Today is the first and only “rest day”, it is officially the second day for the long stage and as I write this the final racer has just come through the finish line, about 10m ahead of the “sweepers”, by my calculation this means that they have been on the course for 27hours and 11minutes. I can’t imagine what that is like, walking for that amount of time, through the heat of the day and the cold of the night with only a head torch and glow-sticks for direction.
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If we have learnt anything over the last 24 hours, it is probably not to take sporting tips from me. The long stage is finished in 13 hours.
It was quite a push and there were lots of highs and lows, topographical as well as mental. Ultimately the driving force was that I didn’t want to run anymore so it seemed sensible to get to the finish line as soon as possible – it’s very nice to know that my sleeping bag is only a few meters away, the first time this week that it has seemed appealing.
I am now very tired and after the usual routine with my feet, I am going to get some sleep.
Tom and Ian also arrive back safely and are now sleeping.
Will update more tomorrow.
Chris
Another brutal day (is there an easy one!) with 45 degrees of heat. Today the course included, salt flats (not at all flat and very difficult to find a secure foothold), some dust road (beautiful, beautiful road!), scrubland (see comments for salt flats) and 10km of sand dunes to end (big, big dunes, 200-300m high – nothing like the seaside). Saying that though, it was quite an enjoyable day, once i had banished the foot pain to the back of my mind it was quite theraputic to count off the miles.
35km down, 215 to go.
Today was a good start, the route seemed to be quite tough – although “only” 35km it included a lot of ascending, some descents and a lot of flat running over uneven and rocky ground.
Waht a race! (RacingThePlanet Ltd/Zandy)
It is 48 hours after I left home on a typcally cold and grey March afternoon in South East England and I have arrived safe and well in San Pedro de Atacma.
