Marathon des Sables
Running Hot and Cold
Fredrick Olmqvist / 02.04.2009
After a cold and windy night the camp (111 open nomad tents with approx 8 runners in each) woke up just before sunrise at 6 am. I am very glad that I brought warm clothes and a windbreaker. The Sahara Desert can be chilly, as it still was at the start 9 am.Today\'s stage was 36K making a loop and coming back to the same camp. The backpack still felt quite heavy, even though I try to eat as much as possible in order to lose weight. But today the legs felt even heavier forcing me to walk some parts of the course. But I guess everyone had to struggle today, against the wind, against sore legs and feet, cramps or stomach problems. And many runners took it easy saving themselves for tomorrow\'s scheduled ultra stage over 80.5K.
After the chilly morning the sun and heat arrived an hour into the stage. But it’s not scorching hot, which definitely helps. The race is tough enough as it is with long stretches over stony plains that never seem to end. Today I handled the water management better, never carrying to much water, which is one of the things you need to learn in a race like this. Eating enough and taking salt tablets are even more crucial for avoiding bonking and leg cramps.
The stage ended by crossing an area of sand dunes (these areas are actually like islands surrounded of flat plains). I crossed the finish line after 3.49 (38th place), more than an hour after the stage winner Aziz El Akad (2.41) who also is the leader in the general ranking (I am 29th).
Last night I stopped by tent No 72 and talked to 5 of the 7 runners who spent a “cold, miserable and wet� night the day (Friday) we arrived at the race start in the desert city of Erfoud. The camp was flooded and these first arrivals were soon (at 6 pm) driven to hotels, except 7 who mistakenly were left behind and had to spend the night in the abandoned camp.
They were all fist timers in the MDS and couldn\'t have imagined a worse first night in the Sahara. The unlucky ones, 6 Brits and 1 Aussie, had to keep the spirit of the English and try to do their best to survive the freezing cold night in one of the tents. The rain was so strong and it had even knocked out the generator.See All Event Posts
