Just read everyone's blogs and emails from yesterday, great to get all the wishes.
90k's - 20:30hrs.....
Just had to put it on it's own line there. Got back to Camp at 3am, after the longest long day ever.
Had a nightmare on the first stage, kee was complaining badly and I lost the back of the pack I was aiming to stay close to, before I knew it that bloody Taiwanese effigy was along side me.
I teamed up with a fellow competitor Chris from Singapore just after that and thing started to turn around. We discussed taking it easy and stopping at each checkpoint, set our plan and off we went. We quickly though managed to establish a fair pace, closer  to what I had intended from the start and started to pick people off.
Very long story short we pushed through all 8 checkpoints, with absolute minimum stops for water and occasionally to check we still had at least 1 toe left. Took 35 mins out at Checkpoint 6 for dinner and to get out the night gear and torches then we kept moving. As it got colder the legs as well as the knee started to complain but we managed to amuse ourselves with drivel and inane conversations and keep the pace good. In reality I think we had 2 gears left in the box, STOP and 5.5kph, anything slower was extruciatingly painful and it was physically impossible to hobble faster.
I'm absolutely stoked truth be told, firstly to have finished at all and second to have pushed it that hard and got a far better result than I thought possible. Nothing left in the fuel tank at all. I'm sitting here after a few minutes sleep and having sorted out my feet, still shivering, completely spent...
 
Thanks again for all the well wishes, we'll have to have a brew after coaching on Sunday when I'm back, I may not be running any sessions though and it might be a few weeks before I can kick a ball looking at these toes! Hayden better let Paul Hart know.
Tough start to the session Hayden, however, you guys know who you need to beat by the end of the year though. Hope the training is going well and you've packed on some of the weight I've lost.
Hannah thanks for the encouragement, I did get back on the horse just like you.
Derek I have some cool picture of the Valley of the Whales' no tooth yet though, but I saw some very cool camping site down in the valley we  might have to explore??
Go SeaBreezers new it was only a matter of time before the team triumphed..
 
Going to sleep now in the morning sun and wait for Ryan to come in, who has the heart of a Lion, I'll let him tell about it all though.
Lap of honour tomorrow of the Pyramids and medals.
Then a CHEESEBURGER, been thinking about one for 2 days...
 
John

I saw alot of sand, but no castles or buckets and spades for that matter...
 
Spectatular scenari today, looked a little like Monument Valley only bigger, huge towers of rock sticking up out of hundreds of miles of valley floor.
The course today took us up and over 3 or 4 ridges and back down into the valleys, each time there were new more impressive towers. Most of the going today was through tiny fossils of some kind of shell as well, they are about the size of a fingernail and lie ontop of ,luckily today, a thin layer of talcum power sand. There are trillions of them, they are everywhere. I will have to look up how this place changed fro Ocean to desert because it looks to have happened over night as it is all just lying there on the surface.
 
My knee and I have come to an understanding, I won't try to run and it won't get any worse, with that tenuous deal in place we cracked on and as Trevor advised Man'd-up today.
Result; 8 hrs, I might have just broken into the 7's. I'm pretty please with that it is a constant clip and the sticks are working well. The soft sand is still crap I can hardly move through it, but today was mostly about flat moderate going, not as good as hard but I'll take it, and once I get up to marching speed I've managed to keep it going.
Got the electrolytes and food well sorted as well, moving  around the routine of when I start with both has help to even out the dips. Very important to get rid of those as well, as it is when the doubts and aches start to creep in.
Tomorrow we start the Long Day, 86k's we think, it's all about finishing now, which I know I can do and I' looking forward to getting to the 50k mark and knowing most of it is behind. Not sure what the tactics will be yet, we had a massive wind today which kept the temperature down mid day, but if that doesn't happen, we'll have to see whether and early food stop might be the go and push through the night.
 
Next blog it will be all over bar the pyramids.
 
Thanks again for the comments, Trev yours gave me a huge laugh, cheers mate..

Job Done - 9hrs 35mins.
Good news Simon I found some poles at the last checkpoint, thank Chris, and managed to complete the last 10 k's in 1hr 35 minutes.
 
Hurt like hell, but at least the scenary was spectacular, something to focus on while the soft sands in the Dunes tried to twist my knee off
We had everything today huge skyscrapers of sand dunes, rolling talcom powder covered hills and deep soft sand over the first 30 k's. Just impossible to get any sort of rythm going. As soon as I hit the soft stuff or the down hill I'm down to little more than a limp. Over the harder sand and rocks (not many) I can get up a pretty decent hobble and clock about 5.5kph.So then it's just a matter of fighting the frustration and getting it done.
On the firmer stuff I think I can push it up to 6.5-7kph, which should' tomorrow keep me on the back of the last runners, at least I won't have to pass the dudes with the Taiwanese Effigy for the 2nd day!
I'm pretty up beat today actually, I was as fast as I could be on the day, nothing left, and looking forward to Day 4 to see what the poles will do for me over the whole course. If nothing I can club a few people and reduce the numbers:0
 
Off to plaster on Voltarin and hope my knee keeps improving overnight.
 
Thanks for all the well wishes, they really do help.
Derek still hoping to get to the Valley of the Whales and see if I can spy a tooth.
Hannah hope the spill wasn't to bad, you"ll have to give that horse a good kick next time you want to canter.

Today was bloody tough, no two ways about it, had somevery dark moments today so thsi blog is probably going to be a bundle of laughs for everyone reading, but I have just read the blog comments and emails and it has really lifted my spirits.
 
Good news is I'm here, but it was clear from 1 k of the start that my knee wasn't going to stand up to running.
God what a shitty feeling, 40plus k's to go and already down to hobble, pain is excrutiating when I lift my right foot or it goes into soft sand. Doesn't hurt with weight on it, just when I breath and move :). Dead last coming into Checkpoint 1, just me hobbling and a couple of Camels, one of which was about as happy as I was.
Got straight in to a talk with the Doc, I had already mentally written my report on having to pull out, I must have made that decision several times over the first stage, and the opposite what a drame! The Doc and I managed to  work out a strapping method that seems to take some of the movement out of it and popped a couple of Vikadan, smiles all round, now I know what House is happy about. So I headed out back on course to see whatI could do.
The rest of the Day I spent pulling myself back up board, no idea where I came, but by the end of the day I'd passed a few people and as I sit here, now the cut off is approaching  and a good few people will miss it.The heat was pretty intense, and the wind dry's the saliva in your mouth so Hydration is so key. Keeping the feet safe as well is a must, I've good a few blisters on my left foot, where I've been favouring it all day, but there really not bad, and many people have lost most of the skin form heals etc.. today.
I've hit the medic tent already and have whatever is on offer on my knee or down my throat.
Tomorrow I'm going to have to get used to the pace of today if I'm to make it through this race, unless something miraclous happens the running is done. Now I'll have to see whether I can keep up a good pace and stay in it, cause I think attrition is going to be hi.
 
Got to go eat and Lance some blisters, thanks again for the comments, any hints on knees most welcome.
Hopefully blog tomorrow with 120+ ks under my belt.

Here in the cyber tent at the end of Day 1, the descriptions of the stages are coursing some mirth, they were obviusly written under the influence of some good Egyption Hash! Water falls.castles of sand bleh bleh. I think I was on a different race! Sand, rock, Sandy rock, and rocky sand thats what I saw. After the fifteenth time I kicked the rounds discs of rock and they sounded like dropped coins I stopped trying to pick them up as well.
This is going to be a different kind of race to the Gobi thats for sure, the mental side is going to be telling for everyone, at the moment there is no distractions in sight, its not too hot yet, only 42, but completely featureless.
Already had my first Jack Sparrow moment, about 30 mins before the end, the afore mentioned discs of rock were getting blown around, at least some of them were and I was a bit hot and tired. I could have sworn they started to move, I was just waiting for the the rock crabs from Pirates of the Carrabien to appear and carry me off, which would have been a welcome relief as about 6 ks out from teh finish I blew something in my right knee! Bloody painful, had to stop completely for a while and do some temporary taping. I hobbled in the last 6 which really pissd me off, as I dropped about 10 places. Anyway that is periferal, my main concern now is the knee, not had problems with it before, it's always the back.... 
It's strapped up and I've got a brace off the medics so tomorrow will necessarily be an easy day if I'm going to make it for teh whole race.
Fingers crossed....by this time tomorrow you'll all know how fast I can hobble, keeping a brave face on it at the moment, nothing to be done that hasn't already been done.
 
Hope the 24 Hr race went well back in SaiKung and raised loads of money.
Donna , Hayden, Derek and Hannah keep sending the messages.
It,s great to hear from you each day they down load the messages.
 
Simon,Natasha, Ivan, Simon, Martin, Andy thanks for the support I wouldn't be here today with out your help the last few months.

Arrived at Cairo International Airport, yesterday it was great to finally get here and Cairo didn't disappoint the airport carpark was full of 30 year old Peugot Taxi's mostly held together with Tin foil. Chaos rained through out the process but was made easier by the Hotel sent guides. It seems that 140 mad as Hatter runners turning up to go out and run in the desert, when the entire population of the country do the opposite, is big news, and after the revoltution they were very happy to have tourists returning in such a public , if insane, manner.
I knew the hotel is part of large Thai chain, even so I was a little suprised to be greeted at the door with "Sawadi Kup" ! Still after the obligatory metal detector clad entrance it was true Eygpt in side, with Hummus, dates and swimming pools wall to wall.
Final gear check, Arr yes no bottles for my pack, damn just a slight problem in a desert race.
 
Mad rush to Carrefour this morning, narrowly averted the need to do the whole race with a couple of old Bonaque water bottles. Ibrahim the driver looked suitably dedicated to the task as he shot through New Cairo traffic at 100miles an hour. I wasn't alone by the way, the Ken's from Taiwan were with me looking for everything they could for several colleagues and themselves. Anyway, kitted out with bottles and a few items that seemed a good idea we raced back to the Hotel for safety and gear checks.
 
The afternoon was taken up with busing us all out to Camp #1 in readiness for the start. Wadi Al Hatan is stunning we are camped by the southern Lake, with a view across the desert. The wind is gentle blowing and the temperature is really not too bad at all.
Everywhere you look across the sand you can see the evidence of the prehistoric ocean that occupied this place may years ago. The Sand is littered with every kind of shell you can imagine and we've been told to expect more and better as the race goes on and we get into the Valley of the Whales. Already decided if I happen across a Megaladon fossil, then Derek is going to have gained that much wanted dinosaur tooth he has been on about for 3 years....
It's a good bunch of guys in the tent I've been given, a few of them were in the Gobi lastyear and we've already have a few laughs about a certain night on the Gobi race when dysentri, or something pretty close to it, hit the camp.
Feed and water now as well, so only thing to do is turn in. Got a few nerves going through me now, desperately want to get Day 1 under my belt and get in the swing of things.
 
Last words now, any spelling mistakes I blame entirely on Dyslexia and will not be corrected.

Prep for the race has been pretty good up the last couple of weeks, involuntary tappering due to work commitments. Still should be rested and fresh!
Flying out tonight from Singapore to Cairo, then to the Hotel. The last couple of weeks I find are always frustrating and this is no different, I just want to get there and get on with the Sand vs Warren battle.
Seen a few reports that temp is fairly low, which would be nice.
Will start to post more regularly now and hope to have enough energy left each day to send in the race report.
On on On to Cairo...

In Qatar International Airport on route, just met 3 of the many of us that are arriving from Asia. We are all getting excited now that the start is geographically and chronologically near. Ok that's the scrabble winning words out of they, a quick hello to the thousands reading :) my drivel. Have to go back to finishing off some work and replying to my previously long lost relo,s. Hi Kate, really glad you persevered and we are back in contact, expect a mail shortly.

The blogging is getting furious now, which can mean only one thing, no not that we are all in Cairo, but that many of us are in various airport transfer lounges still hours and miles from Cairo. once I arrive I will need to head to that well known Egyptian Camping outlet, so I can replace my drinking bottles I carefully washed and then left on the sink in Hong Kong!!!!! Plan B involves several Evian bottles pinched from the lounge and gaffer tape. from memory the rest of the gear is intact. quick poll, who is taking a sleeping mat? answers on comments please it means a full 350 gram delta to my pack.... If you haven't sensed it I keen to get started this waiting around is too intense.