Hi there sports fans!

As a wise man once said ‘the fat lady isn’t singing, but she’s waiting in the wings gargling Listerine’ – or words to that effect.  The last full day is done and tomorrow its 10km downhill to a cold beer and a pizza.  Hurrah!

Today was magnificent.  We had 20 easy kms to start with and then hit the dunes in a big way.  Section 3 was 9km through the most magnificent sand dunes with epic views out to the Atlantic.  It really was spectacular.  Florian and I kept each other company for the first 2 sections but once we got to the dunes he ‘opened his legs and showed his class’, to quote the great David Coleman. On that topic, there’s a great Russian lad in the race and he’s had some serious chafing issues ‘downstairs’.  His solution today was to cut his shorts open at the crotch and let the sea breeze soothe his nether regions.  This clearly worked as he finished strongly but I think the volunteers manning the check points got a bit of shock each time he sat down and they got a full views of his tackle.  Might have helped keep the lions at bay as well…

Anyway, I digress.  Florian was incredible in the dunes.  He quickly put 10-15 mins into me, running the entire section as I staggered around in the sand.  He’s a proper athlete and it’s been a pleasure to watch him at work.  As we made polite chitchat this morning (my GCSE French has been fully tested this week n’est pas?) he mentioned that he’s doing a 100km race in 6 weeks.  When I asked what sort of time he is aiming for he casually said ‘sept heures’.  7 f****ing hours for 100km!!!! that’s about 14km per hour!  I challenge you all to get on a treadmill, crank it up to 14km/hr and imagine doing that for 7 hours.  Good luck.

So as Florian disappeared into the sandy distance I thought I had a relaxed run to the finish for 2^nd place.  Not to be.  Salvador from Spain appeared behind me just after the final checkpoint and it quickly became apparent that he was gunning for my 2^nd position on the stage.  He’s way back in the overall standings so it actually made  no difference if he’d finished ahead of me but pride (and ego) is a powerful motivator.  Net result is that the final 10km was basically a road race between me Salvador, neither of us prepared to concede, or suggest we run in together (he’s also 57 years old and there’s no bloody way I was going to be beaten by a pensioner!) So Spanish matador and English bull went thrust for thrust until I eventually dropped him (terrible metaphor, apologies).  It certainly kept the last section competitive.

And so we are at the final camp on the beach.  It’s at a weird fishermen’s camp – imagine a cross between a post-apocalyptic Butlins, and the hotel from the Shining.  Amanpullo it is not, but it does have fully-functional, Thomas Crapper- designed lavatories which after shitting in a Portaloo/sauna for a week, is the height of luxury. 

One more night in a tent, one more freeze-dried dinner, one more plastic bag of porridge, and 10km, and then it’s back to civilization. Consequently this is my last in-race blog.  Thanks for all the messages and comments of support, all greatly appreciated.  And let’s not forget that we’re raising funds for the fantastic charity that is SPARKS so if any of you tight buggers haven’t donated on my Justgiving page, then get on with it!!

Katy, Milo, Tid, Clem – can’t wait to see you all for a big hug (watch out for my toes though!!)

Until next time sports fans (erm…, there is no next time)

Dan

PS - Zoological note for today and a correction; the amazing walvitcha plant can live up to 1000 years, not 100. Amazing, don’t you think?

Hi there sports fans!

Thank Christ that is over.  84km of slightly uphill, baking hot, blister-enducing terrain.  Finished in slightly under 9 hrs which I am pretty happy about. 

Florian was a true gent today.  He ran well within himself for the entire stage and basically towed me around the course.  I tucked in right behind him and he kept up a great pace to get me around.  He waited at a few checkpoints for me and helped me out with a gel when I had a serious wobble.  At any stage he could have put the hammer down and put another couple of hours into me but he was generous enough to trot along with me.  Top man.

The stage was through the arid red Namib Desert, a truly remarkable environment.  It’s a miracle anything can live here as it’s so desolate but apparently there is lots about.  We spotted a couple of springbok bounding across the plain looking a lot more sprightly than I was feeling, and the jackals were sneaking about.  No lions yet.  There are also these extraordinary plants called walvitcha which look like something out of Day of the Triffids.  We were told to keep an eye out for these ancient plants (some over a hundred years old) and I was expecting something pretty scrawny but the walvitcha are huge sprawling things which are quite sinister, especially when you come across one in the middle of a totally arid desert.  Very odd.

Today is a rest day so we’re in camp in the desert.  Most of the field finished during the night and the final finisher, Mr Fung from HKG with one leg (that’s not a gag by the way, he really does have a prosthetic leg – bloody incredible bloke), came in this morning, taking well over twice what it took Florian and I.  The camp looks like a cross between Auschwitz and the Ministry of Funny Walks; lots of very skinny people hobbling around with wooden legs and fvcked toes. Along with the atrocious outfits doing the rounds, it’s a fairly horrific combo.  If you were enjoying your honeymoon safari in Namibia and happened upon our camp, you’d be terrified!

Anyway, we just have to last today and then we have a casual 40km through the sand dunes tomorrow.  Hooray! You know your world has got a bit weird when a marathon through the sand dunes is considered a fairly easy day.

Thanks to everyone for the messages and comments, it’s great to hear from the rest of civilisation.

Love to all and I’ll check in again tomorrow

Dan

Hi there sport fans!

A cracking stage today and I felt like we got into ‘Namibia proper’. The 1^st section took us onto the famous Skeleton Coast and we had to run along the beach which was bloody hard work but was worth it to be in such a stunning environment. 

The coast is completely wild and desolate – amazing to run in – and plenty to look at and keep your mind off the running.  One of the check points was at an old wreck site and we also ran through a huge seal colony which for a geeky zoologist like me was wonderful.  They are cape fur seals and it was quite an experience to see them all, “fousands of ‘em”, as Michael Caine would say.  They weren’t too fussed about us so you could get quite close, that’s if you could bear the smell.  Turns out that the cape fur seal is the only thing in Namibia which smells worse than my race t-shirt, and that honks!

My main achievement of today was to actually keep Florian in sight for most of the stage.  That’s primarily down to 2 factors:

1-      Visibility along the beach and across the final section was about 10km so I could see miles ahead!

2-      On the last section I was really struggling to see the marker flags (as the wind was blowing them directly towards to me) so I had to keep him in sight otherwise I was buggered!  Amazing what the fear of being lost in the desert does for your motivation!

I did have an early chance to steal a march on the leader but my Britishness got in the way.  Early in the first section Florian wasn’t too far ahead and I saw him heading off in the wrong direction.  Before I could help myself, I politely called out and suggested he went the correct way.  Opportunty gone.  Being honest, he could get lost for hours and still win it!

The last section into camp was tough today.  As we came off the beach we turned directly into a vicious headwind and were instructed to run 11kms straight into it across a barren, featureless plain.  It was horrible and the wind was like cross between a very hot hairdryer and a pebble-dashing machine as the sand and grit was whipped into your face.  Misery.

So tomorrow is the Long March – 80kms through the Namib Desert in the interior of Namibia.  Its going to be a scorcher!

Thanks to everyone for the messages and emails – lovely to hear from you all – and I’ll check in some time tomorrow I hope!

Love to all

Dan

Hi there sports fans!

Thanks to everyone for the messages, great to hear from you all.

Good news is that I haven’t seen a lion – yet.  Tomorrow we are due to run through the seal colony – aka the lions’ smorgasboard – so there is still a chance. 

Today was a relatively short day – 34km – and I got through it okay.  Def feel better today than I did yesterday which given that we ran 10km less than yesterday, is just as well. We ran through some mars-like landscapes today which was very cool but is all runnable which is great in some respects but I have a new-found respect for road marathon runners; it’s just a case of head down and trying to get into a rhythm – not easy with soft sand, salt flats, and funny crusty mud, but no hills to give some respite from churning away.  Anyway, it’s not supposed to be easy is it?!

Camp is an amazing spot on the Skeleton Coast, behind some massive dunes. It’s also warm, which is a result.  The last couple of camps have been cold – not what I had in mind.  Thank god for the mandatory kit list; having scoffed at the requirement to bring woolly hat, I’ve worn it every night; I look like Benny Hill in  pair of tights.  Maybe I should consider panto?

For the zoologists amongst you (admittedly that’s mainly Rapid) there’s a jackal hanging around camp which is pretty cool.  I haven’t actually seen any other living creature on the course – including the leader as he is facking miles ahead!

Tomorrow is a  marathon up the coastline which will be hard graft but hopefully lots to see to take one’s mind off the pain!  Wish me luck.

Sending lots of love to 6A2 and speak to you all tomorrow (lions notwithstanding)

Dan

Hi there sports fans!

So day 1 in the Namib Desert is complete! And it was pretty tough. We did a cheeky 43kms through some of the most desolate and inhospitable terrain I have ever run through, but also very beautiful. I have also learnt a few things today:

1 – Eight years is a long time between desert ultras.  Although I got through okay, the last 10kms were horrible.  The chap leading is a machine and I foolishly tried to keep up early on.  The first section was quick and I paid for it big time in the last section, shuffling along praying the finish to come (the finish line, not the end of my days – although that also crossed my mind)

2 – There are lions in the Namib Desert. I got chatting to a wonderful old boy called Philip who is driving around in a safari truck with an aerial poking out of the top.  On further discussion it turns out he is tracking the Namib lions to make sure for they don’t get too close. Good news is that they kill and eat the seals on the beach rather than chasing other prey, which is a bit like learning someone has left the tuck shop unlocked.  Hopefully a fat, stationary seal, is more appealing than a skinny 42 year old.  We’ll soon find out.

We’re now on the legendary Skeleton Coast which is magnificent.  We’ve already seen a couple of wrecks (not just the back markers) and hopefully we will see a few more as we head up the beach tomorrow (and no lions).  Keep your fingers crossed.

Sending 6A2 much love and speak to you tomorrow sports fans!

Dan