And finally....last things and Tent 70

I suppose you'll hear differing opinions on the Mds.... most people will agree that it's not the Toughest Footrace on the Planet anymore, and it's not. But it's by no means easy. And I'm sure there are people who have done the race previously, or people who are doing it in the future who will think that we got off lightly, didn't do the full race, a bit of a cop out? Er no. The longest day will be forever etched in my mind. With hindsight, I loved it. Loved the challenges it gave me and the fact that it really did push my physical and mental toughness to the limits. Whatever people's opinions, this race continues to take out people who are physically and mentally incredibly fit. But there are so many factors that can finish your race for you. The sickness and diorreah for starters. So many people were poorly and out of all of the stories I heard I think Dave (the Quizmaster) (tent 68) and Fatlad (Keith) will stand out for me. Amazing how they carried on despite being ill for most if not all of the race.

Just writing this has made me very emotional (yep, I am prone to wearing my heart on my sleeve!!).

Before I thank my own tent I just wanted to say thanks to Perks and her tent (Mike A, Mike B, Rich, Dave, Andy, Rose and Graham). Saw a lot of them and they were always very supportive.

The only thing left to do is to thank my own tent mates. We'd agreed on our tent quite some time before we went. We all knew each other, felt comfortable with each other and knew that egos would be left behind (I don't think any of us have an ego anyway!).

So to Craig, Vicky, Gilly, Jeff, Steph, Al and Mark.... the best tent mates I could have asked for. We had a lot of laughs and a few tears and I don't know about anyone else, but part of me would love to be back there right now.

Thanks guys!

So what's next?!!

Mds 2009 - Marathon day

So today was to be our last day. I think because of the conditions, our location etc etc, we were not to have the last stage on the Saturday. We would have marathon day today, stay at the bivouac tonight (Friday) and then be driven back to Ouarzazate on Saturday morning.

I had managed to eat last night and nothing had happened since!! I had decided that I wanted to do marathon day as quickly as I physically could. Steph was feeling really rough and was going to take the day slowly. Part of me wanted to get it over with and part of me wanted to put in a better performance than I did on the long day, because I'd literally crawled along!

Everyone was feeling incredibly positive - we'd actually almost reached the end. We could see the finish line (every time I thought about it I wanted to cry!!!).

I started off today with one of my tent mates, Vicky. She's an incredibly fast walker and we'd already agreed that if one wanted to go off, or drop pace that we would just go our own way.

After a short distance on the flat (more bloody stones), we reached a rocky climb. It was fairly steep and slow going due to the steady stream of people in front. Not too bad but I had to stop at the top for a picture!! Vicky was in front of me and had waited. We made our way down the other side and continued.... there was a similar climb shortly afterwards and once we'd passed this I told Vicky not to wait for me.... she's much faster and I would hate to hold anyone back. I was actually quite looking forward to putting on the ipod and getting lost in my thoughts.

Once the rocks and stones had been left behind (thank God) it was more sand dunes. I actually really like sand dunes... give me these any day over the flat, rocky plains that seem to go on for miles and miles. Okay, I wasn't keen on the dunes at night, but actually don't mind them. After a great forum tip of how to walk in the sand (sideways rather than walking straight forward and digging your toes in)... I actually found walking up them quite easy.

I had decided not to stop too long at any of the checkpoints. I saw Rab at the first one (I think) and sat down briefly. I just filled my water bottles, had some M&Ms and then left.... I think I did a similar thing at checkpoint 2 where I saw Rose. Each time I stopped my feet started hurting like hell. The faster I walked, the more numb they became which suited me fine! I had socks rolled up resting on my collarbones under my pack straps because they were really sore. This really helped. Even though the pack was a lot lighter it still hurt!

The walking poles were again, a massive help. I couldn't have managed without them I don't think.

I actually really enjoyed today. The further I went, I knew the finish was obviously getting closer. I couldn't stop picturing myself crossing the finish line, but every time I did I desperately wanted to cry. And if I'd have started I wouldn't have stopped! Managed to keep it under control! Once through the last checkpoint, the paths were rocky and seemed to go on for a long time but I was making good progress (for me!). After being passed by a couple of Landrovers on a track, an 'oasis' came into view... well it was water in the desert anyway! There were quite a few children around asking for gifts or 'bon bons'. The road went down towards the water and then disappeared into it. Great.... wet feet, and bandaged ones at that. Still, I didn't really care because I knew I only had about 6km left!! The water was just over ankle deep. There were a lot of the AOI Landrovers coming the other way so I waited until they had gone through before I waded in. Didn't want them soaking me!

Once through the water, the climb was steady.... more paths, rubble etc. My feet were killing me but looking at the time and knowing roughly the pace I was travelling at I knew I couldn't have far to go. There were a few people ahead of me and I saw some local children walking alongside them.

When I got further along, one boy came up to me and said '2 kilometres to bivouac'.... I didn't know whether he was telling me the truth or not!! Didn't want to believe him just in case it was a lot further! Another boy then came and starting talking to me. He took my elbow (must have looked knackered!!!). I said I was okay and he pointed to the top of the hill and said 'bivouac'...

Just as I got to the top of the ridge I could see it.... a long way in the distance across a very flat plain (a stony one funnily enough)... was the finish. Oh my God I seriously can't describe how that made me feel. I was going to finish the Mds!!! Okay, a different Mds, a unique Mds but I'd bloody cracked it!!

I walked along the top of the ridge and there were two officials helping competitors down onto the sandy slope which took you down to the flat. Sailed down the sand as if on Cloud 9 and then started on the last mile or so to the finish. I was really struggling to stop myself crying. Such an amazing feeling. If somebody had said to me 5 or 6 years ago that I would be here, doing this, I would have laughed my backside off. And so would most of the people who know me.

As I got nearer to the end a guy walked past (who had obviously already finished) and said 'Congratulations'.... huge lump in the throat now and I knew it wasn't going to last much longer. And then I saw someone sitting on the ground not far from me. As I got closer to him I realised it was one of my tent mates Jeff. He stood up and walked towards me and that was it.... the floodgates opened and I just said 'I need a hug!'. Had a much needed hug, gave Jeff my camera and tried to compose myself (unsuccessfully) to get to the finish. Then I saw another one of my tent mates Mark.... uncontrollable blubbing now... God I must have looked a sight! Loads of people clapping and cheering anyone coming in. I saw Gilly from my tent too and heard other people shouting my name. And then I crossed the line. It might sound crap but I was and still am so proud of myself! I had a kiss on each cheek from Patrick Bauer and he rubbed the back of my neck because I was crying so much!! 'Tres emotionale!' he said - damn right mate!!!

I did what I set out to do which was to finish and get my medal (a very nice medal it is too!!!).

Had my picture taken by one of the French photographers (I think).... must have been a good picture, tears and a lot of snot (apologies!).

2 years in the planning, more years reading and thinking about it. A truly amazing experience, stunningly beautiful in parts, painful and brutal in others. Incredibly emotional and something I will never forget. It was an Mds with a difference, obviously unique due to the conditions we encountered and the fact that the whole thing had to be re-routed in a couple of days. But I wouldn't change a single thing. You couldn't repeat this one if you tried!

Mds 2009 Day 2 and beyond

So we awoke on our first morning in camp.... great to here and really strange to see everybody going about their duties (not elaborating any more than that!!!). There are toilets dotted around the camp but you kind of take your life in your hands (especially as the week went on).... dodgy stomachs and relatively small holes in the ground don't mix well. Anyway...

Had breakfast and got our stuff together (slowly).... we waited for the berbers to come and dismantle the tents... they come in a rather large swarm and in a matter of seconds, each tent is removed. They're really polite, very smiley and incredibly efficient.

I don't have much recollection of day 2 other than that it was tough (harder than dune day) and there were a lot of incredibly monotonous plains to cross, which were very stony underfoot. They literally stretched as far as the eye could see.

My feet weren't happy....

Walked the whole day with Steph and we made pretty good time... covered the distance in just over 8 hours and arrived back in camp at around 5.15pm.

I decided to visit Doc Trotters as had a couple of blisters that were bothering me. They are certainly not the butchers they are made out to be. They know their stuff and also know how to tape a foot to perfection. Good enough for me!!!

We had our first emails tonight (which of course made me blub rather a lot)... was so nice to have so many messages from back home. Made me realise just how many people were rooting for me!! It was around this time that Rob the rep told us that tomorrow's long day would be 91km... the longest 'long' day in Mds history. And possibly the toughest. S--t!!! We were all left slightly speechless by this announcement!

Chicken korma for tea (my fave) and then an early night. Wasn't as cold thankfully. The thought of what lay ahead meant a pretty restless night!

Day 3 - the long one

Didn't feel great when I woke up this morning. My stomach was churning and I didn't know if it was nerves or the dodgy belly that was going around the camp like wildfire (we were told that a couple of Brits actually had dysentary (poor spelling sorry!!). Not nice. Anyway, couldn't eat all my breakfast and was feeling really apprehensive about the day in general. Not a happy frame of mind unfortunately!

We started at 9.30am after the usual morning speeches by PB. As soon as I started I knew things weren't going to go well. I felt really weak. Had no idea why but seriously didn't have any energy at all. I can't remember when but I did say to Steph to go ahead of me... and that I would keep track of her if I could. I had to stop a few times because my stomach was so dodgy.... can't say that it's a pleasant experience, in the heat, needing a poo (sorry!), flies all around you and trying to find somewhere reasonably discreet when you have horrible cramps. But I couldn't complain as a lot of people were in a much worse state than me!

The elites set off at about midday today and before we knew it they were passing us. Amazing people!! One of the girls was a Brit called Jen who I met at the Tring to Town. She actually finished 6th lady overall. Wow!!! Anyway, I was playing cat and mouse with Steph and managed to meet up with her from time to time (checkpoints etc). Also saw Perks and her and Steph went on ahead of me (stomach again!).... did catch them up at one point and we walked together for a while. I couldn't eat anything because it just went straight through me.

After checkpoint 3 daylight was starting to fade. I was with Steph and Rose and Steph said she would walk with me now.... very kind of her as I didn't fancy walking alone at night. We had sort of agree to stick together for the night stage anyway, but I was very grateful for the company.

Head torches at the ready, we prepared for the night ahead. It was getting cold at this point too but I didn't actually change out of my shorts... daft cow. Regretted it later!!! It was very difficult underfoot (lots of swearing surprisingly from me). We were both really knackered too but after what seemed like an eternity arrived at checkpoint 4. Rose was already there and Steph offered to boil some water and make a coffee. She also gave me a bag of crisps to see if I could keep them in (lovely!). We sat there shivering for a while, finished our drinks and then decided to get going again. It was bloody cold and the longer you sit, the less you feel like moving. A lot of people were bedding down for the night here. Carol came in with her friend Graham, and they decided to sleep. The tents were all full so anyone arriving now was sleeping outside on the floor!!

We hadn't long set off from this checkpoint when the crisps and coffee decided to make a quick exit. Obviously wasn't going to be able to keep any food in afterall. It must have been after midnight at this point. Rose and some other guys that we knew passed us, we couldn't keep up with them so watched them go off into the distance. I noticed that their torches suddenly seemed to be going higher and higher....

The reason being that before long we were greeted with what I can only describe as a bloody mountain. We seemed to be surrounded by grey rock on all sides.... there were patches of sand between rocks where we could see footprints so we assumed we were going the right way. Light sticks were not standing out from what we could see!! We both started climbing and somehow got separated. Steph went one way and I went another. WIthin literally 2 minutes I couldn't see her and started calling her. No reply! I was pretty scared as couldn't see any lights above or below me. The patches of sand had disappeared and was now all rock. I had my walking poles which I was grateful for because on more than one occasion I felt like I was going to fall. Really scary and I did wonder at the time whether this was the right way. Surely they wouldn't make us climb this in the dark??? But then I noticed pink spots of paint that had been sprayed on the odd rock here and there... markers. At least I knew it was the right way.

The trouble was about half way up the spots disappeared. I saw someone approaching from lower down and he then darted up the side of the mountain (I have to call it a mountain because there are no other words to describe it!!!). I called out to him to ask if that was the right way... he didn't answer.

Bugger. I felt like crying because I really didn't know what to do. I couldn't go back down because I would probably end up falling, I didn't have a clue where Steph was and was worrying about her... but the guy stopped at the top and waited. I clambered up the rocks to the side of me and thanked him when I got to the top... it was then that I could see the light sticks again. Thank God for that. I called Steph again but no joy. I knew she would be okay as she's done a lot of long walks and decided to go on and see her at the next checkpoint.

The path was very rocky and again, hard on the feet which were killing me! I passed a landrover with someone snoring very loudly inside. I'm not sure whether they had anything to do with the race or not??!!! I kept checking behind me and when I reached the next glowstick I waited for a while to see if any of the lights coming towards me were Steph. It was bloody cold though standing still and I knew I couldn't wait for long. A lady called Catherine asked me if I was okay, and I just explained about Steph. She said I could always ask the guy in the landrover if I was worried. Waited for a bit longer and then carried on. Caught up with Catherine and we walked together. That was when we got into the dunes. And they were big buggers. It was really windy and the sand was stinging my legs (hence wishing I had changed my shorts to leggings earlier). It was really hard work getting to the top of the dune and when we did we couldn't see another glow stick, due to the sandstorm blowing all around us. I was beginning to think we would have to sit tight and wait but, after another girl joined us, we managed to pick out a faint light in the distance and headed in that direction.

I had the distinct feeling that were were going around in circles. It was partly probably tiredness and also because in the dark, and with sand blowing all over you, everything looks the same. I was not enjoying this one bit. Apologised to Catherine for not being very chatty but she was exactly the same.

We had stopped briefly to figure out which way to go and I heard someone say 'Is that you Rach?'.... yay!!! Steph had found me. I was so bloody relieved to see her. We had a hug and then carried on. She admitted that she felt like sitting down and crying back on that mountain. She had found a group that she walked with, told them that she'd lost me and one of the guys suggested that she throw her flare.... bloody mad man!!!! This section seriously seemed to go on forever. We were cold, tired and hurting and just wanted to sit down for a while. My stomach was giving me grief and we found ourselves in amongst a lot of very soft ground and bushes all around us.... lots of weaving in and out.

We eventually arrived at checkpoint 5 and decided we had to stop for a while. We were both exhausted and I honestly don't think I could have walked much further. We were practically falling asleep standing up.

I think we arrived here at about 4.15am... not entirely sure! All the tents were full so we just sat in front of one of them. I got my sleeping bag out and wrapped it around me. Steph was shivering so I said she should do the same. I think it was about 4.45am that some of the guys in the tent behind us started to move. We found a space and just crashed.... not comfortable at all but just so good to be laying down and to have stopped!!!

I kept stiring because I didn't want to sleep too long as we still had about 26.5km to go. I sat up at about 6.15am and spotted one of our tent mates, Mark!! I couldn't believe he was there as he's a hell of a lot quicker than me! I thought I must be hallucinating but he said that him and another guy Rab had been there since 10.15pm the night before and had a full night's sleep. Bastards!!!! Steph woke up and we realised we had to press on. So with just over an hour's rest under our belts (woo hoo!!!) we moved on. It was probably about 7am by the time we got going. My feet were in agony and putting the pack on was torture. Shoulders were hurting and my collarbones were sore.... still, can't complain. I did pay for the pleasure!!!

I can honestly say that I have never felt so exhausted in my entire life. Having a baby was a breeze compared to this!

The rest of this stage was pretty much a blur for me. Steph started to feel crap, she was so tired she thought she was going to pass out. You start to feel really strange when you're that exhausted. If I spoke (which wasn't often), my voice didn't sound like it belonged to me. Slurring words and not really making much sense. It's a struggle just to put one foot in front of the other.

If I had shut my eyes I would have just dropped. The ground was rocky and hard going. We didn't wait around long at checkpoint 6. Just thought that sitting down would be prolonging the agony. There were a few other people around at this point. It was like the Night of the Living Dead.... just shuffling along, not saying much at all.

The last 12km were hell.... long flat stony plains to cross. Even once the bivouac was in sight it seemed to take an eternity to reach it. We knew we were getting closer because the odd Landrover would drive past and the occupants would be clapping and shouting 'Bravo'!!! It helped, slightly!

I have never been so glad to finish anything in my entire life. I couldn't wait to get the pack of my back and get my trainers off.... my feet were a mess.

Our tent mate Craig was at the finish to greet us. Such a bloody relief!!! But despite feeling utterly knackered, I still had a great sense of achievement. I'd cracked the longest day.... and the LONGEST longest day at that. Mountains and everything! 28 hours in total. Got in about 1.30pm...

All of our tent were now back safe and sound (some amazing performances too!!). I went to Doc Trotters as I needed my feet sorting for the marathon tomorrow. They did a stirling job and bound them up a treat. Then I went to the email tent to let people know I had made it!!!

So just a marathon left....

Tomorrow I am going for it...!!

Mds 2009 Day 1

So there we were in a hotel, instead of the bivouac. We went to have breakfast and to see if we could find out what was going on. It was still raining! Noone seemed to know what was happening but we were told that Rob the rep would be around later on to keep us up to date. The first day was certainly cancelled though. We were all disappointed but having seen the conditions first hand, it was fairly obvious that there was no other way around it.

We took a walk into town.... found a market and after considering the conditions that we might face, a few of us decided to buy some plastic sheeting which we could carry with us and put underneath the rugs in the tents to keep us dry (or wrap ourselves in to keep sleeping bags from getting soaked... forward thinking!). The market traders must have thought all their Christmases had come at once. There were plenty of AOI representatives/staff buying plastic too! We bought enough between us to kit out two tents and decided that it was worth the extra weight!

We carried on wandering for a while and then found a cafe, with tables and chairs under cover to hide from the rain, and drank mint tea and coffees for a couple of hours. It was quite funny because every so often a group of Mds'ers would run past, complete with gaiters and full kit, obviously itching to get out and start. We were happy just sitting! We actually started to see cracks of blue sky which was encouraging!

We went back to the hotel to see if there was any news.... we had lunch (the hotel was fantastic as they were obviously out of season and in the middle of decorating, but managed to feed us three times a day, and nothing seemed too much trouble).... we actually made the waiters laugh because every time more food came out, everyone descended like a swarm of locusts (especially for the puddings!). The sky was clear by this point and we could actually feel heat for the first time since we arrived. We got changed and sat by the pool... totally out of racing mode and getting far too relaxed really. Decided to go in the pool because it was so hot. Bloody freezing water!!! After about half an hour I had to get out because I was losing feeling in my toes!

Another couple of hours went by and Rob the rep appeared with news. Day 1 cancelled. We were being picked up at 8.30am to be taken to a nearby hotel for admin. Admin for us would be between 10am and 12pm. We had to be ready in full kit, with cases packed (as they would be taken away from us) and just left with our backpacks and what was needed for the race. Scary stuff. It was all suddenly become horribly real!! On Monday morning we would be picked up at 7am and taken to the start which would be approximately an hour's drive away. We would start the race and at the end of day 1 arrive at the bivouac for the first time.

Once we'd heard the news, we went back to our rooms to start going through kit etc... I had my pack weighed. 11kg. Ouch. Far too heavy. Gilly decided I had to be ruthless and go through my kit and bin things! Nooooooo!!!! I don't travel lightly, I know that, but it meant throwing out luxuries that I really wanted to take. Pillow had to go (and not a great big fluffy one, but a travel one!!). Lots of bits and pieces chucked and eventually pack weighed 10kg. Not bad (still felt ridiculously heavy!). The flare weighs approximately 500g so that would be added on tomorrow plus other bits and pieces. Christ this was all becoming very scary.

We had to be self sufficient in the morning so muesli was left out and we were ready for bed. We had our breakfast and packed all the last bits and pieces. This was where all our nice things were packed away and we were to live in the same clothes for the next few days. We took all our stuff down and waited for the coaches. We drove the short distance to the Kasbar Hotel (very nice) and joined the queue for admin. I was actually relieved that we were getting rid of our cases finally as it felt like we'd carted them around for far too long. The queuing didn't actually last too long. We were probably there for about an hour. Then we got to the front and had to hand in paperwork that we'd filled in previously.

We went inside the building and our cases were taken away - yay!! Then we received our race numbers and water card which we obviously had to carry with us at all times around our necks. Moved on to the next table where we received a chip which was attached to our packs. This was for timing purposes (and enables the times to be recorded accurately obviously).... the onward to receive the flare (which is huge) and salt tablets. We were given 120 and told to take 20 a day. Bloody hell!! Not sure I would manage that but I was definitely planning on using some of them.
Then the last stop was to hand in the ECG and medical certificate. Not many questions were asked. How heavy did we think the pack was? Had we done anything like this before? Are we fit... er yeah... okay then off you go!! Very funny. I suppose it was all a bit rushed because of the circumstances in general but luckily no problems. On leaving we went through to collect fuel that we'd previously ordered and our first supply of water.

Now we were officially ready...!

We were told that Patrick Bauer would be making his speech at about 3pm and that we probably wouldn't be leaving the hotel until around 5pm. Great. More hanging around. Lunch was provided though which was very nice and then we were treated to yet another downpour. It was only brief though and once it had passed the sun came out again. We saw Mohammed Ahansal and his brother Lahcen (last year's winner) preparing and sorting out their race numbers. Also saw the winning lady from last year (can't remember her name right now... oops). So many people ask to have their photograph taken with the Ahansal brothers it's quite funny. I'm surprised they get anything done. They always seem very obliging though.

Eventually PB came out to do his stuff. He speaks in French and then another French guy translates into English. Sort of. Quite hard to understand but the general gist was that they had considered cancelling the entire event but assumed that the competitors would want to carry on, even if it meant sacrifices along the way. They said that we would have to be patient as the roadbooks were basically null and void now. The routes were being decided as he spoke and we would be informed each morning of distance and route!! Aaahhh!!!!

He thanked everyone for their patience and understanding at what would be a very different Mds. And that was that.

A slight free for all ensued when we went to get coaches back to the hotel. Eventually got on one and headed back to have dinner in full kit. Very strange!

Once we had finished, went back to do last minute checking etc. It was at this point that I decided the straps on my Aarn were not very padded (better late than never).... so Steph contributed 2 sanitary towels and with a bit of duck tape, I had padded straps. Genius. Caused much hilarity I can tell you!

Off to bed with much anticipation as to what lay ahead.

Had another muesli for breakfast (couldn't eat it all) and got ready for the buses at 7am. Once on board we travelled about 2 mins down the road and then sat outside another hotel for about an hour. Then we were off. The journey took around an hour and all of a sudden the Merzouga dunes were in sight. Christ they look big even in the distance. They are a beautiful orange colour and really do look awesome when they first come into view.

Once off the buses we were all slightly in awe of what we were in the middle of. The start line with '24th Marathon des Sables' across it... the helicopter, the hoardes of competitors all ready and raring to go.... I've seen it so many times, and here I was, actually in the middle of it all.

We had to queue for water. When it's given to you, your number is written on the bottle. If any of your bottles are found on the course (or dumped anywhere), you incur time penalties.

We made our way to the start and listened to Patrick Bauer for a few minutes.... very hard to understand what's going on (even with the translation), the helicopter flies very low overhead too and then suddenly we were off.

I walked right from the start. That was my intention and I wasn't going to change it now. An amazing feeling and an amazing sight seeing the runners in front, going off into the distance. We had about a 3km stretch of relative flat before we reached the dunes.

I seriously couldn't believe I was actually doing this after all this time! Amazing.

The dunes soon appeared and my God they are impressive. Absolutely stunning. I took pictures along the way and each time I took one, it just looked like a postcard. Bright blue skies and beautiful orange sand. All very surreal. I really enjoyed this section, partly because of how gorgeous the surroundings were, and also just because I had seen it so many times and was now actually part of it all.

I stopped to take my jacket off and once I got going again Steph came past me... we'd lost each other at the start. So off we went and we were to complete this stage together.

After the dunes there were rocky hills and paths which were quite hard underfoot but from what I can remember, I felt pretty good on this stage. There were only 2 checkpoints and we didn't stop for any length of time, just to fill water and have something quick to eat.

The section ended with another section of dunes. The sun was going down at this point and again, they looked absolutely stunning. Took a couple more photos and eventually saw camp coming into view. Day 1 almost done....

When we came towards the finish line our tent mates came to meet us which was fantastic. They took our packs and walked us to our tent. It was so nice to finally be in camp (a dry one at that). We made ourselves comfy, sorted out our clothes and food and settled down for the evening. I had chilli con carne for tea and it was okay.... I was starving by then so probably would have eaten anything anyway. An early night... we had 37km tomorrow (31 was covered today). We would be doing a circular route as would be staying at this bivouac again tomorrow night.

It was freezing cold and very windy on our first night....

Tomorrow was another day!

To be continued.....

Mds 2009 .... the beginning!

Well, that was something else!!!

First of all, before I start waffling for an eternity, I just wanted to say thank you so much for your support. I was incredibly chuffed to have several pages of messages from people on here.... some of whom I've never spoken to, supporting me and willing me to finish. I had quite a few tears I can tell you!! Knowing that people genuinely support you and want you to do well really is a massive boost.

This was an experience that I can never repeat... and I won't for various reasons. As you all know, this Mds was slightly different to the usual! And that is one reason I wouldn't return. It was unique. Highly unlikely to be another one like it. I know that people who have done it in the past (and people who have never done it) will probably say 'but you didn't do the full Mds', 'you must feel cheated' etc etc. Well no. I don't. It was the most mind blowing experience I've ever had and was, by no means, easy. Brutal is one one that springs to mind (and one which I heard many times after the long day)....

I am going to write up a full account on my mds blog which I will post the address for when it's complete. But thought I would run you through the build up (which was very long...!!!!).

I stayed at the Gatwick Travelodge on the Wednesday with various other people that I'd met previously (including some of my tent mates)... we had a meal that night and were very excited and nervous about what lay ahead..... little were we to know!

When we arrived at the airport on Thursday morning, it wasn't hard to find where check in was for this flight..... a whole line of people with very similar looking backpacks, many looking like rabbits trapped in headlights (including me probably!!). We were all in very high spirits though and it was good to see a fair few familiar faces.

We flew to Ouarzazate and faced the first of many ridiculously long and painfully slow queues. Passport control. Being the only plane that had landed you would think they would be quick and efficient but no... me and Steph were actually somewhere in the middle of the crowd but due to the guy on our desk sitting back and picking his nails, going for a walk from time to time and generally arsing about, we somehow ended up at the back... I was actually the last person to be checked! Typical! Anyway we were shipped by coach to the Berbere Palace Hotel. More queuing whilst we were allocated rooms. It was about 5.30/6pm by this time. Rooms were very nice and spacious and the hotel generally very good. We went to the bar (obviously) for a few drinks and then went for dinner.... the food was fantastic. Couldn't fault it as there was so much choice. Later that evening, one of the guys we were with said 'It's going to rain tomorrow'.... another guy replied 'yes, but that's here in OZZ, we're driving 6 hours into the desert... it never rains in the desert'. Famous last words.....

Friday morning we got up at 6.15am. We were being collected at 9am. However the phone rang shortly afterwards to say that we were actually being collected at 8am... aahhhh!!! Panicked slightly and then got all our stuff together, had breakfast and waited for the buses.
Once on board, it did actually start to spit with rain. Oh well. We were given lots of paperwork and the famous roadbooks which we started studying frantically.... all looked very daunting but the first day looked relatively easy so all okay with that. Dune day was day 2....

The coaches set off and the heavens opened. The rain was so hard you couldn't actually see very much out of the windows at all..... it was streaming off of the roof of the coach... rivers were running down the roads and parts of the desert were beginning to flood. It was bizarre knowing where we were and what was happening. However, we were all pretty confident it would stop. I mean we were going to the bloody Sahara desert....

Many pee stops later and we arrived. We were told we had to wait for army trucks to transport us off road the rest of the way. Still chucking it down with rain. It was just after 3pm at this point.

We waited on board for about an hour and then the army trucks returned for us (they had to do a few trips)....

Got off the coach into thick mud. Army trucks are incredibly difficult to get into by the way as they are incredibly high up! Passed all the cases up and then given shoves by other people to help us aboard. We were told that when we arrived at the bivouac just to go for any tent (they are usually numbered by nationality - Brits tents were 65-95 or something) but we could have any due to the conditions.

Very bumpy ride (back breaking actually) and after 20 mins we arrived. The bivouac was an absolute quagmire!! Terrible! Huge puddles in the middle of it.... we met up with the lads we were sharing with who were on another truck. They had bagged a reasonable tent. About a quarter of it was water logged so we put our stuff on the dryest parts of the carpets and proceeded to try and make it as waterproof as possible.

Shortly afterwards one of the AOI officials came to say that we could, if we wanted to, transfer our stuff to the white press tents which were dryer.... a couple of my tent mates went to have a look while I stayed with Alan to keep an eye on our stuff.... we had backpacks and our suitcases so dragging them around in the mud wasn't an option!

Soon afterwards another official came to say that the bivouac was going to be evacuated and that we would be taken to a hotel.... we were to get some food and wait for the army trucks to return. I had flip flops on at this time.... so we had to walk across the bivouac to the food and press tents with our cases and backpacks in the thick mud. Every step I took my flip flops stuck. Was quite funny.... it was dark at this point too which made it more interesting as you couldn't actually see where you were treading even with a head torch. Got the cases into a tent and went for food. The food tent was thick mud, but worth the wait because the food was fantastic. You couldn't fault the organisers as they did a brilliant job under the circumstances and made sure we were all okay.

Seemed like a long time before the army trucks came back but eventually we were rescued!!! There were however, we found out later, 7 guys who were left at the bivouac... didn't envy them that at all!! Poor buggers!

We arrived in a place called Erfoud... more queuing but finally were given a hotel room (shared with Gilly and Steph) and we cleaned ourselves up (a bit) and went for a drink.... crazy day all round... we had no idea what would be happening tomorrow....

An announcement would be made tomorrow (Saturday) about what was to happen but Day 1 was likely to be cancelled.... Rob (the rep) would be around tomorrow to let us know...

To be continued.....!!!!!

Up to date

So I'm sat here now with only 4 days to go before I fly to Morocco. I actually can't believe this is happening, can't imagine being there, and feel like I'm in a dream like state at the moment! Between Brecon and now I have been training steadily. A bit of gym training, running, walking etc... dune training again and the glued gaiters held up incredibly well!! A bit of cracking where the foot flexes but easily sorted. I feel pretty confident about the footwear now.

I am surrounded by kit, food and medical things. Today was the first attempt at actually fitting it all in. Oh dear. First attempt failed miserably. If I didn't have to eat I'd be fine. Loads of room! 2nd attempt was slightly more successful but the pack was bursting at the seams. 3rd attempt and feeling slightly happier (only slightly). Fitted everything in but it is seriously full to the brim. Knowing I have to fit a rather large flare into it as well doesn't help. May have to try and repack the food (again).

I have the ECG (normal) and medical form all signed, dated and stamped. Have my tickets, flight details, hundreds of painkillers, antibiotics etc etc.... sanity possibly not.

The truth is that I actually can't wait to go. I would never have dreamed that I would be capable of doing something like this. Not physically, I think anyone could train for something like this, but mentally... wouldn't have had the confidence to even think about something like this. But now, I just want to be there, standing on the start line, listening to PB dishing out advice, birthday greetings and AC/DC... all the things I've heard and I'm actually going to witness it first hand.

So I probably won't update this now until I return....

Here's hoping the story's a good one!

Brecon bound....

Have been really bad at updating this.... anyway this is what's been happening.

On 20th February a group of nine of us set off for Brecon (again!). We were staying at a Travelodge in Pontypool and were doing one route on the Friday afternoon and another on the Saturday. Friday was approximately 15 and a half miles, Saturday about 18. The weather thankfully was beautiful and once we'd all arrived, we got changed and set off.

On the Friday we all stayed together and walked. Had a good laugh and tackled some rather interesting terrain! Paths, muddy fields, hills and very steep banking covered in brambles and small trees - the only way up was using hands and knees! All good fun though and definitely good training for the dunes we are to face in the sahara.

At one point we were walking through an estate (it was starting to get dark at this point) and being given menacing looks by the local youth. The social clubs was called 'Pants Social Club'. Highly amusing!!

All in all, despite a couple of wrong turns, it was a really good day. Once we got back and showered it was off for food and a few drinks.

The next day was also beautiful, clear and sunny. We all did our own thing today, some ran, some walked. I was walking with Carol and Steph and we made a pretty good team. We did go wrong a couple of times (I blame the maps!) but all in all, very enjoyable.

We went out that evening for a meal and a few more drinks. A great weekend with a great bunch of people.