Yesterday we were taken by zodiac to King George Island for stage one of the Last Desert. We were due to start at 6am but were delayed due to bad weather. The course was made up of two out-and-back stages with a mandatory walk between them.We basically ran from a Russian station up to a Chinese station then back past the Russian area to a Uruguayan area. Pretty cool.
We got started at around midday. I got off to a pretty good start and found myself running at the front next to Ryan Sandes. To my suprise he pulled up leaving me out in front. I think he was being kind and letting everyone else get a bit of a headstart. My glory only lasted about 20 minutes as he shot past me having changed out of his warm up gear into his running gear.
It as was on the second lap around that I made a schoolboy error of not turning back at the end of the stage. I managed to carry on for about a mile and get attacked by seagulls before I realised I was going the wrong way. I dropped back into 5th place because of this. The course itself was pretty brutal. In fact I would go as far as saying it was the toughest day I have had in any of the 4 races. Freezing wind, ankle deep mud, knee deep snow, hills and freezing cold streams. Very tough.
 
Stage two started and finished after 5 miles. The weather really turned. I was quite gutted as I was in second and feeling very good when we were rushed back to the ship.
 
 
Anyway, we are now braving some pretty rough seas and heading to Deception Island. The plan tomorrow is to start at 5am and run as far as possible in whatever time we have.
 
Penguin count:20
Seal count:1
Sallie sickness count:0 but on the verge at the moment!
 
Thanks for the messages.Nick you have made my day/week and probably year with that footie score. Up the Spurs. Patel I hope you are reading this......know that I am laughing at you.
 
 
gotta go as dinner time.

Drakes Passage,
 
 
 
Well we boarded our ship on Wednesday afternoon and headed out along the beagle channel. My cabin is a lovely little double berth at the back of the ship with a panoramic window and flat screen TV. As we hit the Drake Passage I realised the rear end of the ship is actually quite a bumpy place to be. Starting to feel a little ill I decided would just enjoy the view from the window....I found myself staring at the sea, then the sky, then the sea, then the sky. This wasn't helping so I closed the curtains and turned to the TV....sky sports can cure anything. Sadly the only channel I can pick up is a camera from the bridge to the front of the ship. At least watching this I know which way I am going to be thrown. As I said Heather, it is all in the mind. I just keep telling myself that I used to live on a boat.
 
As I write this we have just spotted land for the first time in over a day. We are here for two days seemingly. The first stage of the race begins at 6am tomorrow. The stage is planned to run for 15 hours and it is a case of seeing how far you can get in that time. It is hard to know what the weather will be like tomorrow but all being well I would like to try for 100k.As with all of these races anything could happen so try not to laugh at me too much if I only manage 20-30!
 
Thanks for the messages. Shane hope you, Teresa and bump are all well. Heather, you know Chris is using you to fill in whilst his favourite sup is out of town.  Chris...the  days seem a lot longer without your questions. Nick you are right about the long stage! Drop me the footie score......but maybe not if we get hammered.
Robert and Mila....I am looking after Mini Mila. You will be pleased to know she hasn't been ill once.
 
Whale count:1
Sick count:0
KM count:0
Penguin count:0
 
Sorry if this blog is not very desriptive but it is like trying to type whilst on a fairground ride and I need to get back to my TV channel.
 
 

I can´t believe it that:
A- In about two hours I am boarding a ship for a race at the bottom of the Earth.....Antarctica
B- That I have made it through the first three races relatively unscathed....just down a few toe nails.
C- That I get to enjoy this experience wIth my beautiful girlfriend Sallie.
D- I am going to see penguins in the wild!

The journey to Ushuaia went quite smoothly.We had a bit of a dash in BA and only just made it to check-in........if you are reading this from BOH TF then always go with the RCT not the MCT.....much as I tried to remain calm there were a few nerves creeping in as we spent about an hour in customs.
 Ushuaia is a stunning little town surrounded by mountains and water. Sallie and I have been out for a couple of short runs around the lake, we had planned to have a steady jog but having several large dogs chasing behind you is great motivation for speeding up.


Thanks for the texts and facebook messages wishing me luck. It means a great deal. Hope everything is good back in blighty.
Patel.....the 20th is the date.......you give me a 2 goal headstart and the draw and we can have a cheeky $20 bet? There´s only one class act in North London.


Next blog will be from the boat.

Hasta lluego

This is really it. The final race in the 4deserts Grand Slam. I still can't believe how quickly time has gone. That cold Sunday in December 2008 only seems like yesterday. The Sunday Times carried a story about Dean Karnazes and Paul Liebenberg completing what seemed like an impossible challenge....the Grand Slam. 
The challenge seemed immense, and different to anything I had seen. I knew straight away that I wanted to attempt this. Then reality hit and I started to think about the logistics, the finance, time away from work and the most daunting....how would I convince Sallie (girlfriend) that using all of our holidays to run across deserts would be a great idea. I have to say I feel like the luckiest man on the planet...Sallie has supported me through the races whilst tolerating endless talk about blister kits, socks, shoes etc etc. As well as supporting me Sallie has also volunteered at both the Atacama Crossing and the Sahara Race and will be in Antarctica with me. I mention the volunteering part because I believe the volunteers are the unsung heros of these races.Their hardwork, dedication and enthusiasm in a major reason why these events are so special. During each race they are the first to wake and usually the last to bed. If you have ever volunteered I take my hat off to you.

This is my first blog by the way so forgive me if I ramble.....they will get shorter during the week....I promise. My preperation since the Sahara has gone ok.....it's been a bit of a blur trying to get all of the mandatory kit organised and I haven't managed to get as much running in as I would have liked but to be honest I am very happy to have made it through the first three races relatively unscathed and be in the position I am in.
 
Anyway, I leave now for the airport......15 hours to Buenos Aires then about 4 hours to Ushuaia followed by a two day sailing to the bottom of the world......

I am looking forward to meeting up with my fellow G-Slammers, as well as a couple of guys I have met in previous races. Hopefully my nerves will have settled by then


Until next time.