 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||||||||
|
The Sahara Race Final Position
Friday, October 27, 2006
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Sunday, October 29, 2006 Okay, get this. There is a girl in my tent who is allergic to the sun! Erin is 24 years old and serving in the U.S. army. Currently she is based in Germany. Last night she was telling me that when she was young, she was not allowed outside. When she was in elementary school, she was not allowed out for recess. She had to stay inside the school by herself. The other kids teased her, and called her vampire girl. Poor thing! Anyway, she is out here making a go of the race and doing really well for one so young! She has to run completely covered, and when she gets to the tent at the end of the day, she is really suffering. She has a terrible heat rash all over her body, and her face is really badly burned. But she is a real trooper and hanging in there! Today we had to run 38km. The first 20kms were pretty easy. But the next 10kms were hell. We had to climb over some pretty huge dunes, and the wind was gusting at up to 60kms an hour. The sand really hurts when it is sandblasting your skin. I made pretty good time today, but I'm still saving up for the long day. Rumor has it that we are going to have to run 100 km on the 5th day. That is a long way. The most I have done in these desert stage races is 80 kms. 20kms makes a huge difference. As it is, the long day traditionally separates the men from the boys. It is very tough mentally. People that are new to this are going to find that it is a very tough stage. Today is Halloween, and some of the volunteers brought head gear to dress up in the spirit of the day...it was great! One nurse wore doggy ears, and I got a picture of her at work on a runners feet. Actually, she was working on the feet of Michael Jones, a Canadian man. He had a nasty heel blister which has forced him out of the race. But he has a good attitude, and already looking forward to his next marathon back home. Right now we are hunkered down in camp. The wind is still blowing, and we are pretty much just hanging out in our tents and resting. Tomorrow we are going to have to run about 40kms, so it won't be an easy day by any means. But I think the dunes are over with. People are getting pretty beat up already, and this is where the race begins. Wish me luck! Sandy
Wednesday, November 1, 2006 Today was a blur. I did not have a good day out there. It was another 38km stage, but the water checkpoints were spaced a fair distance apart. 13 kms, 14 kms, and 12 kms (approximately) The terrainrain was pretty monotonous as well. I started off strong and had a pretty good pace. But toward the end of the day I was really struggling. The only thing that disrupted the monotony was a tiny oasis. We were all told that we could wash up with the water there, but I didn't dare. First, because I don't have the time to play around. Second, because I seem to be prone to contracting dysentery at the drop of a hat. The people that did want to stop and rest there were all warned to watch out for snakes. One of the volunteers was sitting under a palm tree and something dropped on her head. It turned out to be a shedded snakeskin. She leaped into the air, looking about wildly for the snake that went with it. Fortunately, she didn't have to worry. Nearby the oasis was a tomb. I viewed the footage from the cameraman that was there. It was very interesting. There were three humans that had been placed in a naturally carved cave. They had not been wrapped like mummies, you could just see their skeletons. It was very eerie to see the bleached white skulls there. Someone made a comment that it was probably the remains of some of last years runners. Outside the tomb there were some ancient hyroglyphics scrawled on the rocks. On Friday night we are going to board buses, and travel 5 or 6 hours until we reach a designated point in Cairo where the race will start. The last stage is expected to be about 10 kms, and will end at the pyramids. Saturday night will be the awards banquet. I am already looking forward to eating! My body is holding together pretty well. The only injuries I have are to my feet. I have two toenails coming off on my right foot, and two toenails coming off on my left foot. So, there will be no excuses for tomorrow. I would like to do well. Jacqueline, my friend from the U.S. is doing really well. I told you about her earlier on. Her luggage did not arrive on time, and she had to scramble together her food from donations from other runners. She seriously dehydrated on the first day. But she has come on strong since then. She has a fun-loving outlook on life in general, and the race in particular, and is having the time of her life! She is one tough lady, and I admire her strength. She has become a very good friend in just a few short days. We are going to be rooming together again after the race. We both have decided that after we shower, we are going to crack open a bottle of Egyptian red and relax on the afternoon that we finish. Our Lebanese friend Ali is going to join us. (Only he will be drinking Mango juice) But first things first, getting through tomorrow. Wish me luck everyone! Sandy Thursday, November 2, 2006 Well, the long day is done and I'm happy with my effort. I will end up in second place it looks like. It would be great to be first, but it was not meant to be. The girl that won the race, Claire, was just too strong for me. But last year I placed 6th for women in this same race, so I have moved up 4 spots. Not only that, but this is my fourth desert ultramarathon this year, whereas for all of the other women here, it is their first and only desert ultra for the year. I still have 2 more races to go in setting the world record. How did it go? Well, it was tough. Last years' race here was tough because of the unbearable heat. It was 50 degrees out every day. This year the race was tough because of the terrain. The long stage had it all. We were told to expect an easy day. It was anything but. The race took off with a stagger start. The last 40 runners went first. They started at 6 am. The second stagger had the top 20 runners leave at 9 am. I hate leaving late. I like to get an early start. The first 4 hours was nothing but deep shifting sand. It was impossible to make good time through it. Then, through the heat of the day, we made our way in a winding route through a barren section of the desert that really tested everyone's mental toughness. It was so boring. My 50 songs on my MP3 played over and over and over again. I am sick of them all. At about 4 in the afternoon, I really started to pick up the pace. I wanted to run as well as I could for 2 hours before the sun went down. Once the sun set. I slowed down a bit. I had been running on and off with two Danish guys that I have come to know through other races. They are both really strong. I had lost sight of them at some point during the afternoon, but by nightfall I had caught up to them. We kept each other going. The final stage was torture. It was 13 kms. It began with going about 6 kms out along a valley, winding over hills and over sand. Then we made a wide curve and had to work our way all the way back on the other side, which took us through a huge oasis with a number of villages. So, it was basically an out and back stage. Many people I think, cut the corners, or crossed over way before they should have. They cheated, but they really only cheat themselves. When the desert is so devoid of anything, getting into the oasis was like a sensory overload. At first I could smell something that seemed to smell really good. I said to my friend, what is that, it smells fantastic! I don't know if he was delusional or what, but he replied that I was hallucinating, and that it was cow s... . I couldn't believe it. After nearly a week of running, with no shower, cow s... smelled better than I did! That's pathetic. There was actually electricity in this village, and there were lights on inside the clay homes. There were also people out in the darkness to watch us pass. We had to follow glow sticks and flags to find our way through the winding streets. It was actually kind of eerie. Well, true to form, I got lost. With only about 15 minutes to finish, I went the wrong way, and somehow, ran into two runners coming toward me. They yelled at me in the darkness, "You're going the wrong way!" I didn't believe them at first. I was so tired, I was convinced it was them going the wrong way. They finally talked me into joining them, but not before I had a meltdown. I started screaming, and throwing my water bottles to the ground. I was swearing and kicking at the road. They just stood and watched me impassively, and once I was done, we just continued on like nothing had happened. It turns out I was only about 3 minutes away from the camp. I'm not sure how long the day took me, but the results will be up on the website if you check. It is www.racingtheplanet.com. This morning there are still runners out there on the course. I can't imagine how terrible it would be to be out there for this long. Tomorrow will be a 12 km day. For the women, the race is essentially over I believe. The standings today will hold. But the two front running men are only 2 or 3 minutes apart, so it is going to be a very exciting finish at the base of the pyramids! I cannot wait to get back to the hotel to shower! I will tell you all about the last day tomorrow. Again, thank you everyone for all your emails...they have been a godsend!!!
|
