245 km of sand rock and suffering… sounds like a blast! But I must admit that I’m feeling a little nervous. Tackling a 6 day ultra marathon in an extreme environment like the Sahara takes me more than just a little beyond my comfort zone.
The longest that I’ve ever run before has been marathon distance, and that didn’t include carrying a 40lb pack on my back. A significant amount of thought is going to have to go into my training – 6 marathons in 6 days… not easy.
Gear is going to be an issue as well. The course requires everything from emergency flares and dried rations to anti-venom kits and a compass.
And after talking to race organizers, foot care is clearly going to be a serious issue. Foot problems and dehydration are two big reasons why many competitors fail to complete the race. Apparently the heat can cause your feet to swell up a shoe size or more, making it next to impossible to get your shoes on.
Racers often compensate by wearing larger shoe sizes, but this in turn creates the potential of friction and blisters. Not that I’m trying to sound too wimpy here fretting over a blister, but when you combine 245 consecutive km’s of running and a desert full of gritty sand, blisters have the potential to end your race.
It looks like gear selection and training will be significant issues. I’m off to think it over.
All the best…
Ian
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