The final stage is complete, 50 miles in single stage. I set off at 7:00 am yesterday afternoon, took a 2.5 hour rest during the night and then crossed the finish line just after 8:00 am this morning. What an adventure.......
 
Firstly I want to thank Luba who was there supporting me in the middle of the race, and at the end. She's wonderful. I also want to thank my 2 partners on this long stage, Beverly and Sam, if they are reading this, they were a huge help.
 
So now more about the race. It was not just a straight race across flat ground; it was not a race in pleasant cool temperatures; it was not just a question of staying awake for 24 hours. It was a test of mind, strength, endurance and will power. During the stage we traversed so many different topologies from baked, flat, landscaped to rolling soft dunes. It was really mentally challenging just dealing with the hour after hour pounding of one step after the other, trying to deal with the boredom while staying focused on the end goal. I was lucky. During the first part I met Beverly who was walking the same pace as me and, then later in the race, we picked up Sam. Please feel sorry for them who had the listen to my voice for nearly 24 hours straight! But seriously, without their support during the race, specially the graveyard time of 2:00-4:00 in the morning the start of this blog would have been very different. I learnt a lesson, never under estimate the benefit of good company. Naturally we all crossed the finish line together.
 
At one point we had to climb to the top of dune about 150 ft high and then walk the ridge while the wind was desperately trying to blow us off course!!! You know how heights are not my favorite thing, but the feeling of success at the top was a real boost to the system. Next (a few hours later) there was a designated sleeping zone. We decided on 2.5 hours rest there, 30 minutes eating and 2 hours sleep. As it turned out we were all too pumped to rest long but, the body just need rest so we stayed the duration. It was really interesting walking through the desert at night, the sky naturally beautiful with a smorgasbord of constellations with such clarity it felt you could touch them, but most of the time you could not enjoy them as you had the be focused on foot placement and where you were going. Then, as I explained earlier, the tiredness steps in.
 
Every step taken, every summit reached and every corner turned you hope would give you a view of the next check point. The check point, a little oasis of shade and rest that allows you give some form of life back into feet that have traveled over a hundred miles already. Repair blister patches, address new ones, empty shoes of sand and massage toes. Two problems with these little areas of paradise. Firstly many of them have cut-off times to reach, and leave them. Secondly, as time goes by, sitting down and resting is easy, getting up and getting started again just get harder and harder.
 
I think Luba had an experience of her life also. She not only put huge distance in the desert behind her but she play a crucial support role to so many people. I can not tell you the number of people who have come to me to say how her motivation kept them going. I think she has found her true calling.
 
But I did it. In the end I made 150 miles across the Sahara desert carrying all my own food, clothes and other supplies. I missed the total goal by 6 miles because to the jet lag issues I had on day 2. I am still incredibly proud of what I did. It is going to take me a while to let this experience filter through my mind.
 
Tomorrow we do a ceremonial 2 kilometers past the pyramids for photos. Then back to the hotel for getting cleaned up. And then we party! Sunday we will all be going our separate ways with a little sadness but such memories. Many stories have been shares through a common bond of exhaustion and pain. Through this many great friendships have be built that I hope will last a long time. We will always remember tent 11 with a smile.
 
Bring on Gobi June 2012.
 
Nigel and Luba.

Well another day has passed and another 24 miles under the belt.
 
Yesterday was the most difficult day according to the organizers. As a participaant I would have to agree. It was full of sand dunes, going uphill and down hill in soft sand for hours at a time, and in the heat of a Sahara day, is one of the most increadible things I have ever done. This section of the course is called the "Sea of Sand" and I can understand why. The view rolling sand dunes as far as the eye can see is like the angry ocean and twice as deadly. Now imagine crossing that for 11 hours. The good thing is that I finished nearly an hour before the cut off time.
 
Today was mean't to be easier...not so much. In the afternoon we had very strong winds directly in my face which made the last 10 miles a real up hill battle. Once again, the landscape takes the breath away, it is sometimes tough to concerntrate on moving with such beauty around.
 
I did manage again to finish nearly an our before the cut-off time. I am pleased with that.
 
Luba put her shoes back on again and managed to power past the half way point on the course. I have to give her props for that just knowing how hard it is and she has already completed over 50 km! She is going to a camp staff meeting, I think she really prefers doing the volunteer thing. Today she also discovered many fosils around the camp, some of which I am sure willl be making their  way back to the US.
 
Now with just under 100 miles done, tomorrow is a double day doing just under 50 miles. Should be interesting!!!!!
 
Hygine is not so good, we all stink but I think we are getting used to each other's smells. We are all looking forward to the end so we can get clean!!!!
 
Lastly thank you everybody for your kind emails, it is a boost knowing people are thinking of us.
 
Nigel & Luba

Hi everyone!  This is update from Luba. My dear Nigel has completed stage 3 of this craziness which was the most difficult course so far. I am so proud of him and also planning to get back on the trail tomorrow. We will keep you posted.

Well, here we are on the end of day 2. I missed the posting yesterday for very good reasons that will become apparent very soon.
 
Firstly the surrounding landscape is STUNNING, no other way to describe it. The natural architecture is unlike anything I have very seen before. Spending hour after hour walking through this is..........mind blowing.
 
The camp we are saying in is basic, very basic. Bathrooms are a hole in the sand and the showers....well there are no showers. Every day the camp is packed up and moved to a new location, new holes in the sand. What more could you want!!!!! Of course without any water to wash in we are getting a little "unkempt" but since we are all in the same boat we don't really care.
 
We are sleeping directly on the sand, that can have it's own challenge in itself. Then combine that are 10 people in each tent which are about 5 meters x 4 meters. Very snug. Then we have a cosmic snorer which has led me to sleep the past 2 night outside. There is an amazing side to this situation, the night sky is indescribably beautiful. I could stare at it for hours.
 
So now about the run.......OH MY GOD!!!!!!! this is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. In theory, how hard can it be?? 25 miles walking at even 3 miles an hour and it should be completed in under 9 hours, easy! NOT! The heat is the biggest thing that totally saps the energy away for your body. Not only is the temperature in the mid 40s (degree Celsius) but there is the reflection of the sun from the sand. So unbelievably tough. By the end of the race I was only managing 1.5 miles an hour. It took me 11 hours to do the distance. Then I went straight to bed.
 
It is amazing that last Sunday I did a half marathon running but in the first stage I could hardly manage walking 12 miles. It is really hard to describe the feeling of walking hour after hour after hour just waiting, hoping, the next stage is just around the corner, or top of the next dune to find, it's not. And then the feeling when you cross the finish, relief and exhaustion.
 
I think what made the first day extra tough was that we were both very jet lagged and the whole of the event made sleeping impossible. I can honestly say that I have never felt so tired before.
 
This morning was tough again. It once again was shockingly hot. I managed to get half way through the course but couldn't get up the 200 meter/600 ft hill in the hottest part of the day, specially after the struggle yesterday. Luba decided in the morning that she was going to sit this stage out and spend the day helping the volunteers distributing water. She had a lot of fun doing that and I suspect she will be doing more of that.
 
What is also great is the comradeship between all the competitors. In our tent we have Germans, South African, somebody from Holland and ourselves. Additionally very few people actually live in their home country. Some live in Singapore, Hong Kong, Brazil, etc.. Everybody helps everybody else and are always ready to share their expiries and their food! I am sure we will be making some good friends here. There is also 15 Koreans carrying around a "Prince".
 
Tomorrow already looks like it is going to be a new challenge. It appears to be full of dunes....the thing I am dreading the most. Bring it on!!!!!
 
If you get a chance check the photos.
 
Nigel and Luba

OK, so much for the gym, but I did have a really nice fondue with my wife. I am considering this the more “bulking up” period of the training.

 

On Saturday my wife and I managed to get a quick 7 miles in. The temperatures were just above the freezing point, more suitable training for the Last Desert rather that the Sahara ! I had full intention of getting a further 10 miles in on Sunday but the weather was more Monsoon like. All in all not exactly the intended start of the training, but at least it has started.

 

Still may thoughts going through my mind for the race. The main ones are:

• What distance should I be training with daily?
• Should I be training with a back pack now, or later?
• Should I start stocking up on equipment now?
• Are there any good resources online that I can use? I already use imapfitness.com.
• Am I insane?

 

Any help would be appreciated

5:45 am. I hate this time of year. Winter has a grip of the North East with short days and cold temperatures. I journey to work in darkness and return home in darkness. I feel I am turning into a trogolobite and will soon lose all need for eyesight as I revert to a life of cave (office) dwelling. On top of this it is the end of the year. That means only one thing.....budgets....a process of torture by random numbers that I am sure would send the most mild mannered of persons into a frustrated ball of confusion. This is only interrupted by the yearly corporate ritual of the "Office Party" where the consumption of alcohol is relative to the complaining and directly proportional to the cloud surrounding the brain cells in the morning.

It was one of those mornings and I was preparing myself for another day in the fun house. As I crossed the road to my bus stop I grabbed my BlackBerry to see what is the latest firedrill the Europeans have devised to make my day more interesting. One by one I scroll through the messages.....System Down.....System Recovered......System Down Again.....Organizational Announcement.....Budget Ver 27Q……Sahara Race 2011: Nine Month Update!!!!!!

My mind span back to the beginning of the year when I had, what I though was, an inspirational idea. "Let's run the Sahara , it will be fun" I suggested and, after dispelling my wife's concerns around training by pointing out we had over a year to train, we both joined. 

The plan was easy. We'll start training at the end of Summer and then it would be easy. What could go wrong?

Apparently I could.

 

 

 

Nine months to go. I have to go now, I am off to the gym......