How appropriate that I am supporting Start Walking for the management and prevention of diabetes because I have had to walk for 130kms. On day 1 I strained my left quadricep and then today it was fine but my left ankle was a hindrance on day 4 and needs to be strapped because I over compensated for it. Thankfully I brought along walking poles as they have been a blessing in disguise.

Today and yesterday was challenging in undulating terrain and under a hot sun through exposed areas of the desert. Today was sometimes emotional thinking about the reasons why I am doing this. It has been awesome to get this far, and now we will take on the biggest challenge tomorrow of 86kms straight through. The ultimate plan is to beat the rain which is forecast for Friday morning.

Ethan – tomorrow dad will have his locket of you close to my heart. You are my inspiration to make it to the end. I love you a million times to the moon and back xxx

Thanks everyone for the support

Mark xo

Hi all

Thanks for the emails. Its been a tough couple of days in cold rainy conditions. Sleeping in a leaky tent is a buzz, and my mate Chris refuses to keep me warm at night J. My time has been slower than I planned, but completion without injury is my goal each day.

Today was very hot, and a welcome relief from having only wet clothes to wear. The next few days are looking bright and sunny, however the course will become more difficult.

Mum, I am fine, except for sore muscles J.

Doris, Agnes says hi, and I have been so tired that leaving the ipad mini behind was a good idea J

Cheers

Mark

We are in wadi rum camping overnight. Its very cold and windy. Have met some amazing people already. The landscape is gorgeous. Looking forward to starting the race tomorrow morning. Hopefully the rain will not eventuate J

Now that I have my new pair of Salamon XT Wings 3 trail shoes, I need to find out if one, or more than one pair of socks is required. Any advice or suggestions from previous competitors is very welcome.

I have been pondering the best time to do another blog. Is it regularly or is it when you have lots to say? I guess it's the day after coach Jacque says - you need to update your blog! - for fear if I don't write something she will double up my planks!! :-) Cause I finally have a cause to support; which ironically was staring me in the face for obvious reasons - diabetes. The Start Walking campaign is the 2013 theme for UAE health initiative, under Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, and organised by the Imperial College London Diabetes Centre for diabetes prevention and management. The Start Walking campaign focus is on getting the community active, and investing in good eating habits. I created a Facebook page - Sahara Diabetes Challenge, which after a lot of technology fumbling and bumbling, has been developed to promote the Sahara Race, and the Start Walking campaign. Training In Dubai we are now in the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. This is an interesting time for training, as eating and drinking are prohibited in public during daylight hours. Day 1 of Ramadan was tough as I did not adequately plan my nutrition and hydration throughout the day. The end result - my energy levels dipped when it was time to do my gym workout. Besides the restrictions of Ramadan, another factor that must be considered is the heat and humidity; both of which have been extremely high in the last few weeks. These conditions have made running outdoors feel like a lukewarm bath! Thankfully Dubai has a makeshift indoor running course that is quite useful for the days that are very uncomfortable. Recently I strayed into real sand in the desert to test out my running shoes, complete with Raidlight gaiters. My running shoes are Adidas Adizero road shoes, so I wanted to see how they performed in soft sand. Experiment no.1 was inconclusive and therefore more research is required. I guess I should add that my first few runs with a loaded pack was like trying to lift my legs out of quicksand!! Going to have to be very choosy about what to put in my backpack! Equipment Shopping! A favourite pastime that anyone can enjoy, especially in a sports shop, which is second only to the power tools section of a hardware store! I have been buying up like there's no tomorrow, with the helpful advice of my motivational, goods and services coach D :-) Expedition foods have now climbed their way to the top of my shopping list. There are so many yummy nutritional choices that I almost bought the whole lot! Next up is finding a suitable backpack. Too much waivering and double mindedness has left me in a mind spinning quandary! Do I choose function or aesthetics :-). Another one for further research! Lots more to say but I think I will leave it until next time. I'm off to try out my expedition food! Mark :-)

The last few days have been spent staring at the competitors list and wondering if it