Having completed 58 miles in the previous two days, throwing in a double marathon is a bit cruel. The scenery was the best yet with pink canyons and massive cliffs but the route was BRUTAL. 20 people dropped out. It was reasonably warm but 75% of the course was soft sand. My pal from the day before couldn’t continue but I spent the majority of the day running/trekking with Mark. We encouraged each other during the dark periods and there were many.
The first marathon was tough but ok. But the second half was horrendous. My total time was 20 hours and 20 minutes and I finished at 4.20am when I had started at 8am. This was a huge success. There were many difficult sections where the soft sand sucked you into the ground – 75% of the course was soft sand. Then we hit the 5km stretch of sand dunes having been active for over 14 hours. Imagine your hardest leg session except you’ve already done 14 hours of exercise. It was pitch black and there were lights showing you the top of the sand dune – some were 4 stories high and you ended up on all fours clawing your way up. My poles helped but they were sinking 2 feet into the sand. On top of that I’m carrying 23 lbs on my back.
Later we went through the devils garden. Again in the dark negotiating through bush, cacti and other stuff. My gators were ripped to be bits which is going to be an issue in the next 2 marathon on Thur/Fri.
My body is holding up and subject to my shoes not filling with san every two minutes, I’m confident I’m going to bring this home. However just one misplaced foot and it can be over. This is the toughest even ever. I’ll expand on the stories when I get home but in the time allotted, that’s it for today. Cheers.
The first marathon was tough but ok. But the second half was horrendous. My total time was 20 hours and 20 minutes and I finished at 4.20am when I had started at 8am. This was a huge success. There were many difficult sections where the soft sand sucked you into the ground – 75% of the course was soft sand. Then we hit the 5km stretch of sand dunes having been active for over 14 hours. Imagine your hardest leg session except you’ve already done 14 hours of exercise. It was pitch black and there were lights showing you the top of the sand dune – some were 4 stories high and you ended up on all fours clawing your way up. My poles helped but they were sinking 2 feet into the sand. On top of that I’m carrying 23 lbs on my back.
Later we went through the devils garden. Again in the dark negotiating through bush, cacti and other stuff. My gators were ripped to be bits which is going to be an issue in the next 2 marathon on Thur/Fri.
My body is holding up and subject to my shoes not filling with san every two minutes, I’m confident I’m going to bring this home. However just one misplaced foot and it can be over. This is the toughest even ever. I’ll expand on the stories when I get home but in the time allotted, that’s it for today. Cheers.
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