245 kms of Sand - 2009 Marathon Des Sables

Ian's Writing at a new site

2010-09-15T19:59:00.001-07:00

Hi all,

I just wanted to let people know that I'm now writing about the West Vancouver community on my new site www.westvancouverguide.com. It's a non-commercial website designed to promote what's going on in West Vancouver and what Vancouver has to offer. We've got a number of great features including 'the best of west vancouver' and an up to date news blog covering what's happening in the West Vancouver community. After a successful run across the Sahara I feel like I need a new epic challenge and I guess this is it. Wish me luck and feel free to pop by and say hello.

All the best,

Ian

Your West Vancouver Guide

Final Morning

2009-03-22T07:39:00.001-07:00

Sunday morning and I may not get another chance to post before I leave. The sun is just coming up and I'm having my coffee while listening to the birds sing in the back yard. I slept surprisingly well last night - no dreams about competing triathlons on a tricycle!

I spent a good 3 hours going over my gear, checking security restrictions and basically second guessing myself. Can somebody remind me why I'm doing this? Oh wait, right - mid life crisis... I guess it beats getting hair plugs, a new girlfriend and a convertible (the convertible would actually be ok).

I should have trained more. I should have followed my diet better. And yet, here I am...

Wish me luck!

Ian

The event is upon us

2009-03-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

Well it seems that the event is finally here. I'm flying out Sunday night and the nerves are starting to kick in now. I had a dream the other night that I was competing in an Ironman triathlon and I was the only competitor wearing jeans and dress shoes... go figure.

If anyone would like to check my progress or send me a message you can do so at http://www.darbaroud.com/index_uk.php. You will need to use the following info (i.e. race number, full name and nationality) to send me messages:

796 CUNLIFFE Ian CAN

If that isn't included in the message then I won't receive it. I also understand that there will be another Ian Cunliffe competing in this year's race, so if you are checking times and see me way at the front of the pack then you are definately following the wrong Ian!

I'm off to sort out my kit for the 5th time and I'm sure I'll go over everything 5 more times before I leave for the airport. How much do you want to bet that I'll forget something?

All the best...

Ian

The Marathon Des Sables Looms Closer

2009-02-25T12:48:00.000-08:00

Training this week was pretty decent. For my big run I left my house in Dundarave and ran with a 20lb pack up to the ski lifts on Hollyburn Mountain in Cyprus Park and back again – about 30km and a few thousand feet of elevation gain. I felt surprisingly good through most of it, never felt gassed and never lost my focus. The only tough part was dealing with the road’s caber which stressed the inside of my left ankle. Nothing too major though and so long as I go easy for a few days I should be injury free.

What else is going on? I signed up for the knee knacker – a 50km trail run from horseshoe bay to deep cove with just over 16000 feet of elevation change. It’s one of the 10 toughest rail runs in North America and Canada’s largest ultra trail marathon.

Damn you Chris for getting me thinking about this… But seriously, it seems like a good challenge. It’s coming up in July and it would be a shame to let all this MDS training go to waste. The distance shouldn’t be too much of an issue – the big problem will be covering the distance before the cut off times.

I’m still debating whether or not to do one more big training run, or to start tapering a little early. I’ve reconciled myself with the fact that this will not be my fastest race and am leaning more towards injury prevention in training this close to race day. In less than 4 weeks I’ll be heading out to Morocco and I’ve started working on getting all the details of my gear finalized.

I’ve also got to book an appointment for the doctor next week. I need to find out my blood type, have a physical and an ECG and then have my doctor sign off all the paperwork indicating that I’m fit enough to participate. It looks like the next few weeks will be consumed by the details.

I’ve also heard that there’s a website where you can follow my race progress online, seeing how I’m doing or whether I’ve been DQ’d. You can also send racers email messages that the organizers print off and distribute each night. I’ll try to find the link and post it here in the next few days.

The Bear Essentials

2008-09-24T05:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, I’ve just got time to fire off a quick and hopefully amusing post. Saturday I was running over the mountain trails from Horseshoe Bay to the Cleveland Dam through some thick mist and light rain. I was running downhill in the Hollyburn area when I ran across a tree stump on the trail ahead.

I thought it was odd as I didn’t remember a stump being there a week ago. However the mist has a way of playing tricks on the eye. As I got closer I thought again that something didn’t seem quite right. It was only when I got within 60 feet of the stump and noticed it had a ‘twitching tail’ that I realized I had run into a bear.

Now the bear was in the middle of the path, which in my books gives it the right of way! I stood there and looked at the bear. The bear stood there and looked at me. Nothing. I began shouting and flapping my arms in the air. Nothing. I kept shouting and banging rocks together. Nothing.

I was thinking that I was going to have to turn around and hike back the other way (3 more hours) so I dropped my rocks, which for some reason startled the bear. With a strength that was surprising to witness the bear bounded down the trail and off into the underbrush, crashing its way like a large furry wrecking ball!

Yikes!

Meet your Fellow Marathon Des Sables Competitors

2008-09-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

The race organizers have now opened up the online discussion forums and I'm getting a chance to meet other Marathon Des Sables racers. Seems like a friendly lot but wow - there are some seriously accomplished atheletes here.

Some of my friends look at me like I'm a serious endurance athlete as I've done a few marathons and triathlons. But having had a chance to see some of the bios of other competitors I'm beginning to look and feel like a rank amatuer.

It seems that many of this years competitors are experienced ultra marathoners (100+km runs) and ironmen triathletes (2km swim, 180 km bike, followed by a 44km run). One gentleman here in the Greater Vancouver area is running 20 marathons in 2 years... impressive!

Another Vancouverite has run the Badwater Ultra, a 135 mile race from Death Valley to Mount Whitney. It's difficult to put into words just what a feat this is, so I won't bother to try.

After having a chance to connect with these people it is easy to come away both inspired and humbled at the same time. If I had any illusions about being in the front of the pack for this race I assure you that they have been dropped.

I guess my goal for this race will remain the same - compete only with myself and let everyone else run the best race that they can run. I suspect that it truely is going to be all about the journey.

Putting your best foot forward

2008-09-08T09:01:00.000-07:00

Had a great run yesterday - I ran 1/2 of the Baden Powel Trail (the section from Horeshoe Bay to the Cleavland Dam). The trail was covered in bear poop. Somehow I managed to avoid stepping in any of the large blue steaming landmines only to accidentally plant my right foot in a bog!

It was very disconcerting as I was stuck but good... I actually had to dig myself free as all my pulling was only helping me to lose my shoe. I looked pretty funny all covered in muck when I finally got home. But all in all it was a great 5 hour run on a beautiful day.

When your training bites you in the ass...

2008-09-05T20:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, technically it wasn't my butt, it was my thigh. I was running up the mountain above my house early yesterday afternoon doing a little training for my upcoming 'marathon of sand.' It was a perfect day for running. I crested the top and then set off to explore Blue Gentian and Lost Lake. Sunny, quiet and peaceful. I was having a zen-like moment at the side of the lake and thinking about what a perfect day it was shaping up to be. Little did I know my descent would not be so serene.

On my way back down I pass a couple walking their dog off the lead. As I jog past, the dog, without warning, wheels around and bites me in the thigh... The couple stand there like some large herbivores that have been hit by a tranquilizer dart on 'Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom' while their dog continues to try to rip into me. Only after I threaten to bash it's head in if they don't take control of it do they seem to break from their Carl Perkins induced stupor.

"Gosh!" says one of the owners "He usually knows better than to do that."

USUALLY??? So should we assume then that some reasonable percentage of the time he doesn't know better than to bite people? And you are still walking him off the lead??

Is it just me or are some people really indifferent to the well being of others around them? I'd suggest having the dog put down but the owners would undoubtedly just get another dog and do an equally piss poor job of training and handling him or her.

Maybe I should inquire as to the possiblility of having the owners put down...

GGGRRRR

Sorry, I just had to vent.

Running up mountains

2008-09-03T21:28:00.001-07:00

My Marathon Des Sables training for 2009 continues...

The last few days I've spent running up the local mountain trails around Cypres Provincial Park with a light pack. I found a new trail the other day and decided to explore. Part of it was washed out and led to a 40 foot drop off so I had to do a little bush whacking to find a way to bypass the small ravine. It turned out to be a muddy uphill grind. A lot of mountain bikers use the trail which means loose earth, and it seems that some of the local creeks are flooding and the combination led to a messy uphill slog. Fortunately I was in the mood for a challenge so it was an afternoon's effort well spent.

Today was a trip running up through the Brother's Creek trails. I felt great and ran the entire way up with a pace like clockwork. Ok, maybe I 'slow jogged' but it still felt great. The run down was an absolute blast, but I keep having to hold back a bit in order to protect my knee. It's a weird sensation having the rest of your body chomping at the bit to really go for it but forcing yourself to ease back - the knee's not quite 100% yet and if I go and injure it again I'll probably end up having to walk the 245 kms across the Sahara!

That aside I'm starting to make some decisions about what equipment I'm going to be taking for the big run. A bad decision can have serious consequences and I have been agonizing over my choices as a result. It looks like my backpack will be costing about $200.00, but if I buy wisely it may just be the best $200.00 I spend. Overall weight, load distribution, reducing friction points, hydration access, capacity and airflow are just a few of the things that I've been quite literally obsessing about. But I think I've narrowed it down to either the New Zealand made Aarn racing pack or the French Raidlight 30L pack with 5L frontpack attachment. I'll be making a decision later this week and then coughing up some of my hard earned lunch money!

I'll post a picture of my selection soon.

All the best...

Ian

Pictures from my cross Bermuda training run for the 2009 Marathon Des Sables

2008-09-02T20:28:00.000-07:00

A few pictures from my run across Bermuda:

This is the start of the trail from where I was staying in Hamilton Parish:

One of the many incredible beaches on the island. I so wanted to take a nice cool dip but then I'd be covered in even more salt than I already was!

The railway trail that covers much of Bermuda. There were so many scenic parts of the run on these trails - it was a really amazing experience.

Much of the original railway trail went over water. All that is left are the concrete foundations dotted across the shores of the island.

I almost accidentally inhaled this hitch hiker when I came around a corner and ran smack into his web! Is that a beautiful looking spider or what?

So may incredible bays and canals...

This local cemetary is where I stopped for a wee nap. The heat of the day was just killing me...

Finally, back at the house, exhausted and covered in layers of salt sweat and sunblock.

What a run!

The day after... more marathon des sables preparation

2008-08-25T11:50:00.000-07:00

Well, after my last post I thought I'd get around to actually taking my shoes off and then having a shower.

My feet fared better than they have in shorter runs, but I still had two blisters under the nail beds on my right foot. I took a minute to lance one of them and left the other alone for the moment. With luck I think I'll be able to save the nails and not have yet another case of 'runner's toe'.

While unsightly, the real problem with this sort of injury is that when it comes to 6 days out in the desert something minor like this can turn into something major in a real hurry. Blisters and raw skin that you continue to walk another 200kms on have a way of turning into something remeniscent of a special effect from a zombie flick. Blisters are one of the top reasons for competitors getting pulled from the race. I'll have to keep tweeking my gear and see if I can't stop this from happening.

With shoes off I headed for the shower, turned on the water and did a little shriek... it seems I've managed to do some serious chaffing to certain sensitive spots on my body. Embarassing and painful - an excellent combination.

I went to bed and did not have any roaches run across my body = ) but when I woke up in the morning I found myself walking like a cowboy that has spent too much time on his horse... lol.

Ah well, I'm sure it's nothing that a day spent lying on a sandy beach can't fix.

Bermuda - The Results Are In...

2008-08-24T14:25:00.000-07:00

Right... the day broke down as follows:

2:00 am - Laying awake wondering 'Can I do this?' Worrying about my knee, about the fact that I haven't been able to train properly for the last 8 weeks, worried about the forecasted 29 degree heat and the weight of my pack.

4:12 am - Woke up to a rather large cockroach running across my chest. Managed to trap him in my armpit. Not sure if I or the cockroach got the worse part of the deal.

5:37 - Up and covering myself in sunblock from head to toe

6:00 - Final gear check, wolfed down some food. Bandaged up certain 'critical areas' and filled my socks with a dusting of corn starch.

6:30 - Took the dog for a walk as the sun was coming up.

7:00 - Out on the road. Knee is feeling ok. Backpack is heavy but is sitting well.

Ran through Hamilton Parish. Feeling good in the 24 degree morning sun. Very pretty trail. Carried on through the flats, stopped in to get some extra water. So far so good...

Approaching the city of Hamilton (which is not in Hamilton Parish, go figure...) and have to deviate from the trail running South through traffic. Thank goodness it's Sunday and there are fewer cars on the road! Rock walls on either side with no sidewalk or shoulder to run on. Cars wizzing by a foot from my face. I try to stay focused on other things and not think about what a bug must feel like when it hits a wind screen.

10:00 - I'm down on the South road now and back on the trail. It's beautiful. Hanging flowers and vines everywhere. Cutting through old railway tunnels. The occassional glimpse of the water. Speaking of which I'm feeling great at this point but it's been almost 3 hours and despite drinking a surprising amount of fluids I haven't had to pee. When I finally manage to find a moment's privacy what little I am able to produce looks more like windshield wiper fluid than anything that a healthy body should be producing. For those of you who run you know that this is not good. I focus on taking in even more water.

If there is one thing that Bermuda is, it's GREEN. Brilliant shades of green, a riotous sea of green, green foliage of all different sizes shapes and patterns.

I can now see the dockyards off in the distance. They are located on the NorthWest tip of the island and are where I will be catching my ferry to get to the final leg of my journey. Unfortunately, as Bermuda is shaped like a fish hook with the dockyards beign the tip, as you round the bottom of the island the dockyards never seem to get any closer despite mile after mile of effort.

11:00 - The Sun is now out in force and the heat is starting to take it's toll. I'm having to slow down with a lot more walking breaks interspersed with my running.

12:00 - Still seemingly no closer to the dockyards hovering out there across the water. I crossed through Somerset a while back, very pretty villiage but man o man I'm feeling tired.

12:30- Right about this time I hit the wall. I'm feeling so dead that I lie down and have a break... in a cemetary. The irony escapes me until a good hour later into the day.

1:30 - Despite a feeble attempt to keep running I've been walking for the last bit with a few pathetic attempts at shuffling my feet thrown in for good measure. But the good news is that I'm at the Dockyards in 15 minutes. The bad news is that I find a vending machine that has ice cold coca cola - why is this bad? I'm so enthralled with the feeling of this cold can on my skin that I think I made a few people sitting near me feel a tad uncomfortable. Is it possible to be pornographic with an ice cold can of soda? Apparently it is...

2:00 - My ferry to Saint George Parish never materializes. There is a 2:30 ferry back to Hamilton so I check my map and see that my final destination is equidistant between Hamilton and Saint George. I put on my 5th application of sunscreen and get some much needed rest until we get into Hamilton.

2:30 - I'm off and running (yes, running) and in great spirits. Just 9km to go. Right? Unfortunately I get 2 sets of directions that are very very wrong, and the two maps that I brought with me both have conflicting information on them. For not the first time already today I wind up taking a scenic detour - this one just happens to be a few miles longer than the other ones. Ugh...

3:00 - I figure out where I am and manage to adjust my route. Things aren't looking so bad. I've got about 7kms to go and I'm in a great mood as Advils number 5 and 6 have started to kick in. I'm feeling so good that I almost get creamed by a bus speeding around a blind corner. With the typical rock walls on both sides of the road and no shoulder, the bus misses my head with less than 3 inches to spare. I swear the bus drivers in Bermuda must be exempt from any type of vehicular related manslaughter charges...

3:50 - I'm back in the flats, doing my walk/ run with a lot more walking and a lot less running. but I'm only a few miles away from completing my journey! With this in mind I start running again.

5:15 - Home. Covered in sweat and a thick patina of sunblock ( I lost count after application #6).

Not the fastest run that I've ever done but definately the farthest, and the hottest, and with a pretty good sized pack. Although I'm going to need to keep improving my conditioning over the next 6 months, today tells me that I'm definately on the right track and that with proper preparation I should be able to make a respectable showing for myself in the 2009 Marathon Des Sables. When I get home next week I'll be sure to load up the photos from my run (and I'll tell you about the hitck hiker that I almost picked up...). but for now I'm off to the tub to soak off all the layers of salt and sunblock and then I think I'll sleep for the next 12 hours or so.

All the best...

Ian

'Whether you think you can or you can't, you are probably right.'

Henry Ford

Preparation in Bermuda

2008-08-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

First off Bermuda is everything that people say it is. Incredible weather, gorgeous beaches and beautiful pastel houses. I've been taking the last few days to enjoy myself and get accilimatized to the heat and humidity, and if the weather forcast is accurate I may try my run across Bermuda on Sunday morning.

I'm pretty excited and more than a little nervous. I was expecting the heat and humidity to be an issue, but I hadn't factored in the traffic. Roads are very narrow here, often with no sidewalks and rock walls on either side giving you no where to get out of the way. Drivers here can also be very agressive... definately not a pedestrian culture.

But I've got my gear assembled and my camera at the ready and I can't think of a more interesting way to explore the island. I'll be posting all about it (assuming that I'm not run over by a car) in the next few days, and I'll load photos when I return home just over a week from now.

Wish me luck...

Big Bermuda Training Run for the 2009 Marathon Des Sables

2008-08-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

Yikes! I’m packing for Bermuda at the moment (I fly out on Sunday) and as I mentioned earlier I’m going to take this opportunity to run across the country while I’m there. It should be about 33 miles with some decent elevation shifts as Bermuda is quite hilly. That plus the heat and humidity should make for a real test on how my training is coming along so far.

The one hiccup is that my knee is still not 100% right.

In biking there is the old adage about the two types of bikers ‘those who have crashed and those who are about to’ – with running the expression should be ‘those who are injured and those who soon will be’. The knee has caused me cut back dramatically on my mileage and intensity in order to give it a chance to heal. I’m nervous about pushing myself but the chance to put ‘ran across a country’ on my life’s resume is just too tempting to pass up on. Plus I’ll never be likely to visit the Vatican so this is likely going to be my best bet for visiting small countries!

I also wanted to say thanks to the support that I have been receiving recently from friends, family and neighbors. Often injury tends to make people depressed but with all the encouragement I’ve been receiving it’s been just about impossible to be down in the dumps for any length of time.

A big question that keeps coming up is how people can make a donation. If you would like to lend a hand you can follow these simple steps.

The first step is to make a cheque out to UNICEF (If possible please don’t make it out to me).

The second (and final) step is to mail the cheque to

Ian Cunliffe
2224 Haywood Ave
West Vancouver, BC

By mailing the cheque to me I will make sure that all the funds go directly to the funding of the refugee camp schools and not into UNICEF’s general revenue.

Thank you all. Your encouragement has been priceless. I’ll be sure to post some photos of my Bermuda run just as soon as I get back from my trip.

I’ll talk to you soon!

Ian

The Marathon Des Sables was Never This Pleasant

2008-07-27T21:15:00.001-07:00

Mist and cloud and trees… an absolutely amazing setting for a two hour morning run through Lynn Headwaters. Regrettably the 2009 Marathon Des Sables won’t be that friendly in terms of climate. Ah well, enjoy it while I can.

A good run today and a pleasant surprise – I was featured in the living section of the North Shore News. My mom wants me to clip out the article for her = ).

The knee did well on the run but was tightening up later on in the afternoon. I’ll have to be careful about how hard and how fast I try to get back to my regular training.

I’m heading over to Vancouver Island on Monday. I’ll be up in Port Alberni. Apparently there is a great old logging road trail good for a nice long run. I think I’ll have to check it out.

Thanks to all who sent me an email or gave me a call when they saw the article!

Back in my runners and moving closer to the Marathon Des Sables!

2008-07-27T10:44:00.001-07:00

Well I managed to go and injure myself a few weeks ago. I was running from UBC to Dundarave and the jarring from the pavement managed to cause my right knee to act up. It’s been a little frustrating having to cut way back on the training but I think I’m almost back to 100% now. = )

I ran the Grouse Grind on Friday with a backpack on. Ok, running might be a little bit of a misnomer but I did manage to make a decent time while carrying some extra weight on my shoulders (and around my mid section…lol).

I’ll be running out in Lynn Headwaters Park today and gradually building my mileage back up over the next two weeks. My short term goal is to be ready to run across Bermuda by mid August. I’ll be house sitting there for about two weeks on the island’s eastern tip and there just happens to be a walking path that goes across the whole island group. I believe the distance will be around 33 miles with some good elevation changes. That and the Bermuda heat should give me a good benchmark for how I’m coming along.

Wish me luck!

Logging the miles for the Marathon Des Sables in 2009

2008-06-01T07:18:00.000-07:00

Base training for the 2009 Marathon Des Sables is going well. On Saturday I ran for two hours on the Baden Powell trail. Those series of stairs and climbs leading from the Cleveland Dam into the British Properties made my legs feel like they were going to fall off, but I seem to have gotten through it alright. I’m now just finishing my coffee and heading out for a few laps around the sea wall.

My mileage is increasing comfortably each week, but I’m going to need to start planning for more Marathon Des Sables specific training soon. Time to do some research. Shoes will be an interesting issue (at least for me) – many competitors’ feet swell up a full shoe size or more during the race. I’ll likely need to get some special runners made that have the same foot length but more width to allow for swelling. I also want to order my racing backpack soon. I guess these will be my first two pieces of equipment to research.

What Exactly is the Marathon Des Sables (MDS)?

2008-05-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

The Marathon Des Sables is considered by many to be one of the hardest races in the world. The race takes place over 245 km of rock sand and dunes across the blistering Sahara Desert.

Organized by Frenchman Patrick Bauer, the race is now in its 24th year. Designed to test endurance and willpower to the limits, participants run 6 marathons in 6 days through demanding and unforgiving terrain while carrying a 20-40lb pack on their back.

Although the race is remarkably well supervised there have been fatalities... Dehydration and heatstroke are common, and blister ravaged feet derail the hopes of many competitors every year. A few years back one participant actually got lost during a sandstorm and managed to survive for 5 days before being rescued by drinking his own urine…

The race attracts a diverse cross section of competitors ranging from the elite ultra endurance athletes and Special Forces types to accountants and soccer moms. And as it turns out this next race will include a slightly overweight elementary school teacher from Vancouver’s North shore. This blog will chronicle my training preparation and ultimate participation in the upcoming 2009 event.

Some tough training runs for the Marathon Des Sables

2008-05-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

I snuck out for an hour long jog today. Nothing too spectacular. In fact it was a little soggy out there. But these modest runs are always the backbone of any successful program.

On a more interesting note I have started to set out some of my training milestones.

Mid June – Run from Dundarave Village up to the highway, over to the Cypress Exit and all the way up to the ski lifts. It’s about 13.2 miles of straight up, lung busting exertion.

Late August – Running across Bermuda. I’ve worked most of my route out – I should be able to follow the old colonial train track trail that spans all 33 miles of Bermuda’s linked islands. The tricky bit is going to be figuring out the elevation shifts and finding my route for the urban centers where the train trail breaks off.

Mid-September – The goal is to run from Departure Bay up Vancouver Island till the Port Alberni highway turnoff, then over the mountain and into town. The run should be about 82km, and I’m going to try to run it with a backpack.

There will probably be a few more notable runs between now and fall, but this should be enough to get me started.

Well, I’m officially entered in the 2009 Marathon Des Sables!

2008-05-13T06:06:00.000-07:00

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