Today was longer 45km or so and I felt pretty tired and sore, my left hip is flaring up again and the legs just have no juice left in them.

Started ok but struggled for the second stage 13km and dropped right back and thought that was me for the day, started walking and just enjoying myself.

Most of the race is on farm tracks and quite fast so was well back in the pack. However come the 3rd and 4th stages heaps of people must have overcooked themselves in the heat and I slowly started to pass people.

Don’t know where I cam in today but I know I will have to slow down for tomorrow as pretty fatigued.

The Peruvian cough has flared up again and bringing up some lovely lung butter but at least my ass has slowed down.

Unfortunately one of our tent mates pulled the pin today, bit of heat stress.

Feet are holding up pretty good, I think the skin now is tougher than a woodpeckers lips with all the running.

Gera is holding up great, glad I brought my Oofos along, always worth the extra weight.

The Curran’s are helping I think with what little recovery my body can muster and as always the Manuka Performance is keeping me going.

I may run out of carbohydrate drink mix come stage 5 but will see.

Am managing to eat noodles and even some rehydrated meals (Real meals) which is a bit of a bonus,

I think I’m quite well adjusted to heat now which helps. Will aim to have an easier day tomorrow to try and get some relative rest in before the long day as I think the fatigue will show as the days go on.

The Mongolian people are so lovely and polite and we ran passed heaps of tradition yurts? Today as most farmers still live in them.

Plenty of big ass eagles/birds of prey around as well, probably waiting for me to keel over for a snack.

Sleeping in yurts tonight so plenty of room.--

Day 1 down.

Luckily it was a fairly gentle introduction to the Gobi, with only 36km and mainly gentle rolling farm tracks, with only 1 hill climb, still my legs were suffering a bit as massively fatigued (2 weeks post Jungle Ultra).

Good news is I’m coughing up all that Peruvian crap finally, bad news is I’m on the Imodium to slow the bowels down and the shitters here are a hole in the ground with a wooden plank each side which quickly builds up like a dirty ass snow cone in the middle (advise, get in early).

Otherwise besides from some great views, the course was pretty straight forward today and I took it pretty easy as a long week ahead and may have to go even slower tomorrow. Our tent is called wild onions, we obviously missed out on all the cool names, but it has now been renamed fragrant onions for obvious reasons.

Got a couple of snorers in the tent but I struggled to sleep last night anyway so no drama.

Done all my ablutions already, had a recovery shake and a cup a soup, may catch a quick snooze before mash for dinner and some 2 minute noodles