Ryan Sandes - Ultra Marathon long distance runner extraordinaire

I opted to make the long trip to Alter Do Chao, Brazil, ten days early in the hope of acclimatizing to the extreme heat and humidity I would be faced with during the Jungle Marathon. Alter Do Chao was the host city for the Jungle Marathon this year and is known as the “Caribbean” of Brazil. With its white sandy beaches on the banks of the Tapajos River and bordering the Amazon jungle, this town is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen and is a tourist hotspot for local Brazilian’s.

With my non existent Portuguese and most local shop and restaurant owners not speaking a word of English, it left for some very interesting times when dining out in restaurants.
I would point to anything on the menu that was not too expensive and hope for the best. It is quite exciting not knowing what you are going to be served and my meal selections were better than when I knew what I was ordering.

Mentally my mind started to play games with me while acclimatizing in Alter Do Chao. I wanted to do well in the Jungle Marathon or should I say I would have been disappointed with anything less than a win. I put a lot of pressure on myself leading up to the race and while in Alter Do Chao I had a lot of time to think about the race. My mind was working over time and a few days felt like years and with about five days to go all I wanted was the race to start. Looking back I think these “mind games” were a good thing. I visualised running all six stages, thought long and hard about my race strategies and was hungrier than ever to get a good result in the Jungle Marathon.

Finally D day arrived and we boarded the boat for the fourteen hour journey up the Tapajos River to the start of the Jungle Marathon. I managed to get a cabin and avoided sleeping in a hammock for one more night. I woke up in what felt like a paradise, the sun rising over the jungle and competitors were jumping off the boat into the muddy green waters of the Tapajos River.

Upon arrival at the starting point of the race, competitors were given a few hours to get settled and put up their hammocks before the jungle training and race briefing. Let’s just say putting up a hammock is not one of my strong points! During jungle training we were informed about all the dangers in the jungle which is just about everything. I was most concerned about the snakes as they told us if you get bitten by a “Bushmaster” you have three hours to live. It was around this point that I asked myself what I was doing there…surely I could get a kick out of things in life that are a little less dangerous.?

A day after the jungle training I found myself lining up for the start of the race, I was really nervous and already sleep deprived after spending two nights in a hammock. Within minutes of starting the Jungle Marathon I found myself swimming across a river before we entered the jungle. The first day was brutal and the hills were never ending but I was running on adrenaline and went off fast, too fast. I ran through what I thought was an ankle deep river but within a few seconds I found myself up to my chest in black swamp mud and visuals of Anaconda’s were in my head. I got to the half way point of the stage feeling good and felt even better knowing I was leading.
However shortly after that I seemed to hit a wall, a big one - my body had no energy and even breathing seemed to be difficult. Each hill felt like I was climbing up Mount Everest, I was getting really cross with myself and to make things worse I had fire ants on the back of my neck biting me. At the next checkpoint I poured some water on my head and stumbled across the finish line feeling like I had just been hit by a bus. I won the stage but my ankle looked like my knee and I knew the next week was going to be the hardest few days of my life. That afternoon competitors were collapsing over the finish line and four unlucky competitors were evacuated from the race by boat. Two of those competitors spent the rest of the week in a comma.

Stage two was really swampy but there were a few sections on the route that could be run really fast. I started off the stage a lot slower than the previous day and ran with Salvador of Spain for three quarters of the day. I found it a lot easier to run behind someone as you could see what branches and roots tripped them up, where they were swallowed up in the swamps and the guy in front would have to be constantly looking out for the coarse markers. I also hoped that if a “Bushmaster” wanted to test out the strength of his venom he would do so on the first runner.

Leaving the last checkpoint I felt strong and decided to up my pace, the course flattened out a bit and I managed to put some distance between myself and the second runner. The last two kilometres hurt me but I was leading and the pain felt good in a way.

Stage three was a mixture of stage one and two, never ending hills and tick infested swamps. I employed the same tactic as stage two and started off conservatively running with Mike Wolfe (USA) and Salvador (Spain). The going was tough and we all had our turns to fall over hidden roots, go over on our ankles in holes hidden by leaves and get attacked by man eating hornets.

Just after checkpoint two I was running behind Salvador and had a flashback from a race in Namibia earlier in the year where he had beaten me. In Namibia I held back on stage three saving my legs for the long stage which in hindsight was the wrong decision. This decision had haunted me for the last few months and I was not going to make the same mistake twice. I made a break and no one followed, I was taking a big risk because when you blow in the jungle it is really hard to pick yourself up again due to the extreme humidity levels. I was running on the “edge” and it felt good; I pushed hard up the hills and attacked the swamps with little respect. I saw three snakes in the space of two hours and there were constant rustling noises coming from the jungle vegetation I passed. None of this phased me as I was running in the zone and my only focus was getting to the finish line as quick as possible.

Eight kilometres from the finish I was stopped dead in my tracks by a monster hill, it kept going up and every time I thought I was at the top, there was a new peak. I was climbing under a fallen tree half way up the hill and accidently peeked into a hole and saw a pair of eyes looking at me. The “eyes” gave me an instant energy boost and I charged up the rest of the hill. I crossed the finish line forty seven minutes ahead of the second competitor but the long stage was still to come.
Stage four started off with a three hundred meter river crossing. There was a mad rush to get into the water and swimming with a backpack on was much harder than I had anticipated. Swimming across the river skyrockets your heart rate and it took about twenty minutes of running to get it down again. I ran the entire stage with Mike Wolfe and the company helped to mentally refuel me for the long stage. We crossed the finish line jointly first and congratulated each other.

I did not sleep much before the long stage and I tossed and turned in my hammock for most of the night. I knew the long stage would be were the race would be won or lost and waking up that morning I was so nervous I could barely get my breakfast down. The long stage was eighty nine kilometres (Comrades in the jungle), the first forty six kilometres was in the jungle and then the remaining distance was on dirt trails and beaches.

We started off with a big river crossing and were soon back in the jungle. I was starting to get excited about running somewhere different to the jungle terrain. After five days of kicking the same toe on roots, going over on my ankles multiple times and getting bitten by hornets I had lost my sense of humour and wanted to get out of the jungle. I was craving being able to get into a running rhythm and being able to run without having to jump over fallen trees, swim across rivers and wade through swamps.

I started off conservatively running with Mike and Salvador, we ran the entire jungle section together. Just before leaving the jungle we were given a farewell present from the jungle by a swarm of hornets that attacked us. That was the final straw - I needed to get out the jungle now. It was a massive relief to get onto the dirt roads and it felt great to be able to run with some freedom again. I got a bit over excited and took off like a headless chicken, it felt great for the first ten minutes but then I stated to regret my increased tempo. I was too stubborn to back down the tempo and let the others catch me, so I kept pushing. My legs started to hurt and I was suffering but my mind would not let my legs slow down.

I got to the second last checkpoint and knew if I could just keep on running at a constant pace the race was mine. My body was annihilated but mentally I was on a high knowing I was really close to winning the long stage which would just about make me the overall Jungle Marathon winner. I let out a scream of joy running along the beach and lost a bit of focus. Within a few kilometres I had run out of water and underestimated the distance to the next checkpoint. My energy levels started dropping and before I knew it I was reduced to a mixture between a shuffle and a stumble. I was dizzy and I could feel the race and my dreams of winning slipping away and was really angry with myself for getting into this situation.

I passed through some dense vegetation and saw a river ahead, my pace increased and I headed straight for the river. Now I had to decide whether to drink the water and risk getting sick or not drink the water and probably not finish the stage. The choice was obvious and it was the best tasting water I have ever had. Suddenly I felt like a new person and before long I crossed the finish line. It was a major relief to cross the finish line and I realised that all I had to do now was finish the six and final stage and I would win the race.

My hammock had become really uncomfortable by now and all I wanted was a bed and some real food. Waking up on the morning of the last stage I was excited about finishing the race but the last thing my legs felt like was running thirty two kilometres along the beach. We started the last stage and very quickly I could feel my legs were tired. I had a two and a half hour lead on the second competitor and knew all I had to do was keep moving forward. Once again I teamed up with Mike Wolfe and we ran the stage together. We had built up a good friendship over the past few days and the chatting seemed to numb the pain my legs were feeling.

Before long we entered the little village of Alter Do Chao and I was handed the South African flag to cross the finish line. The last few seconds are a blur but the feeling of crossing the finish line can not be described. I had been sleeping and eating the Jungle Marathon during the last few months. I had made a lot of sacrifices to get to the race as strong and fit as possible. I trained really hard and on same days I could hardly even walk after training sessions. Sipping on a beer I felt on top of the world and the hard work had paid off.

My next major multi day race is the Jungle Marathon in October. It takes place in the Amazon where you get giant rodents the size of dogs and some huge snakes - should be fun!!

Locally I will be going up to the Knysna festival at the start of July, to run some Salomon events up there. I am thinking of entering the Knysna Xterra but will need to get some practice on a mountain bike ASAP!

The organisers of the Rhodes Trail which takes place in the Drakensberg in the middle of July have given me a wild card to the event. I am really stoked as the event is one of the most famous trail runs in South Africa and has a four year waiting list. I am looking forward too see how I perform at altitude and in the cold as the races starts off with temperatures of -11 degrees Celsius and there is often snow..

Other events include the Hout Bay Trail Challenge and Table Mountain Trail Race.

I have just entered Racing the Planet Atacama 2010 in Chile and have been invited as one of 30 competitors to the last desert in Antarctica 2010 so all is on track to complete the 4 Desert Series next year.

WOW - what a race .... The field of competitors consisted of 17 past champions including the likes of Marco Olmo (Mont Balnc Ultra Trail winner 2007) and Salvador Calvo Redondo, who has won a number of international trail races over the past 15 years. I knew I was going to be up against some very strong athletes and the race organizers billed the race as having the most competitive field of athletes ever.

I have given a blow by blow account from my perspective and made it a Word document which you can download - click here to Read and Download.

Stage 6 - The last stage after a grueling event!

Course:
Stage 6 will take competitors into the famous Pyramids of Giza, with a short five – ten kilometer sprint (three – six miles).

It was still dark when competitors woke up at 0400 to catch the convoy of buses lined up 250m from camp. Even after the Long Day previously, they arose and got their stuff together and mustered the energy to trudge through even more soft sand and board the buses for a 5 hour journey into Cairo where the last stage of the race would take place – a 6km sprint to the finish line of the Sahara Race (2008) Egypt through the pyramids. When competitors finally arrived in Cairo, it was all a bit hectic and disorientating as they got off the bus and prepared to get into the mindset to run on through to the end first down a side alley where the local horse stables for the Pyramid tour guide, and then through the pyramid compound, running almost a whole loop around the pyramids and then up a small hill to the finish line. After 6 days out in the peaceful desert, it was very full on to submerge straight into a tourist hub in the middle of downtown Cairo. Nevertheless, competitors gave it their all, having already finished the hardest part of the race, this small section gave some of them a chance to make up time, or run in together with new friends or fellow nationals as a last stand of support. Paul H. Liebenberg (S. Africa) planned to run in with Ryan N. Sandes (S. Africa), but unfortunately, missed the pink marker flag on the corner of the turn off point to the finish line, and ran around a long way and lost sight of the finish line. In addition to this, other competitors followed Liebenberg down this detour and so there were some unhappy faces at the finish line. Liebenberg had a sense of humour about it though, saying, “well, that was a great tour of Cairo, deep into downtown, past the market, through the bazaar and back into the pyramids, so for everyone out there who came with me, just know that we ran further than this kid (Sandes).”

It was a fantastic vibe at the finish line, with an Egyptian marching band trumpeting out well known tunes and beating the drums to welcome the competitors in to their final destination of the Sahara Race (2008) Egypt. There were camels lined up on the sidelines and the pyramids were perfectly framed in the background by the bright green banner of the Sahara Race. Each participant who had successfully completed all 6 stages received a medal and they all donned these with pride and gratitude that it was all over. Another bonus was the huge stack of pizzas and coolers filled with beers, which after carrying dehydrated meals and drinking nothing but water (sometimes flavoured with electrolytes or recovery powders), delighted everyone.

Ryan N. Sandes (S. Africa) was the overall winner, and ran into the finish line at lightening speed in 18.03 minutes, arriving at 11.45.05. 2nd for this stage was Paul H. Liebenberg (S. Africa) at 11.55.53, despite having lost time with the extra distance. 3rd came Mirjana K. Pellizzer (Croatia) at 11.56.10. And Amr A.M Shatilla (Egypt), one of three Egyptian nationals partaking in the Sahara Race ran in at 4th at 11.56.31 – his family was there to greet him. Next came Ricky. D. Paugh (USA), followed by Norma A. Bastidas (Canada), Eric Chang (China/Australia), Annabell L. Chartres (New Zealand), Tom J. Aaker and then Kenichuro Yasuda (Japan) as the top ten runners for this stage. All competitors made it to the finish line in just more than 1 hour – with Enrico Del Mastro (UK) coming in with a massive smile on his face as the final competitor to complete the stage.

Overall, Ryan N. Sandes (S. Africa) placed first, having run as the leader consistently throughout the entire race with the impressive total time of 27.09.17. 2nd was Dean Karnazes (USA) who ran the course in 30.13.09. 3rd was Paolo Barghini (Italy) with the time of 30.43.59. Nina Breith placed 6th overall and 1st in the Women’s division with the time of 32.50.37. 2nd placing woman was Mirjana K. Pellizzer (Croatia), her time was 35.22.07 and she placed 16th overall. Cleo J. Oliver (UK) was the 3rd placing woman, and she placed 24th overall with the total time of 36.19.56 – this was Cleo’s first 4 Deserts event, and she performed exceptionally. The 1st placing team was, as it has been throughout the entire race, Team Sipa/Teko Socks (Denmark) – Jacob C. Nielsen, Thomas Roende and Henrik Eiberg, who were known for the songs and positivity they brought to the race, ran in great form for the entire course.

Stage 5 - RYAN WINS AGAIN !!!!

At long last, competitors who are still in the competition will face the 95 - 100 kilometer (50 - 60 mile) “Stage 5” which takes competitors from the White Desert to the heart of the Black Desert. The terrain is lunar like, with many plateaus to traverse. A strong mind and limitless endurance will be the key to survival on this stage which is simply flat out and stony for most of the way. The last section is sandy taking competitors to the ridge of a small village around Bahariya. Competitors will be welcomed by the children of El Ris Village before resting for the final stage. The leaders should be able to complete the section in eight hours, while those selecting to take a moderate pace can take as long as 31 hours.

Stage Update:
With a staggered start at the beginning, it was exciting but arduous day. The main group of runner comprising of 124 people set off at 0800, there were many mixed emotions that ranged from dread, fear, anticipation, anxiety all the way through the spectrum to elation and cheer. The atmosphere was electrifying.

Runners set off to a speedy start, with many people aiming to take advantage of the cool hours in the morning through sandy flats, before the thick heat would set in at 1130. By Check Point 20, competitors’ energy had begun to flag noticeably, and many were partnering or grouping together in order to motivate one another through the 100.2km they had to complete throughout the day.

At the first Check Point of the day, the competitors weren’t briefed on this detour, but they actually went all the way to Alaska, according to the local Egyptian team member, Wahid who declared the check point he was manning to be this Northern American State.

At Check Point 20, Laura Corti (Italy) said that she was dividing Stage 6 into three parts, something that experience has taught her through her many years of running multi-day events. Others just walked on through the day, singing marching songs or sweating through expletives. Jim Kerr (Scotland), Lee J. Kelly (UK) and Tim J. Welch stuck together throughout the Long Day, and sang numerous jolly marching songs to keep them going through the midday heat into the night. Travis D. Wilkinson (S. Africa) , James F. D’ath (UK) and Mark Dahl (South Africa) stuck together for the whole stage too. “The scenery was lacking, which was a good thing in a way because I have already used all the superlatives I can think of to describe the amazing terrain we have encountered out here in the Sahara,” said Wilkinson, “I didn’t know that the desert was so deep, but they really brought us to the bottom of it.” Raucous laughter and what they called, “abuse” flowed freely out of these three men on the course, which according to D’ath, was a good sign that they were all feeling ok.

Check Point 21 welcomed competitors at the 40% mark, and they were all feeling it by this point. The monotony of the terrain was beginning to plague the mind with its repetition, and the impending continuation of this grounding began to frustrate. Luckily, they soon passed through a lunar field of grey slatted rocks with small craggy tips surrounded by black washed sand – this meant firmer footing, although it also translated into a small uphill climb. Luckily, Check Point 22 was soon after the ascent. Front runners Dean Karnazes (USA) and Ryan Sandes (S. Africa) ran with one another the whole day, which they both appreciated immensely, “today was definitely the best day I have ever had in my entire RacingThePlanet experience,” Sandes said.

Once competitors had passed the plateau, there was a plateau down into a valley cut out as if the rocks had been parted by a divine force. Dusk descended into the evening at 6, and as the sun dipped down into the horizon and the sky lit up with an ambient glow, darkness quickly invaded the vast open space of the Sahara. And when it gets dark here, it gets really dark. Soon, the night was peppered with bright green glow sticks, and all that could be seen for miles around, was a trail of small red flashing lights from behind, and a string of white head lamps bobbing up and down through the undulating plains of the deserts, resembling a moving, linear matrix cutting through kilometers of the desert.

Many chose to stop and rest at Check Point 22 and get a nice hot meal. It was a great place to pause, with toasty fires and chairs for the competitors. “I quite like walking through the dark,” said Rob Bolton (UK), “although now that I have said it, it makes me sound a bit depressing.” As Bolton looked around the group of his fellow competitors, he asked them, “is this a group consolation meeting? If so, my name is Rob and I can’t pee,” he laughed, as he began to tuck into his dinner.

In the early evening, the top half of the field didn’t choose to stay too long, wanting to complete the Long Day in one go, rather than lose momentum by sleeping, or motivation by sitting for too long. Karin M. G Pederson (Denmark) said, “it’s a good time to appreciate the stars, I have seen so many shooting ones and it cheers me up, but it is hard to look at them with a headlamp on.” Carlos Garcia Prieto (Spain) smiled to her and said, “only one marathon to go.” Which was a comment met by many almost sarcastic laughs.

The next three Check Points were pure carnage for those who were already finding the first half difficult, but the ground team of volunteers kept morale up – and the competitors plodded along, down a ridge and straight into camp. Participants of the Sahara Race (2008) Egypt, will be arriving through the night and into the morning.

The first competitor to cross the line at Camp “El Ris”, was Peter E. Ball (Australia) at 22.14.17, as first from the main group – he was followed a few minutes later by Ryan N. Sandes (South Africa) and Dean Karnazes (USA) at 22.21.40 who were running in the top 25. Rowley Aird (UK) ran into camp as 3rd to finish for the Stage, and 2nd from the main group. Paul H. Skipworth (UK) came in next, as 3rd in the main group, he commented, “that last sandy bit was totally cruel, it was like a sand trap.

It was a fine clear day with cool temperatures in the morning, and racers set off to a blazing start with more than 75 competitors reaching Check Point 13 in the first hour. Rob James (Wales) said, “I am definitely running to miss the heat, once it gets to above 30 degrees (Celsius) my body starts to suffer – so tomorrow, come 1130 you will definitely see me walking.”

There was a lot of anticipation for the long day tomorrow, and the heat and length of the last leg of Stage 4 worried many. After two relatively short sections, people began to understand why this stage was called, “The Spring to Nowhere”, for after a relatively easy first half, they encountered a small oasis in the middle of the seemingly endless bounds of sand, sand and more sand – this area was called the Qarawin Dunes. Sean W. Abbott thought, “the oasis was a good addition.” And competitors took the time to pause and cool off. It was unfair that competitors couldn’t partake in a small dip in this pool of cold water, due to medical precautions stipulated by Dr. Suzie Wilson. Especially since there was a rather tanned tourist randomly walking around in a bikini and dipping into the multi-tiered pools located just behind Check Point 15. Jim Kerr (UK) said, “I am disappointed that the air-conditioning isn’t working at the oasis.” Martin J. Palethorpe (UK) said, “it reminded me of a cartoon, with those randomly placed palm trees and this little spring of water trickling out.”

What greeted racers after this oasis was a 14km slog on to the end. There was a small water pit-stop in the form of a jeep, where competitors could collect another bottle of water, which they all surely needed. By the time the clock struck noon, temperatures were blistering at more than 45 degrees (Celsius). With the addition of cut off times through the last two stages, the participants marched on through until the end of the day.

Although the camp was clearly visible in the last 3km of the stage, it wasn’t a straight line from the vantage point to the camp – and as always, Pierre the course director made the competitors’ journey just that little bit more interesting by leading them around a corner through a rock field and over a dune before they could cross the finish line. Annabel L Chartres (New Zealand) said, “all that sand was energy zapping, but the landscape was so interesting the last part – it was what I would describe as, lunar.”

Camp “Mars” is situated near rock towers in the sand, with white slats of limestone emerging through the mounds of soft sand, like what the moon would perhaps look like if someone poured sand all over it. At camp, there was an Egyptian desert band playing some tribal music and volunteers and competitors were dancing in the afternoon sun. The energy at camp was very relaxed and positive, as competitors began to discuss strategies about how they would tackle the long day ahead tomorrow. Peter E. Ball (Australia) felt, “bittersweet” about the impending end of the race, but said, “it is the last big haul we are going to endure, and I feel ready for it. Although I also feel sad that it is suddenly the end. For now, though, I am just going to focus on finishing it.”

In first place, Ryan N. Sandes (S. Africa) won the Stage for the 4th day in a row at 10.52.40. Paulo Barghini (Italy)came in 2nd at 11.23.15. 3rd came Nina Breith (Germany) at 11.29.39. Nina is 1st in the women’s division., followed by Cleo J. Oliver (UK) and then Mirjana K. Pellizzer (Croatia). Team Sipa/Seko Socks (Denmark) is 1st in the Team division and the trio ran into camp singing, “I want to ride my bicycle” by Queen at 12.11.03.

Stage 2 traverses some of the most beautiful rock formations in the White Desert with animals, birds and mushroom formations dotting the landscape and the rough country where competitors will traverse.� The stage begins with a difficult section followed by more moderate terrain.� Competitors will cover almost a marathon distance of 41.8 kilometers (26.1 miles).� The terrain is sandy and rocky throughout the stage, however, a small spring is located close to the second checkpoint.� The leaders will complete the section in three hours while the back of pack will again take nearly 12 hours.

Stage Update:

It was a beautiful start to a day aptly named, “The White Desert”. Stage 2 was slightly longer at 38km, but there was the promise of encountering a spring where competitors could cool off and rinse their buffs –they were warned not to ingest or enter the water in order to prevent contamination or infection if they had open wounds. There were several sections to the course which were extremely undulating, and at times, downright steep – so many of the competitors who preferred flatter running ground found this stage harder than yesterday’s, which was mostly flat.

Already at Stage 2, some competitors are finding the psychological aspect of the race trying, and had different methods to overcome the darker side of these events that are often overlooked. Some, such as Kent D. Gikas (USA) relied heavily on the camaraderie he had forged with Rodney J. Bovee (UK). Saying, “I just felt so disorientated the whole day, and then I realized why I was here, and it was because of people like him [Bovee].” Other competitors were feeling worse for wear, and foot injuries really began to surface with a vengeance. Alasdair G. Macdonald (UK) found that his crocs were more comfortable than his running shoes, so switched them at Check Point 3 of this event. “I had been training with the same socks as at home,” he said, “but I found that they bunched up here for some reason.” This sort of incident highlights how important it is to be prepared, as equipment performs differently in various climates.

By Check Point 6, many of the participants were thoroughly exhausted, and the heat had begun to get to them. Others were in good spirits. Simon P. Southgate (UK) joked, “I heard that there was an ice-cream van just around the corner.” Kasper Hjorteberg (Denmark) said, “the best part of today was the check points. I felt so emotional when I came up the hill, but I didn’t want to be guy who was crying as the main issue of next year’s race.”

Above all, without exception, competitors praised the beauty of the scenery, especially the huge descent down into a ravine which was steep, but provided the best vantage point from which to see across the endless bounds of the white desert unfolding around as far as the eye could see. Many participants seized this opportunity to take photos of each other, and felt as if they were on top of the world. Woon Noh Cheung (S. Korea), the blind competitor who is attempting this race, was in excellent spirits, and lent insight to this event that other’s overlook. Although many other competitors complained about the mounds of endless sand, Cheung said that it was much softer to touch than he had expected, and that it was a very interesting sensation to run along it. “I feel like it takes more strength to move through it,” this courageous man said, “but I know if I can get through this I can overcome everything.” Words like these gave competitors courage an motivation to get through to the end.

Keith M. Saulsbury (New Zealand) said, “Every time I round a corner, there is something new and amazing to see, I can’t believe it.” And by the time competitors walked through the space-like terrain with stunning natural rock formations in all manners of shapes and sizes – Robyn Metcalfe, who skipped past the finish line with fellow competitor Karin M. G Pederson (Denmark) said, “by that point I saw lots of the animals that they said to look out for, but I also was imagining many different kinds of other animals, that may or may not exist in nature.”

Ryan N. Sandes finished first for the 2nd day in a row, coming in at 11.39.55. Paolo Barghini (Italy) came in at 2nd, he was very emotional as he dedicated today’s stage to his father, who recently passed away. Barghini said that he had never performed so well during his previous races with 4 Deserts, he came in at 12.05.46. 3rd came Dean Karnazes, clocking in at 12.21.39 and Nina Breith came in as the first placing woman with the time of 12.25.54 and placed 4th overall.

26-Oct-1135: Temperatures have escalated to a scorching 45 degrees (Celsius) – with competitors such as Peter E. Ball (Australia) commenting, “it is quite a bit warmer than I expected.” Others, such as Peter N. Liptak (USA) joked, “I might put on a parka actually,” with fellow competitors. Sean W. Abbott (USA) was also in good spirits, praising the scenery and saying, “it’s a beautiful day for the beach, could do with some nice margaritas.” At this midway point, it is the thick of the first stage, and competitors are packed tightly together in the middle of the field. Rowley W. Aird (UK) said, “the scenery is beautiful and it is keeping me going, but it is very, very hot.” Nina Breith (Germany) has moved up in the top ten, placing 7th overall as the first woman. Ricky D. Paugh (USA) is running at 9th – he is newly placing in the top ten.

25-Oct-0900: Check-in for competitors is rife with activity as participants gather last minute supplies and final preparations come together before departure for the desert at 1200. Paul Liebenberg made it after visa problems with a South African passport in London. Newcomers such as Jacqueline Furniss are in good spirits anticipating the start of their first event. Competitors will depart in just 3 hours for the Sahara Desert.
RacingThePlanet Events Limited organizes the world's most prestigious outdoor events of their kind. RacingThePlanet® is a unique category of rough country footraces that take place over seven days and some 250 kilometers in remote and culturally rich locations around the world. Competitors must carry all their own equipment and food, are only provided with water and a place in a tent each day but are supported by professional medical and operations teams.

RacingThePlanet is international; the events typically involve competitors from over 20 different countries who are able to mingle around the campfires and in their geographically mixed tents. Currently the events consist of the 4 Deserts, a series which encompasses the Gobi Desert in China, the Atacama Desert in Chile, the Sahara Desert in Egypt and Antarctica, and a fifth event which roves to a new location each year.

Background
The 4 Deserts is a series of self-supported footraces across the largest and most forbidding deserts on Earth including the Gobi in China, the Atacama in Chile, the Sahara in Egypt and Antarctica. Each race occurs over seven days and see’s competitors cover a distance of 250 kilometres.
The Gobi March 2008 took place around an area called Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture located along the ancient Silk Road. The field consisted of about 190 competitors from 26 countries. Temperatures during the race exceeded 35˚C and we reached altitudes of 3200 meters. The majority of the area where the Gobi March was held is closed to tourists and competitors required special permits.

All competitors had to get to the city of Kashgar for a race briefing by the Saturday as we were being bussed out to the desert that afternoon. We went through our equipment check that morning and competitors backpack’s weighed in from 7kgs to 18kgs. Mine was 8.5kg excluding water which was about average. We had lunch and boarded the buses for the 3 hour trip into the desert. Just as we were entering the desert area I noticed a huge grave on the side of the road and at this stage I started to question myself: What am I doing here? That evening locals from a small nearby town put on a show for us and we had our last big supper before starting the race the following morning. Then most people went off to bed and unfortunately for me my tent had two very bad snores. I made the mistake of not brining ear plugs which is a must for an event like this. The snoring combined with nerves saw me getting about an hours sleep that night.

The day for which I had been waiting for four months had finally arrived! I was very nervous that morning (a better way to put it was that I was Kukking myself!) as I had never done anything like this before. My previous longest trail race was the 35km Hout Bay Trail, which was very different to running 250km with a 10kg pack on. But I had trained hard for this race and was confident I could conquer the 250km desert slog.

The race started to beating drums and we were off. The first 10km of the 41km stage was quite flat but had a number of river crossings, which led to a number of competitors getting blisters. The next 20km consisted of a mixture of gravel roads with a couple of rocky canyons in-between. We ran though a small rural village and all the kids on the side of the road were cheering us on with pink flags. However the problem was that the pink flags they had were our race markers that they had picked up further along the course. It started to get really hot during the last 10km and a number of competitors complained of cramp. Luckily for me I didn't’t have any problems with cramps and finished stage 1 in one piece.
Day 2

I awoke in the morning and my legs were feeling quite stiff and heavy. This was a bit worrying and I started to think I had gone too hard the day before. The race organizers said today’s stage was going be really tough with lots of hills and technical terrain, causing a bit of panic to set in. But after the first couple of km my legs started to loosen up and the technical terrain was no worse than the trails around Cape Town. I passed a couple of donkey’s and carts along the way and after a technical descent through a salt canyon the finish was in sight. Despite running out of water in the last parts of the stage due to the soaring temperatures, I thought this was not too bad and if this was supposed to be the hard day then the rest of the days should not be too bad.

That afternoon a freak dust storm swept away the media tent, leaving us with a mouthful of dust and a tent upgrade.

I awoke in the morning feeling quite good after an improved nights sleep thanks to a borrowed pair of ear plugs combined with sheer exhaustion. According to the stage briefing, today was going to be really easy with not too many hills. The first 20km were indeed "easier" as we passed through local village grounds, eventually giving way to agricultural plots where rice and native crops are cultivated. Things started to go a bit pear shaped when we passed through a number of river crossings and 10km of dry river beds. This was really tough as it was very easy to topple over and injure your ankles on all the loose pebbles, and it didn't’t help to be running up the river bed. These technical bits seemed to suit me and I felt really good going into the last part of the stage. The race marshal at the last check point notified me that there was 6km to go. That did not sound too bad and I ran the first 2 km really hard as I wanted to finish before it got too hot. The altitude started to kick in and very shortly I was out of breath with nothing left in the tank. To make thinks worse I noticed that I had dropped my endurolyte tablets along the way and I had visions of starting to cramp as it was getting really hot. The hill seemed to go on and on and after about 50 minutes of running I realized the marshal had got the distances wrong and it was actually 6 miles (he was an Aussie so that was expected). I was basically reduced to a crawl for he last 2 km and thought so much for this being an easy day! I passed a bunch of locals who had just slaughtered a sheep and had visions I was next. After finally reaching the finish line I collapsed into a ball and spent the entire afternoon on my back with my feet in the air for recovery.

We woke to really cold temperatures as we were about 3000m above sea level. We were informed that we would be climbing a further 400m to a place called Heavens Gate. On the way up there I can assure you that it did not feel as if we were on our way to heaven. During the last km we were allowed to remove our back packs as we had to clime up ladders to get to Heavens Gate. The summit gave us an awesome view and you could see for miles. However, I thought I had reached my end as my legs felt as if the were about to blow and we had only run 14km and still had 27 to go. Things did not get better and the rest of the course consisted of steep climbs up canyons followed by treacherous descents. This was very technical and I had a couple of close encounters and a few falls. The last 10km were run on the side of a river with thick vegetation and seemed to go on for ever but eventually the camp was in site and I was finished.

It was a relief to have finished 4 stages and only have one tough day ahead, but looking back tough is an understatement! We were informed that evening that we would be bussed out at 6am to the start of the next stage.

We woke really early and were off on our 1.5hour buss ride to the start of the Long March. The bus trip seemed to take for ever and everyone seemed very quiet and nervous. Unluckily for me, the top 30 competitors would be starting at 11am with the rest starting at 8am. Along the way I thought to myself: How was I going to complete 80km when my longest race was a marathon?

Off we went and saying it was hot was an understatement. At about 55km I could not even see in font of me from the heat shimmer. At the 60km check point I held onto a chair and nearly collapsed and realized something was wrong. I was drinking enough liquid but was feeling really weak. I started wetting my hat with water which helped and realized my body was getting to hot. The next 10km felt as if I was running through hell, with scorching conditions and bare scenery. At one point I did’t think I was going to make it to the next check point. The rest is a blur and I somehow crossed the finish line. This was an awesome feeling of satisfaction and achievement as I realized I was going to conquer the 250 km with only the last day of only 15km to come.
That night I passed out really quickly and the rocks under me felt as if I was sleeping on clouds.

Day 6
I woke the next day to the beating drums of competitors still finishing as we had two days to complete the long stage. That day I did not do much and in the afternoon we were treated to cake for all birthdays during the race. We were like wild animas who had ever seen food before.

Day 7
When I awoke on day 7 I was ready to get the race over and done with. I was looking forward to some decent food, a shower and a proper bed.

We ran the last 15km along a small village road and finished at a school in a small town. Getting the finishers medal was really special and all the hard training, pain and suffering had paid off. There were times during training and the race where I wondered to myself why I was doing this but looking back it was all worth it and I was already thinking about the next challenge on the bus trip back to Kashgar.

Was it worth it in the end - DEFINATELY - see you at the Sahara Race in a couple of months time ...