Day 4
The Long Day, the one everyone dreads! 86km.
We have 35 hrs to complete it. Dunes, jebels and dried up river beds. Feeling the heat already. Run walk is the name of the game! That speedy Chris is an hour ahead of me in the rankings and there's no way to catch him. But, never give up!
Overnight we'd all been finding ways to lighten our loads, discarding 'frivolities' like cooking stoves in some cases. Mentally, the way to approach such a long run is not to think about it! Your target is not the finish line, it is the next check point; reach that and then you have a new target. Having bite size chunks makes the day more achievable. I'd loaded my front pack with the day's provisions, trail mix and a few energy tabs but by CP4, at 48km, my trail mix was exhausted, so I had to raid the supplies for Day 5, no big deal because that's treated as an extension of day 4 anyway.
Seeing my progress was being hindered by the pain of my blisters, old and new, plus a tightness behind my knee, I decided to pop a magic pill, an ibuprofen, frowned upon in endurance races because of its side effects. It worked and I perked up.
By this time we'd already tackled a few sandy, rocky climbs, various dunes and a river bank and maze of bushes, but from here on it was mostly gentle dunes and sand, lots of it, which saps your energy making each km seem like two.
The top fifty runners set off three hours after the main group and it's nice to see them overtake us in style, but, even the top guys and gals walk up the steep bits, using the hands on knees technique for assistance - they are mortal after all! I stop, clap and capture the moment the leader 'zooms' past.
I was pleasantly surprised that 'fast Dominic' and Gemma gave me encouraging words as they cruised by; really, really touched.
CP5 is traditionally a rest area and many people stop, sleep and have a meal before pushing on. I chose to just push on, my meal was a sachet of Peronin, 450kCals of easily absorbed carbohydrates.
At CP7, with 10km to go, I used my only energy gel of the trip so far, one with caffeine; I also changed the batteries in my head torch, which was by this time barely candle bright. And then, just about to leave, I bumped into Christopher . We'd not seen each other the entire stage as we were running at different paces. The race is on and the competitor in me takes over.
A runner overtook me shortly after leaving CP7 and I followed her for a time alternating running walking before she disappears into the distance, but she has managed to pull me along psychologically and I'm grateful for that.
With about four km to go, the finish line came into view, and then promptly disappeared behind a dune. But each time I saw it again, the bloody thing was not getting any closer! Eventually it did look within range and I burst into a run for the final 500m, overtaking several depleted walkers in the process.
Nearly 2am (on Day 5), are we there yet? YES! Just under 18 hours by my clock.
My friend Steve King is following the progress of Chris and I, live from the comfort of his home, and posted the following "Outstanding Christopher Ian Wilson and Dominic Hayes !!!!!! Both have finished the 86.2km long stage of the MDS WITHOUT STOPPING TO SLEEP! They ran in to the night and finished in the early hours. Hopefully they will now sleep most of the day whilst the others finish. A full marathon tomorrow as a 'reward'!! Amazing guys, well done. X"
Many thanks Steve, you were my inspriation to run the MDS.
Day 5 - Recovery day
As I write this we are still awaiting Mahmut's return, the others in our tent trickled back at various times during the night. I'm guessing he's taking his time, after all, he still has another eight hours.
About 17h, in the distance we see car lights flashing and two camels. It's Mahmut, our 72 yr old tent mate, arriving after 34hrs and 86 km. We all gather at the finish line to cheer him and see he's bent sideways in a stoop and using a makeshift walking stick. Approaching to rapturous applause by all the competitors and organisers, he crosses the timing beacon and is mobbed by a sea of adoring fans and cameras; hardly a dry eye in the house. He recovers sat down drinking hot sweet tea and later collapses onto his matting in our tent and has a good sleep. He made it! (Video here)
Personal update: I smell really bad, despite my impromptu bottle shower earlier today.
The Long Day, the one everyone dreads! 86km.
We have 35 hrs to complete it. Dunes, jebels and dried up river beds. Feeling the heat already. Run walk is the name of the game! That speedy Chris is an hour ahead of me in the rankings and there's no way to catch him. But, never give up!
Overnight we'd all been finding ways to lighten our loads, discarding 'frivolities' like cooking stoves in some cases. Mentally, the way to approach such a long run is not to think about it! Your target is not the finish line, it is the next check point; reach that and then you have a new target. Having bite size chunks makes the day more achievable. I'd loaded my front pack with the day's provisions, trail mix and a few energy tabs but by CP4, at 48km, my trail mix was exhausted, so I had to raid the supplies for Day 5, no big deal because that's treated as an extension of day 4 anyway.
Seeing my progress was being hindered by the pain of my blisters, old and new, plus a tightness behind my knee, I decided to pop a magic pill, an ibuprofen, frowned upon in endurance races because of its side effects. It worked and I perked up.
By this time we'd already tackled a few sandy, rocky climbs, various dunes and a river bank and maze of bushes, but from here on it was mostly gentle dunes and sand, lots of it, which saps your energy making each km seem like two.
The top fifty runners set off three hours after the main group and it's nice to see them overtake us in style, but, even the top guys and gals walk up the steep bits, using the hands on knees technique for assistance - they are mortal after all! I stop, clap and capture the moment the leader 'zooms' past.
I was pleasantly surprised that 'fast Dominic' and Gemma gave me encouraging words as they cruised by; really, really touched.
CP5 is traditionally a rest area and many people stop, sleep and have a meal before pushing on. I chose to just push on, my meal was a sachet of Peronin, 450kCals of easily absorbed carbohydrates.
At CP7, with 10km to go, I used my only energy gel of the trip so far, one with caffeine; I also changed the batteries in my head torch, which was by this time barely candle bright. And then, just about to leave, I bumped into Christopher . We'd not seen each other the entire stage as we were running at different paces. The race is on and the competitor in me takes over.
A runner overtook me shortly after leaving CP7 and I followed her for a time alternating running walking before she disappears into the distance, but she has managed to pull me along psychologically and I'm grateful for that.
With about four km to go, the finish line came into view, and then promptly disappeared behind a dune. But each time I saw it again, the bloody thing was not getting any closer! Eventually it did look within range and I burst into a run for the final 500m, overtaking several depleted walkers in the process.
Nearly 2am (on Day 5), are we there yet? YES! Just under 18 hours by my clock.
My friend Steve King is following the progress of Chris and I, live from the comfort of his home, and posted the following "Outstanding Christopher Ian Wilson and Dominic Hayes !!!!!! Both have finished the 86.2km long stage of the MDS WITHOUT STOPPING TO SLEEP! They ran in to the night and finished in the early hours. Hopefully they will now sleep most of the day whilst the others finish. A full marathon tomorrow as a 'reward'!! Amazing guys, well done. X"
Many thanks Steve, you were my inspriation to run the MDS.
Day 5 - Recovery day
As I write this we are still awaiting Mahmut's return, the others in our tent trickled back at various times during the night. I'm guessing he's taking his time, after all, he still has another eight hours.
About 17h, in the distance we see car lights flashing and two camels. It's Mahmut, our 72 yr old tent mate, arriving after 34hrs and 86 km. We all gather at the finish line to cheer him and see he's bent sideways in a stoop and using a makeshift walking stick. Approaching to rapturous applause by all the competitors and organisers, he crosses the timing beacon and is mobbed by a sea of adoring fans and cameras; hardly a dry eye in the house. He recovers sat down drinking hot sweet tea and later collapses onto his matting in our tent and has a good sleep. He made it! (Video here)
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| Mahmut arriving after trekking 34hrs through the Sahara (photo: Paul Colledge) |
Personal update: I smell really bad, despite my impromptu bottle shower earlier today.
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