Howdy,

Have just read the emails and blog comments from the last 2 days … a few made me laugh and more than one made me tear up a little!!

Yesterday’s 86km Stage 5 was the most brutal thing that I have ever tackled. There was something like 2,300m of altitude gain and almost the same in descent!!

We dropped down into a canyon over a very technical descent with lots of loose rocks and ran along the dried river bed for 10km even having to do a water crossing in knee deep water. The walls were maybe a hundred metres high and at times got to within a metre apart – it was awe inspiring!!! Was moving pretty quickly so second guessing myself as to whether was overdoing it … (this question plagued me for the first 45km or so).

From CP1 to CP2 was very hot along a ravine that gently climber for over an hour in loose river sand. The pink course markers had been moved so a few of us got off course and had to double back, maybe only 500m but enough to unnerve us!!!

CP4 to CP5 was an exhausting climb for 10km without a break … constant switchbacks at a 1:5 gradient. By this stage it was over 40-degrees so thankfully, by dumb luck, I had grabbed an additional 500m water over he allocated 1.5L. Thank god I did because the climb fried a lot of folks doing them a lot of damage!

It was around the 45km mark that I started to ask myself a question that I have never had the guts to ask of myself: “What if I give this thing everything that I’ve got and leave nothing in the tank?” Up until yesterday I have only ever seen myself as a participant. I have never seen myself as a competitor … so what would have if I gave this thing a red hot go?? It was at that moment I determined to stay on the limit come what may for the next 40-odd k’s.

On a huge descent I steamed past some French runners who I knew were top-20 athletes and kept my eye on an Italian in the distance. I pipped him as I entered CP6 (55km) and discovered that I was in 17^th(?) place. Having still 31km to go had to re-check the commitment and gave chase to a 25yo Danish – we worked together for the next 16km managing a run where possible, walk when we had to strategy.

By the time the sun was setting he and I and a German were leaving CP7, with stage ranking of 12^th ,13^th & 14^th, pulled out the head torches, turned on out flashing red backpack lights and tackled another steep descent, this time including some asphalt. By this stage the blisters on the ball of my foot were really starting to play up and I couldn’t hold onto them.

An older Dutch dude who was a little behind us locked in next to me and all we could do was dial-in and block out the screaming foot pain – no jokes, it felt like every step was stepping on glass. Whenever one of us landed on a pebble we would let out a yelp or wince but not once did we break the stride.

Just to make the day more nasty the last 1.5km was a very technical descent on switchback goat-track with loose rocks. At the top of the path we he shot off as we could see 3 runners approaching quickly. My feet were just so sore that I had to hobble down the path. The 2 French guys came along and one, Alex, said he’d walk with me …. I had helped him on the first day and he wanted to repay the favour. I said for him to finish strong.

So after about 12hrs or so I crossed the line in 17^th place. Exhausted and just relieved for it to stop. As my tentmates steadily arrived throughout the night we all tossed and turned, unable to find a comfortable position, with what one described as “aching deep in his soul”.

Tomorrow is a 5.6km hobble to the Treasury in Petra then to the hotel for a dinner. Sunday catching the flight home.

Howdy,

Day 4 almost 40km’s and the hottest day so far. Toughest terrain too with long hard slogs up and up and up for 2-3km stretches in loose sand. We were rewarded with spectacular vistas of mountains and 2 beautiful naturally formed rock arches.

The goal for today was to make it through unscathed ahead of the beast tomorrow. Most days I take it easy to Checkpoint 1 (CP1) then ramp it up a bit to CP2 and then experience a flat-spot through then latter half to CP3. Then at CP3 have a High5 2:1 Carb:Protein with caffeine and within 15-20 minutes feel like I’m running on fresh legs to close out the stage.

This is pretty much how today rolled but the flat patch came earlier and lasted longer. A guy called Rob from Arizona caught up to me and we spent about 30kms together crossing the line feeling strong and running “easy”. We talked about our dogs, our kids, I gave him suggestions as to how Detroit City cold reinvent itself as a University town. He particularly like my ideas around how to rebuild an entire city!! I also spent a while thinking about a talk I’ll be giving on the 6^th March and what aspects of this experience will be worth sharing.

My left second toenail spent much of today screaming out at me and I could feel a familiar old hot spot rearing its ugly head – nothing too troubling but annoying all the same given Stage 5 86km tomorrow.

As I write this the Brazilian blind competitor has just come across the day’s finish line --- he has a massive smile on his face and as people clapped he said Thank You; gotta love the human spirit!!

My 15 minutes is up so had better go … expecting to come in around midnight tomorrow night so hopefully will touch base the next morning!!

Cheers

Howdy,

Day 3 under the belt …. Weather a perfect mid -30’s (I think?), beautiful rocky mountains that formed narrow canyons. Sienna, I saw a baby camel trying convince it’s mum to let it have a drink! Very cute and made me laugh J

Body is holding up amazingly well – I’m being as kind to it as I can possibly be -- think will lose second toenail on each foot tho’. Strategy is to run when I can, run all downs, walk any tricky ups or deep sandy patches, and there’s lots of those!

Think have done approx. 110km so far with a few low patches mentally & physically but generally feeling pretty strong. A couple of people have wondered, in their emails, what I think about to pass the time …. Generally I think about the next 9-10kms to the next checkpoint, the path ahead and whether to run or walk it, look around and soak up the incredible scenery.

For entertainment I decide that I won’t let the two Brits in front of me beat me (joke) or something stupid like that … yesterday they powered ahead and later told me they weren’t going to let the Aussies beat them. But today as I kicked passed them gave them some Aussie’s beating the Poms rubbish and kept going … they of course look for the one time in where Poms beat us at something and bring it up!!

Yesterday and again today I found myself matching it with an Aussie Sean from Sydney and talked family, travels, dreams and carried each other through the tough points. He’s a good bloke.

The thought of the long stage the day after tomorrow is starting to weigh on my mind a bit as 86km will be the longest stage in a multi-stage I will have ever tackled – just have to trust the process, trust the training, trust the mind and most importantly trust the body will know what to do on the day. Funny tho’ to think I still have a 40k stage tomorrow to get thru but the mind is definitely on the “Long March”.

Thanks for the emails so far, they have made me laugh! (Mony I am particularly grateful for what you wrote). Please keep them coming; words cannot describe how uplifting the support is thru the dark patches; particularly the day after tomorrow!!!!

Howdy,

Wasn’t able to write yesterday as the camp was in TOTAL disarray with very cold weather, rain coming straight thru the black goat hair tents!! They never set up the computers! It was miserable. The nights have been absolutely freezing and we are struggling to get more than about 3hrs of very broken sleep

Day 2 today was 36km(?) sunny with beautiful rocky mountains all around us. There once must have been massive water systems around here because the mountains were carved over millennia by water. We have spent most of the last 2 days running in sand that is like a dry river bed.

Roz (another Aussie) & I were taking it easy this morning as we were both having Day-2 leg fatigue ... About 6k’s in she felt some Achilles pain and had to pull out with a ruptured Achilles!!! She wants to stay on with her tentmates but I think she needs to get back to Sydney and get it scanned.

So far going pretty well otherwise. I felt stronger the longer I was out there today so fingers crossed it bodes well for tomorrow!?!?!?!