Well with a 250km run thrown in!! Will explain all later. As reality sets in, that the 2012 Sahara race is over, I have been trying to reflect on the whole life changing experience. Difficult to sum up in a few words, but will try to keep it short.

So why did I sign up for this event in the first place? Mostly selfish reasons I guess:-

·         Wanted to challenge myself to see what I was capable of - Those who know me well, know that if I do something, I like to do it all the way and do it to the best of my ability, and this race seemed right off the charts, which appealed to me.

·         Bit of a cliché but wanted to show my daughters that they can achieve amazing things if they put their minds to it. They are starting to be at an impressionable age and I want them to think of daddy as not just someone who works hard, and hopefully it rubs off on them as they get older.

·         Having been very close to my granddad and listened to his many stories of crossing the Sahara desert during the war, I wanted to experience a small piece of what he might have went through with the heat, sand, exhaustion (and salt tablets)

·         Chance to see and explore a part of the world that is beautiful, remote and vast

·         Chance to give something back to the community – For me it is Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children

So I think I achieved all of the above to some extent but also got something I didn't really plan for but I think was hugely needed......to free my mind. All sounds a bit like the Matrix (There was no spoon, or spork in my case) but that's what happens when you are "unplugged" and focused on surviving. You do go into survival mode out there worrying whether you will make it or not to the next check point without collapsing, whether you will have the energy to make it to the start line the next day, whether you have enough food to eat, if you’re going to be able to eat a chicken tikka out of a bottle with a toothbrush, whether you can get to sleep while ass cheeks start to rupture in the tent at night and whether you will survive a trip to the worst toilets in Egypt as you gag while squatting into a bucket full of every possible fluid that could possibly be excreted from the human body. You have no distractions other than completing your marathon every day and achieving that goal and everything else around it is supporting that endeavor. The mind is used to multi-tasking on a ton of different things as we process news, media, work, email, phone calls, friends, family, and all the daily interactions and distractions from a normal day in civilization. All of that is taken away in the desert and you are left to focus on the basics of life. I can’t remember the last time my mind was so clear.

Add to that a bunch of amazing people who are going through the same process and who all have unique reasons to be there, some very similar to mine and some very different and then you have the recipe for a life changing experience. I met some truly amazing people with incredible stories and incredible heart. That is why people keep coming back for more. The community within camp was something very special and even more so with those you shared a tent with. I was very fortunate to meet some amazing folks in my tent who all ended up with nicknames (could be explained over a beer) of:

Hollywood: Me

Bollywood: Steve Brydon

Wetwipes: Jon Gannon

Mystery: Etsuji Otsuka

Rustle: Taro Mitsujima

Flipflop: Gibeum Lee

Mcqueen: Steven Sleuyter

Cinderella Shannon Hanson

Smelter: Doris Matlock

Thanks to all of you and all the other amazing friends I made for making this such an incredible experience. Looking forward to staying in touch and strengthening our friendships.

So what did I learn coming out of the desert? Well, the desert is overbearing, massive in size that no words could describe, devoid of obvious life, and it provided many a solitary moment with no-one in sight as far as the eye could see. You could not feel more alone (not in a bad way). It was so humbling and made me realize just how lucky I was to have the opportunity to be there. Know this is getting pretty deep but that solitude does provide you time to reflect. Something I know I don’t do enough of, if at all. I really have a greater appreciation for what I have in my life: my amazing wife and kids,  my parents health, the many close friends and family that I am fortunate to have, my job etc. Strange that taking this on would make you realize all of this but it is true for me anyway. The incredible support and connections made through the blogs and emails during the race just emphasized that further. Definitely think that my emotions have been on a roller coaster ride for the past week since before the race started, throughout the desert experience and continue to bounce around since the event was over. If you wanna get completely out of your comfort zone, and face your own emotions head on, with ZERO distractions, this is definitely the event you want to sign up for: Buddhist Retreat in Lycra with a cheeky wee 250km run thrown in. Gobi next

Now there is the matter of running 250km. Well I say run. Before the event, I had visioned myself flying through the sand for all 250km at about 10km an hour. Thinking Chariots on fire with Gators on. So it didn’t quite work out like that. The first 20km of day 1 certainly felt great but running with an average heart rate of 168 was just not sustainable beyond the 20km mark, for me at least, and it was caused mainly by 2 unexpected obstacles. Heat and sand. Where the hell did they come from? Having been used to low 30 degrees high humidity heat of Hong Kong I though a few more degrees with less humidity would have little impact. But 40 degrees + with ZERO shade the whole day is a wee bit of a buzz kill. And sand, well there is about 40 different types of sand as it turns out that we ran across each with their own sinking profile, and consistency and your running/walking/crawling speed is hugely impacted by which one you are traversing across. All that said, you need to leave your ego behind once you settle into the desert and run/walk/crawl your own race. I have so much respect for everyone that made it to the start line. It takes a lot to get there on many different levels.

So for my race it became a combination of running, shuffling, walking and some euphoric sprints to the finish line. I’m pretty happy with the end result and I did push myself to my limits. Of course there is always things to improve on.

The organization of the event itself is world class. Racing The Planet do an incredible job from the signing up process and the super web portal all the way through to the finish line and beyond. They have a fantastic management team, terrific volunteers, best caring medical team, amazing photographer etc. Everyone and everything is top shelf. Thank you all for making the experience so special.

Going to sign off, but leave you with one final thought. You have one life to live. Live it to the max. Sign up for the Buddhist Retreat in Lycra now!!!!

Cheers

Colin

Can't quite believe it. Really hasn’t sunk in yet and probably wont until tomorrow when I get the medal. Just a quick run around the Pyramids but only a few km. The race is officially finished though. Hi darling cant wait to skype you tomorrow after the finish line at 12pm,

The Long Day 86km completed. Did not stick to the original game plan of taking it easy as felt really good in the morning. So decided to just go for it. Ran with a good pace at the start of the day before it got too hot. Slowed down when it got REALLY hot in the higher 40s and then hit it again as the sun dropped. Took all of 17 hours though, but I still came in 58^th for the day. I am not sure of my final ranking overall but probably between 70 and 80 which I am completely amazed at. Incredibly talented athletes here who have done a ton of training and really put me to shame.

Its unbelievable the support I have had from you all in email and blog responses. SO much appreciated. I don't think I would have finished without. It's the highlight of the day coming to the cybertent to read those and gives you the motivation to ride another day.

We have a chilled day at the camp today. Everyone is stinking, tent is stinking, feet are sore. I just want to get back to a hotel room and shower but need to wait until tomorrow

Apologies for the short update. Still very tired from the 17 hour run. Look forward to catching you all soon to tell you the stories of the run

Take care all

Colin

Colin

So my bag is still missing, but I did manage to get a revised kit together after a few excursions around Cairo and some help from some generous fellow runners (thank you). Did get some funny looks when in the Cairo shops (dressed in my trendy "I love Egypt" t-shirt and pink shorts) asking for things like: Spenco Second Skin, Hydropel, Tincture of Benzoin, Knife/Multitool and the most difficult thing to find…Safety Pins.

Anyway the bag is packed, gear is ready, body has been deprived of alcohol and caffeine for 2 weeks and music has been downloaded to my ipod, along with a few surprise tunes from my wife’s computer that I can’t wait to run through the desert to. Such classics as

Gloria Gaynor – I am what I am

Billy – Because We Want to

Bros – When will I famous

Yeah

Met some great people already and am eager to get on the course and start running although I’m sure I will be feeling the pain fairly quickly after that.

Colin

Well I'm finally here in Cairo. Great trip over from Hong Kong, flying through Dubai, then Jeddah, then onto Cairo . Beautiful sunny morning when I arrived and could see some spectacular views of the Burj Al Arab and Dubai coastline, the Jeddah skyscrapers and then flew right over the pyramids before landing in Cairo. Reality finally kicked in fully now of what lies ahead after flying for hours over sand that we will be running across in the days to come.

Only small problem, well rather big one actually, is my check in bag did not make it out of Jeddah. An airport that seems to have its fair share of issues to say the least. After months of trying out and planning the kit I will bring on my run, the food I would eat and key essentials for the desert, a bunch of it goes missing on the way here. Not the best start to my days preparing for the race. So what was supposed to be some time getting over the jetlag, getting acclimatized, relaxing by the pool and meeting the other competitors, has turned into a frantic couple of days chasing down airlines and airports for my bag (without success), running around Cairo trying to buy some local gear and food and then working out my new race strategy. So the race may not have started yet but for me the challenge is definitely in full swing. So why did I not pack more of my much needed kit in my hand luggage…..because I’m an idiot J There is still one more day before the race so there is still hope…….well probably not, as the Sacrifice Feast Holiday “Eid al-adha” has just begun in Egypt and a lot of goats will see their last sunrise this morning!

So apart form that I am settled. Walking around sporting the latest fashion from the Marriot Hotel shop with “I Love Egypt” t-shirt on with a picture of the pyramids on the front and the only shorts they had left in my size…. which happened to be pink. Definitely no nightclubbing for me then. It will all be worthwhile and I am eager to get out there on the course and start running. One more day before we head to the first camp. Looking forward to meeting some of the competitors later today and have booked myself in for a massage to help me relax a bit. Who knows what surprises lay ahead of me today J

Will try to make one more update before the race starts on Sunday morning

Cheers

Colin

WOW where did time go. Have been enjoying reading the blogs that some of you have taken the time to update. Finally managed to get my finger out and get something posted. Cant believe next week I will be flying to Cairo to take on this amazing challenge. So many mixed feelings although probably more nervous than anthing at this point. Have I done enough training? Am I prepared physically and mentally for what lies ahead? Am sure all of my friends and family are sick hearing about this run. Right now I just want to get over there and get going. I'm amazed by the talent in the field and the experience and training that many of my fellow racers have under their belt. I'm just honored to be running along-side some of those legends (all be it for a very short time as they go flying off ahead of me into the distance): Team Born to Run, the Flying Phannies, < 3 hour marathon runners, ironmen, double ironmen,  triathletes, 4 Desert Grand Slammers, ultramarathon winners

It has been an amazing experience so far just to get to the start line: Countless runs, gym sessions, dieting, equipment testing, food testing, reading blogs......and most friends and family thinking "are you absolutely mad". Have I done enough to finish the race? I really hope so, but regardless am glad that I signed up for this incredible challenge. I'm hoping that after a very humid summer in Hong Kong and some very long and sweaty runs, I will be slightly climatised although have no experience running in such a dry heat or 50 degrees for that matter!!

I see we just got our tent assignments. All becoming very real now. l would like to take the opportunity to wish you all the best of luck for the race. I arrive at the Marriot on Wednesday and am looking forward to meeting you all either at the hotel or on the course.

cheers
Colin