here. Hope you're celebrations went well. 
Marei - I've had no problems with my left ankle.  I can't believe it.  Thanks v much for the email you sent before I left.  I think it worked!

Comments: Total (8) comments

Posted On: 31 Oct 2008 05:26 pm

Guys, congratulations, just seen the timings for the beast stage, fantastic result. Stu, missing you at work pal, glad to hear you're stronger than ever, you always finish strong as well - legend. Looking forward to the stories. Take care lads.

Posted On: 30 Oct 2008 09:25 pm

Evening from the frozen North Aberdeen away from The sunny Solent....break the elephant task of tomorrow and break it into bite size chunks, yum yum! Seen the banter about the footy!....my Arsenel hero Tony Adams has just been appointed manager of Pompey!!! See you at the school run next week!!!!!! Di XXX

Posted On: 30 Oct 2008 07:07 pm

Should have read the previous comments, now you get the same news three times! At least we have our priorities right. Good luck mate.

Posted On: 30 Oct 2008 04:33 pm

Great to read your progress report mate, I will be thinking of you tomorrow and your unbelievable challenge. You are an amazing fellow. I don't want to bring you down at all but it was probably best you didn't see the Arsenal vs. Tottenham game last night. 4 - 4. Spurs with 2 goals in the last 2 minutes. Could have been worse I suppose. Hoping to see you next week. Lots of love. Ian

Posted On: 30 Oct 2008 12:40 pm

Hi Martin Great to read about your latest adventures. Sounds really tough but as ever you seem to have it nailed and are obviously up beat. You ar enow heading for the big one so the best of luck with this.Having read the comment form your friend Paul I have discovered you are an Arsenal fan as I am. Just as well you missed the game,the last goal in the Spurs game was in the dying seconds !! FYI it is really cold here at present so make the mosty of the heat if you have a rest day before flying home. Good luck Peter

Posted On: 30 Oct 2008 12:31 pm

Martin Keep going buddy, one last push before you can sprint through the streets of Cairo. If you need a bit of anger to get you going just know that your beloved Gunners let in 2 late goals to draw 4-4 with Spurs last night (now managed by 'arry)! To make you even more angry, Liverpool are 3 points clear! Head down, smile and last leg ... great effort, Paul

Posted On: 30 Oct 2008 09:50 am

Dear Martin we have written to you every day. I am devastated you haven\'t received them! I know we are not the best with modern tec. but surely simple emails would have got to you. have been amazed by your achievements so far, tried to encourage you and have told you about our fun meetings with Rach. and Ella/Max. It\'s brilliant news that you are feeling strong at the end of Stage 4 and we\'ll think of you all as you make your way through the next gruelling Stage. Love you lots and are VERY proud! Mum & Dad xx

Posted On: 30 Oct 2008 09:48 am

Dear Martin we have written to you every day. I am devastated you haven't received them! I know we are not the best with modern tec. but surely simple emails would have got to you. have been amazed by your achievements so far, tried to encourage you and have told you about our fun meetings with Rach. and Ella/Max. It's brilliant news that you are feeling strong at the end of Stage 4 and we'll think of you all as you make your way through the next gruelling Stage. Love you lots and are VERY proud! Mum & Dad xx

29 October 2008 09:15 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

We've reached end of day 3.  Hurray!  Today was long, about 40k across the dunes.  We started at 7am because of the heat, but even at that time it's in the high 20Cs.  We finished in about 50th place in 6h22.  TeamPolarBears are all doing well.
So we've now done 3 days averaging 6 hours of strenuous walking/running across sand in 35C - 45C heat.  Needlesstosay the body and mind start to get rather tired. 
I'm pretty excited to get today out the way.  It was sand all day, but only the last 1/4 was really tough (up and down big classic sand dunes).  For the first part the sand was hard underneath which meant we could run a fair amount. I'm beginning to realise there's about 10 different types of sand, and as you get to recognise them you can start to work out where to run and where you simply have to walk.  After most of the day gentle running, the dunes were tough; up and down for a couple of hours - like being on the stepmaster in the gym on the hardest setting.  Everytime you tread on the sand it sinks away beneath you.  You have to take the next step quick and before you know it you're having to pump the legs to get anywhere - exhausting.  There was a gentle breeze blowing for much of the day which was pleasant.
Each day there are 3 checkpoints so the day is broken up into 4 sections.  Stages were 11k, 11k, 11k, 7k. It's good to break each day down into small chunks - it makes the task at hand far easier to deal with.  During the day, I have 2 energy bars and a packet of chilli rice crackers which I spread out over the distance to keep energy up.  We also get 1.5l water at each stage.  So on the course we end up drinking 6litres of water each day, which all simply replaces the lost fluid (no spare liquid to pee!).  My body starts to feel like a machine.  Everything I put in it is to keep it going for each next few kms.  Without constant water and food, the body will just stop functionning.
Last night I had problems with heart burn and indigestion which apparently is quite common.  The stomach need time to adjust after such a challenging day's outing.  Need to eat slowly (which I don't often do).
So it's 3pm now. Time to chill out and watch others coming in.  The lead guy is a guy called Ryan Sands who runs the whole thing about 12k/hour - unbelievable!  The slowest will come in late tonight perhaps 8pm after dark - poor things.   
Tomorrow is the toughest day so far.  It's about 40k but the most difficult terrain.  And then the big 100k day on day 5.  The good thing is that really we have only 2 big days to go (day 6 is only about 5-10k through the streets of Cairo).  2 days of challenge and pain - that's all.  We've been asking people about the strategy for the long day.  The key is to go slow during the day, and to constantly eat and drink.  When the heat of the sun starts to fade at 3-4pm, it becomes far easier to run.  I guess we'll start at 7am and hope to finish by 7am the next morning (24 hours).  I think our plan is to just keep going with only very little stops at each checkpoint. 
Ella and Max - I saw some snake tracks in the sand today.  We have a photo of them so we'll show you when I get back.  We also saw a large beetle, in the middle of the desert - miles and miles from anything.  I wonder where it was going and if it will survive out here.
Rach - thanks so much for my email.  Good to hear from you and to hear all is ok.  Thinking of you. x. How are Ella and Max?  Can you write me an email Ella?  What are you doing in the holidays?
Note to self:
Writing this for future fyi so I don't forget my food intake.  Breakfast - packet porridge 800Kcal; during day - 2 mule bars and chilli rice crackers; dinner - spag bog 800Kcal with extra noodles and with the occasional packet rice pudding and occasional packet soup.
Well, I think I'm done.  Love and best wishes to anyone reading this.  Thanks for your support.  Emails to Stu/Miles/Martin gratefully recieved!
Final note: I'm raising money for a great charity. If you're feeling generous, please do go to www.justgiving.com/martinpalethorpe.  
 

Comments: Total (4) comments

Posted On: 29 Oct 2008 10:46 pm

Well done TeamPolarBears another gruelling day.... difficult to imagine the heat as it's 1 degree here and flutterings of snow! Can't wait to see all your photo's and hear all the stories... xxx

Posted On: 29 Oct 2008 10:45 pm

Well done TeamPolarBears another gruelling day.... difficult to imagine the heat as it's 1 degree here and flutterings of snow!

Posted On: 29 Oct 2008 07:16 pm

Hi Martin a big cheer from Dorset; hope the heat chamber paying off!! Good luck with the big 100km, and enjoy the Cairo streets! Sarah & New Look team

Posted On: 29 Oct 2008 04:33 pm

Wow! Thanks for such an interesting account of Stage 3- much appreciated and fascinating to hear what the conditions are really like. Rach., Ella and Max came to dinner yesterday. Ella tucked in as she usually does and Max was so pleased not to be the last one finished. We had a great time. Dad , Ella and Max played matching pairs.It was hilarious to hear the roars of laughter as they won each pair - including Max! Keep strong and keep safe. All our love and thoughts. Mum and Dad.

28 October 2008 09:23 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Not got much time to write today.  Blog was down yesterday so doing it early thismorning.
Day 2 - we did pretty well.  Finished 39th in 6hours as opposed to 65th on the first day.  We all doing well.
Today is the first of the tough ones.  it's big soft sand all day with big dunes at the end.  It's v hard to run on this stuff, so we'll walk most of it.  My challenge is that my legs are smaller than Miles' (5ft8in me vs 6ft3in Miles!), so trying to keep up walking is tough.  Oh well we'll see. 
Weather is really hot so many are struggling with heat exhaustion and dehydration.
I was a bit poorly last night.  After running all day, the stomach struggles to digest again because all the blood is in the legs and the lungs.  I ended up with cramps and heart burn.
All fine now.
Hope everyone is well at home.  Love to hear some news. Better go now x 

Comments: Total (12) comments

Posted On: 29 Oct 2008 12:27 pm

Well done Martin, fantastic achievement and inspirational stuff. Enjoy the rest of the event. Best wishes, Jonathan

Posted On: 28 Oct 2008 10:12 pm

Thanks for keeping us up to date Martin, you probably don't appreciate how amazing it is and how much it means to family and friends to hear from you and be able to see the video clips.... we're all hanging on every word. you're doing fab!!! lots of love xxx

Posted On: 28 Oct 2008 07:18 pm

SOoo exciting!Thanks - great to be able to follow your progress. Conditions sound unbelievable.Glad you have each other for supportWe went to see Rach. and the children Sunday p.m. - had fun. Sorry you felt poorly, pls pace yourself. Loved the video, they\'ll be after you for the next James Bond film! Thinking of you love M&D xx

Posted On: 28 Oct 2008 06:11 pm

Hello Martin, You, Miles and Stu are doing brilliantly. I'm sitting in my office feeling proud of you all. Sending you oodles of energy, cool breezes, love and God's speed. If all that fails I'll get my bagpipes out and play you a tune. Now that really will get you running. Hilary xxxx

Posted On: 28 Oct 2008 02:08 pm

Martin & team ... excellent effort so far and hope the body is recovering from the extreme conditions, keep up the good pace and finishing is the achievement. Suggest someone finds some suitable rocks to put in the SA's rucksac or get him tested! Keep it up, cheers Paul

Posted On: 28 Oct 2008 01:15 pm

Hello Martin (and guys) Wow - really interesting to read all the details, to get a good idea of what you're up to out there! Keep writing :-) Hope you've had a successful day today and your stomach is behaving and the cramps are under control. Look after that precious body - and pace yourselves. Finishing the course makes you A WINNER :-) Sending you love, light and lots of positive energy, Lynn xxx

Posted On: 28 Oct 2008 12:49 pm

Hi Martin Sounds tough,riding on the Southdowns easy by comparison. I am sure I will not be able to keep up when you get back. Good luck today, looks liek you are heading in teh right direction - towards the front of the pack !!! Dig in Cheers Peter

Posted On: 28 Oct 2008 12:18 pm

SOoo exciting!Thanks - great to be able to follow your progress. Conditions sound unbelievable.Glad you have each other for supportWe went to see Rach. and the children Sunday p.m. - had fun. Sorry you felt poorly, pls pace yourself. Loved the video, they'll be after you for the next James Bond film! Thinking of you love M&D xx

Posted On: 28 Oct 2008 12:16 pm

PS! Boys - Mom was wondering how you find where the hell it is you are going to... please verify! Do u have a compass? (yeah! right..) or do u just follow the pink flags! (so gay..) but positively effective? Do let us know... with bated breath - yours from Hampshire and your biggest fans (cos we checked out other peeps blogs..) - you have the most..... Hurrah 4 u) The Hampshire brigade.. As Ever, Ooodles of love 2 u, Miles and Stu.... xoxox

Posted On: 28 Oct 2008 12:12 pm

Hi Martin Well done so far, sounds tough. Keep your head down and grind it out and think of the cold beer when you have finished!!! You will be pleased to know that we are near Aberdeen with 3 inches of snow temperatures below zero!!! Good luck with the big one. Best wishes Steve, Di and Hollie

Posted On: 28 Oct 2008 12:08 pm

Darlings! You all look wonderful... Martin you don't know me - but I'm Stu's Sis from LA! (otherwise camped out in Hampshire - with parents..)..heard all about you and Miles from your trip to NP! - so v impressed.. anyhow just got on the website.. saw the pasta - WAY to go..!!YUM (best food so far compared to yukky rice pud).. thought about perhaps next time you wanna take Sherpa's (less weight!!) - chef's... aka Gordon Ramsay and perhaps the odd Lear Jet! might make you beat that bloke from SA! bastard! Keep up all the good running/walking,,, U GUYS ROCK! ooodles of love Deborah Lotherington. aka sis xoxoxox xoxoxox

Posted On: 28 Oct 2008 11:55 am

Lovely to see you on video. You look and sound in good form. Good luck for the rest of the race. With love to you all. Mummy & Daddy L

27 October 2008 04:45 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Writing this after day 1 of the race.  Race started at 0830 after a little ceremony and music from the local people.  What can I say about our day in the desert.  The summary - hot (up to 45C) and sandy!  The stage was the shortest stage of 35k.  The first half was reasonably good - a combination of sand and rock.  The rock makes the sand reasonably solid which is ok to run on.  The second half was another story - it was classic sahara sand, which makes running extremely difficult, coupled with the fact that by this point it's the middle of the day and the hottest temperature. 
Team Polar Bears did pretty well.  We're trying to pace ourselves because the stages will only get harder and we want to conserve strength.  We finished at 2pm taking 5h30 mins and finishing around 60th out of 170. We know this means nothing though - it's really all about the long day.
The heat is a lot more than we expected.  It's time I personally thank all those that kindly supported me in the heat chamber at Portsmouth Uni.  Thanks so much to Mike, Geoff, Martin and Nicola!!  Without that acclimatisation it would be even tougher. 
Stu and Miles are well.  Stu is typically strong.  Miles did well though struggled a little towards the end.  Martin is hanging in there!
On a blog like this, I guess I should try to capture a little of what it's like out here, so here goes:
The sand is extremely fine -it's almost like flour.  Running on it for 5h30 is draining.  The heat at 45C saps energy and causes heart rate to race to 150-160 even at a very very gentle jog.  We end up running half and walking half.  You don't really feel like eating but you know you must and drinking water is obviously critical.  We get 1.5litre of water every 10k (at each checkpoint).  Racing in a team is great - we're here to support each other especially as you all have lows at different points.  We're in tent 6 with 9 people in total - 2 aussies, 2 NZers, 2 americans (all these 6 live in HKong or Korea or Singapore) and one other brit.  When you arrive at camp it's easy - time to sleep, relax, get feet seen to, eat and then sleep more.
So how do I feel right now?  I feel ok, just a little daunted about how tough the sand and heat is.  I'll take one day at a time, keep my head down, keep running - run Forrest run!  Come on Palethorpe.  
Ella and Max - I haven't heard from you yet.  I hope you're ok and had a fun Sunday.  What did you get up to?  Rach - hope you had a good time at the ball.       
 

Comments: Total (2) comments

Posted On: 27 Oct 2008 09:27 pm

Well done TeamPolarBears!!! We are really proud of you... lovely to see you on the video clip and really great to read your blog Martin.... love to all 3 of you. xxx

Posted On: 27 Oct 2008 08:51 pm

Run Martin, Run! What an extraordinary leader's journey ... we're rooting for you - lots of energy to you and TPB - makes me hot just reading about it - keep drinking ... J & K

27 October 2008 04:04 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Hello all.  Here's my blog entry for the night before race day 1.
We arrived in Cairo on Friday morning, got to the hotel at 4am having travelled through the night.  We slept all morning on the friday before getting up to being the process of packing.  Packing is always a major challenge.  You want to have as little as possible to that the pack is light and easy to run with; but at the same time you want to make sure you have enough - enough food, medical kit, clothing etc.  Team Polar Bears (Stu, Miles and I) spent all afternoon working out how to safe a few grams here and there!
For those that don't know, we're TeamPolarBears (TPB), from our 350 mile race to the Mag North Pole in 2007.  We reacquainted to take part in the Sahara Race 2008.
By Friday evening, we started to meet the rest of the racers - 170 people from all over the world.
On Sat morning (today) we got up early for an 8am breakfast at the hotel, followed by a morning of having things checked - all our gear, medicals, a weigh-in...
This afternoon we left with a police escort for a 7 hour journey into the depths of the Sahara Desert.  7 hours on a bus! Wow, that's like traveling the length of England.  The roads were surprisingly good, seeing that there's hardly anything in this region - it's all pretty much desert (apart from perhaps 2 small towns).  We only had the occasional stop  to be checked through by local security and police.  
On the way, we also had our medical briefing from the medical director - Dr.Susie.  She kindly made us aware of the dangers: scorpions/snakes; diarrhoea; dehydration.  Most concerning was the advice on snakes/scorpions.  We have to keep an eye out for them along the way.  They can often be under rocks or hidden in the sand.  If we're off to the loo in the night, we're strongly advised to be careful where we go.  If we get bitten, we're immediately evacuated to Cairo (by local ambulance which is likely to take 7-10 hours)!!  Not trying to worry you dear friends and family, but it does make the reality of being in the depths of the world's largest non-polar desert sink in. [Mum, please don't worry!]
It's now 10pm.  We've just had our last proper meal for 7 days and getting ready to bed down and rest before the first day of racing.
Other info that's interesting:
7.15am race briefing tomorrow
8am race start
Day1 36k, Day2 38k, Day3 40k, Day4 39k, and then the big one Day 5 is 102k (that's 62.2mls!).  So the first four days is slightly under a marathon each day.  The key is to save as much energy as possible for the Day 5 killer.  Day 5 takes place over Thursday and Friday.  Day 5 is likely to take the fastest people about 18 hours and the slowest about 40 hours. 
Temperature.  Having trained in the Heat Chamber at 50C in Portsmouth Uni, I'm feeling pretty good about dealing with the heat.  it looks like it'll only be in the 30Cs but I'll let you know more tomorrow.  I'll be writing something every night (as long as I'm up to it!).
Message ti Ella,Max and Rach - I love you all.  I'm thinking of you lots.  Did you find where Cairo is on the map on our Round the World game?  Cairo is the Capital City of Egypt. 
Bye to you all.  Time to get some sleep.  If you have time, do send me an email.  I get them at night.  xxx

Comments: Total (0) comments

19 October 2008 08:02 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Comments: Total (2) comments

Posted On: 27 Oct 2008 02:06 pm

Martin - just seen your Stage 1 time, great stuff ... keep going! Cheers, Paul

Posted On: 25 Oct 2008 10:08 am

Great stuff! We'll be following your progress each day - know you'll do well.

19 October 2008 08:01 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

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16 October 2008 07:32 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

So the time is nearly upon us.  We've decided at the last minute to enter as a Team. We're Team Polar Bears, Stuart, Miles and I.  In 2007, we raced to the Magnetic North Pole together as part of the Polar Challenge 2007; and now we're back racing together again.  We're all looking forward to it.

With a week to go, there's a lot of packing and last minute buying going on.  We're all making sure we've got what we need.  It's quite a challenge.  You need to make sure you're well equiped but at the same time - weight is critical.  The lighter you are, the easier your journey over those long 150 miles of sand and heat. 

I've been acclimatising in a heat chamber at Portsmouth University.  It's been great.  When I did the Gobi race, I suffered in a major way from heatstroke and sickness even on Day 1.  So I've arranged to have seven 100minute sessions in this heat chamber on a treadmill, running at 50C heat.  It's great acclimatisation.  I can feel my body deal with it better everytime I go.  Some people think it's unbearable but it's actually not that bad.  Mind over matter and then it's fine. 

I'll sign off now.  Time to get preparing again.  Looking forward to writing a blog for the first time.  I'll plan to write every night to share a few stories along the way.

For those of you that don't yet know the details of the race.  It's 150 miles over 6 days across the Sahara desert in temps up to 50C.  We carry all our own gear for the week and are simply supplied water every 10km and a tent for the night.  The backpack will end up weighing about 30lbs but will slowly reduce during the week.  We start at 8am each morning; run 20-25 miles for the first 4 days, and then 58 miles on the big day 5.  It's really about pacing yourself until day 5 - that's the killer day.

I'm off now.  Will write again soon.

 

Comments: Total (2) comments

Posted On: 22 Oct 2008 11:14 pm

Best wishes mate. Hope all goes well and you and the team have a good race. Will keep tabs on the blog to follow your progress. We'll have a beer when you get back

Posted On: 19 Oct 2008 03:38 pm

best wishes to you martin and to the polar bears. we'll be following your progress each day.admire you all for your courage. look forward to seeing you back safely.