24th Marathon des Sable

March 27th-Ourazazate, Morocco

I arrived into Ourazazate March 27th at noon. From the airplane, the snow covered high Atlas Mountains could be seen. More snow than I anticipated really. I met four other MdS runners on the plane, they were from Switzerland, France, Australia, and Bahrain. We all decided to split a cab to the hotel Belere in town. It was there that I met part of the American contingent group and checked into the hotel.

Immediately after checking in I showered and went to lunch with our group at the hotel Karam. I knew I would be running in the Sahara for seven days so I ate well. After lunch I unpacked and repacked all my gear and food, thinking very much about what luxuries I wanted to carry vs. the weight I would have on my back. I prepared six dinners, seven lunches, and six breakfasts. The all the food I was packing I previously tried here in the hill of Appalachia on runs like Trot to Hot, and others.

I struggled to cut out and shave off weight and after a few hours I was all packed up. Mentally I was preparing myself to be in the desert, and I was giddy to get out there.

March 28th-Ourazazate, Morocco

After a quick shower and breakfast, I dropped a bag at the hotel, and ran off to the bus. It was there that I saw signs of things that didn’t make sense. I t was drizzling outside as if I was on the streets of London. The problem was I was in the desert.

After waiting for two hours on the bus, and mingling with all the other American, Canadian, Australian, and Moroccan runners we were off. We expected to be on the bus for six hours and make it to the bivouac and finally be in the middle of nowhere 350 km away from our hotel in Ourzazate. Finally we were getting started.

Three hours into our bus ride I could see the rain only pouring down harder. I didn’t know what to expect, but some were worried that the tents would be flooded. The bus slowed down to a halt and everyone became quite and stood up to see what was going on. I was stunned to see a raging river that was flowing over the road we were supposed to cross.

Many of us exited the bus to witness what was going on. The rapids were powerful, and dug into the earth, and moved trees and boulders. The locals were out dancing as the rain was a source of life for them, and is quite rare in the desert. After brushing up on my Arabic I learned from the Moroccan team that they had not seen rain like this in 20 years. A 20 year flood was occurring on the first day of our MdS ultra in the middle of the Sahara desert, what are the odds? My luck at play here. Buses lined up all on the road and we sat in a parking lot.

Hours went by and many became frustrated as we did not know what to expect, and we also were witnessing what many thought at the time, a strong reason to cancel the race. The rain eventually died down a bid and the river was noticeably decreasing in rage. Some feared we would all spend the night on the bus as we may not have been able to cross.

Suddenly a local Moroccan logging truck loaded with timber decided to take the risk and cross into the river to try and make it across. This truck had monster sized tires and was carrying a full load to weigh it down. This would be a good test! Should the driver fail to make it across and the truck be swept downstream, severe injuries or death was eminent. The truck crossed with little difficult and we could see the depth of the fast flowing rain water.

Would our CTM bus make it across? The local Moroccan bus drivers were excited to see someone cross, and immediately asked that we all brace ourselves for an attempt to cross. We were in the second bus, so at least one bus was ahead of us. The first bus began to move forward and started to cross the flooded road.

You have to understand this was the most difficult part of the race, and the riskiest part. The rear tires of the first bas began to slide in the direction of the flowing river. If the bus had slid another two feet it would be off the road and in the rapids and may have been sucked downstream! The first bus made it across. Some in our bus were crying, some were in a state of shock, all of us were scared. Our buses turn came up, and driver gunned it. We made it across the road without falling in. We continued our journey to the desert in the continuous rain.

How would we sleep in our first bivouac with all the Berber tents? The rain was unforgiving. Some feared hypothermia. Freezing temperatures with a soaking wet down bag was not a good combination for a seven day stage race. No one knew what to expect and what was going on.

We finally reached a small desert town called Erfoud (sometimes spelled Arfoud). To give you an idea of where we were, Erfoud is roughly 35 km away from the Algerian boarder. Amazingly we learned that all 850+ runners and 450+ staff and volunteers would be spending the night in some hotel in this small town.

After stopping for another hour or so in the rain, the bus driver finally took us to the Hotel Kasbah Tizimi. I roomed with Dennis from Vancouver Canada. It was late and we did not know what the plan would be for tomorrow, so we decided to crash and rest.

March 29th-Erfoud, Morocco (Hotel Kasbah Tizimi)

The next morning we woke up to more rain. After breakfast we were told to wait, and just see. So we waited. After dinner we learned that we would spend another night in the hotel.

March 30th-Erfoud, Morocco (Hotel Kasbah Tizimi)


Day 1 - 20 miles

We officially started the MdS 3.30.2009. Over 800 runners took to the start and were off into the desert. The sand dunes and dunnettes (French for small dunes) are just as majestic up close as they are from afar, it is truly amazing! You may as well be on a different plant. ran well for the first half of today’s stage and then slowed down to save myself from the exposed heat. By this point we were carrying the MdS roadbook which highlights in detail the route for each day and the terrain that you should expect to cover. All runners are obligated to carry this roadbook at all times, or suffer a time penalty. The first day of the race was cancelled, and we all knew that the routes would be planned on the fly as the weather had created a huge challenge for the race officials. They could not move the trucks, and thus could not set up the bivouacs (Tent City) where they needed to. Thus, each day we were told the distance we needed to travel at around 6:30am. Some were a little frustrated because they did not know what to expect for that day. Just before the first checkpoint, as I was running thru a wadi (dried out river bed) that was slick with fresh mud from the rains, I took a huge spill. This was the first day of the run only after the first few kilometers. My shirt, shorts, water bottles, and pack were all covered in mud. It was a mistake that not only cost me time, I had to run for the next 5 days with the same cloths. After I grabbed my water bottle, I took a 10 minute pit stop to clean up. Despite the torrential down pours, the sun delivered fully exposed radiation and baked my body. There is literally no shade, so you will get toasted. After running for 20 kilometers or so I slowed my pace down to a fast walk. I could have pushed harder and ran the last 10 km, but I decided to play it safe. I knew I had to run another 5 days. The first day was the most beautiful. The largest sand dunes appeared here, some of which were several hundred foot climbs. Total elevation for the 20 miles was 3,060 feet. I finished the first stage in 4:57. At the Bivouac (Tent City), I took off my shirt, lied in the Berber tent for a while and pulled out my first meal of mac and cheese. I added water to a Ziploc bag with the mac and cheese and let it sit out in the sun. After eating I decided to walk around the world (walk the entire loop of tent city) and hung out by the open fire with the local Berbers. I practiced my Arabic.





Day 2 - 22.7 miles


Today the run started off fast. After the first mile I spotted a brown viper which I was able to dodge. This viper is exactly why all competitors that run the MdS are required to carry an anti-venom pump. I was fortunate enough to have a few runners ahead of me dodge the snake and give me a quick warning. After the 1st checkpoint I slowed down and began to bake under the sun again. After the 2nd checkpoint I was reduced to a walk for the last 5 miles. My stomach was tied into knots, and the pain only hurt my pace. I took in some Imodium which didn’t seem to help at all. We are still running in the sand dunes which can be lots of climbing but the beauty of them make you forget the pain. Tomorrow is the 50 mile leg which will be incredibly difficult. Thankfully my feet are fine with just one hot spot on my pinky toe. I finished the second stage in 5:46. I hobbled to my tent and remember thinking that I packed the wrong type of food. I was craving salt, and hated anything that had sugar in it. I was taking in salt tablets regularly, but I craved the taste of salt itself. My body was telling me what I was eating wasn’t sufficient. I forced myself to eat what I had, and my stomach could not take it. I traded some food with a tentmate, and gobbled up some chips. It was on the night of the second day that a beautiful French women appeared and delivered emails to all of us in the tent. She also confirmed that tomorrow would be a 50 mile day. I can not tell you how uplifting these emails were at that point of time. “Much love to my family that sent me an email in the last few days, they were delievered to my tent today (Bouchra, Ammo Abdel Hakim, and Bachir, love you guys for the message). Uplifting messages were sent also by Bob B, Annette B, Liz J, Cy J, Brian T, Ann E, Greg P, Nattu, Audra, Jonathan S, and DC!! You guys rock! I will have your emails with me tomorrow and reading them again at mile 30 when I will need the energy. I hope to finish tomorrow by 2am.” I had predicted that I would finish by 2am while running the 50 mile leg. That night I packed and repacked what I needed for the long day. I tossed some extra weight and shuffled thru the food and carried only what I needed.

Day 3 – 57 miles

We awoke to the same French women that told us the mileage for the day had been extended from 80km to 91km, or an additional 6.6 miles. She followed up the news with “This is not an April fools joke either!” We were told that the last day of the run would be canceled due to logistics, and the last day which would have been a very short day was being added to Day 3. It was these last minute changes that made everyone on mental standby. You were always waiting for more information. I personally didn’t mind extending the mileage, some were however not thrilled. This would be the longest stage the MdS would ever run in its 24 year history. 56 miles is a long run, but doable for a one day event. Having it in the middle of a stage run in the Sahara however is ballsy. For this event, the top 50 male runners and the top 5 female runners would start with a 3 hour handicap (12 noon). All other runners would start at 9am. My digestive tract was now getting a better work out than my legs, and this morning was no less of a work out. This day felt warmer than the others. I started with a fast paced walk and worked my way up to a slow run for the first three checkpoints. I didn’t stop at each checkpoint for any longer than 10 minutes. The sun beat down on my body again for three days in a row. My stomach wouldn’t allow me to run my normal running pace, and slowed me down again. I remember piecing up all my beef jerky for this day and savoring it for the first three check points. As the heat of the day began to die down I remember hiking up a pass in a chain of mountains. I passed a few people here, and felt back at home with some elevation! The last two days had been surprisingly and boringly flat. Some people love to run flats, I hate it. On the descent I passed even more people. It was here when I excelled. At each check point I would see aid tents full of people escaping the sun and resting or cooking a meal for the end of the day. I knew I would cook my meal when I reached my tent and not on the actual run. As the sun set and darkness was upon me I ran harder. It was here that I began to pass more runners. I would run for a while with a British group, and then I would go on and run with the French. Oddly enough I never stumbled on any Americans during the night. I began to feel the effects of fatigue and sleepiness around 9pm. I kept pushing thru thinking that this would be the day that I did my best and could save cumulative time for the race. The stars in the desert were crisp, clear, and you could see billions of stars. There could have been as many stars in the sky as there were grains of sand in the desert. Suddenly as I was glancing at a few starts a beam of green light appeared in the distance. I later learned that this beam is provided by the Moroccan military and is usually used for the finish line. They were teasing us by putting it on the last check point. The light appeared to be close by it was still miles away. My body was talking to me and telling me that I shouldn’t be out here. I pulled into the last check point, grabbed my water and lied in the Berber tent for a few minutes to get myself together. I knew if I lied down for too long I would end up slowing down, or even spend the night in the tent. Many of the runners on the long day spend the night on the desert. I kept trucking along. I hooked up with three guys from Luxemburg. They explained that someone from Luxemburg is a Luxemburger. The first thing that came to my mind was a hamburger, or even better yet a deluxemburger. I have to take the time to explain here that in my experience when running any ultra in the US and I run hard, at the end of the day I know I can refuel by eating well. During the MdS all I had to look forward to was a freezer dried meal with food that didn’t work well with me in the desert. So the cheeseburger thought was tempting. I learned that Luxemburg is a city state with a population of just over 400,000. We exchanged stories of running and kept each other awake and moving. These guys were moving at a good pace and I knew I would finish in better time than expected. It was just before 1am when I could see the bivouac. I told the guys that I had planned to run it all the way in and left them for a semi sprint that seemed to take 10 minutes. I finished in 230th place that night and was the first one in my tent for the night. I finished the long stage in 15:55. I lied down and rested and tried to eat, and then passed out.

Day 4 – Rest Day

I rested this day. I also visited the medical tent so that they could help me with the few blisters that were on my left foot. It was slightly painful. The people that I saw there and the conditions of their feet made me feel blessed to have only a few blisters.

Running in heat and sand can be a nasty combination for your feet and blisters.


Day 5 – 26.2 miles
On the 5th day of the MdS I can tell you my body was yelling at me. My legs were beat up, my entire body ached, and the most devastating my digestive tract was screaming out load.
The last day of the MdS felt warmer earlier than all the other days. I started with a healthy conservative pace and tried to push harder as I bagged mileage. It was my last day, and I needed to finish strong. It was only a marathon right?

After the first checkpoint the route turned very flat for miles. This, again, is harder for me than a route with elevation. I again baked under the sun and was forced to slow my role on this flat section. I was trying to consume more water as my body was clearly showing signs of dehydration. Being the in desert dehydrates you no mater how much water you take in. At this point my body didn’t even want to take in water. I was craving a hamburger and my body had been starving for days.

Forward relentless motion in the form of a shuffle was all the output I had. During the last third of this marathon a pair of Aussies I recognized from camp showed up. They weren’t particularly fast, but their approach to getting this last leg completed was amusing to my calorie deprived mind. They would run until they saw a trail marker and walk for a few minutes after they reached each trail marker. The markers were maybe a 100 meters apart from each other at the most. This made for 4 or 5 minutes of running for every 1 to 3 minutes walking. It worked, and I kept up with them.

In the distance another mountain pass came along. There a little Moroccan boy yelled out in French that we had 2 kilometers to get to the finish line. Was it over? Was it possible that the finish was finally so close? As I hiked up to the ridge I could see in the distance the finish. I ran down the scree like rocks and passed my Aussie friends for a run to the finish. A full sprint for the last 300 meters helped me pass a few runners to the finish line. Patrick Bauer was there to greet all the finishers with a medal. I was thrilled to have this run over with and successfully completed. The last stage of the MdS took me 6:11.

The overall distance of the 24th MdS was 126 Miles. I was ranked 296th place out of over 800 starting runners. My cumulative time was 32:49:42. I made a lot of friends, and the experience was great overall.Over the next week I traveled back to Ourazazate, and then I was off to Agadir, Marrakech, Casablanca, Rabat, Tangiers, and Cabo Negro. I had a great time traveling around and recovering from the run.

Day 3, 4, and 5

After my last post I was surprised to learn that the 50 mile leg would be extended by another 6 miles (last days mileage). This was due to many logistical reasons beause of the weather. I ran the long leg with a long day in mind, and kept my body as cool as I could during the heat of the day. When the sun descended on us I began to run harder and finished that stage in under 16 hours comming in just after 1am. I was very pleased. The next day was a rest day, and I didnt have access to email. Today was the last day of the MdS, with a distance of a marathon (42.2 km). Im happy it is over! The heat is deadly out here.

Thanks to everyone that sent messages, they really kept me in touch with the world, and kept me moving out here in the Sahara (too many names to list!)

Ill be updating the blog in OZZ whence I have more time!

Best - Mohammed

Day 2 - 22.5 miles

Today the run started off fast. After the first mile I spotted a brown viper which I was able to dodge. After the 1st checkpoint I slowed down and began to bake under the sun. After the 2nd checkpoint I was reduced to a walk for the last 5 miles. We are still running in the sand dunes which can be lots of climbing but the beauty of them make you forget the pain.

Tomorrow is the 50 mile leg which will be incredibly difficult. Thankfully my feet are fine with just one hot spot on my pinky toe.

Confirm this posted please

Day 1 - 20 miles

We officially started the MdS today. Over 800 runners took to the start and were off into the desert. The sand dunes and dunnettes are majastic up close and from afar, it is truly amazing! ran well for the first half of todays stage and then slowed down to save myself for the remaining days. The exposed sun spanked me, but I have recovered and I am looking forward to tomorrow.

Ill post on the blog as long as the internet keeps up.

Bivouac #2 - Rain Continues

The rain in Arfoud Morocco continues to come down, sometimes sprinkling, and sometimes pouring. The locals are excited for these lands are dehydrated, and yearn for water. Today, Aziz, the barber that shaved my beard told me he had not seen it rain like this in over 20 years. What are the chances that the MdS would be washed out before the race? The race directors have decided to cancel the first leg of the race, which was 30 km (18.6 miles), due to weather conditions. This shrinks the race from a 151 mile 6 stage run to a 132 mile 5 day stage run.

Tomorrow we plan to check in for the race, and the day after we plan to start what would have been day 2. Many of us are so ready to run that if they continue to delay we may just run the 300 km back to Ouarzazate self supported, stopping in villages along the way.

This morning I went for a 5 mile run with my roomate Dennis from Vancouver and with Ted Archer from Sacramento. After some shish tawook I went for another 5 mile run with Hasan and Sameer. Im trying to make up some miles for the lost day. Work it!

Until further notice from the race directors I will stay at the Hotel Kasbah Tizimi for the next two nights.

Torrential Rains - Bivouac #1

After 11 hours on a bus we have arrived safely in Arfoud Morocco. Today we waited over 3 hours to pass a flooded road that had a raging river flowing thru it. It has not rained like this in these parts of Morocco for over 10-20 years. Our first night bivouac has also been flooded and the race directors have routed runners to hotels. When it rains it pours!

The American contingency is staying in the Hotel Kasbah Tizimi in Arfoud, Morocco. tel: 2120535577375. Im in room 217.

Hopefully the rain will die down and the race can go on.

Mohammed Runs the Marathon des Sables

In exactly 8 days I’ll be starting the first day of the Marathon des Sables (MdS) and toeing the line with 800 or so competitors from all over the world. There are 76 runners in the American contingency. Marathon des Sables is French for Marathon of the Sands! The 7 day, 6 stage race across the sand dunes of the Sahara Desert starts South East of Ouarzazate, Morocco. I will be carrying all of my gear and food for the week on my back. Water and shelter (Berber tent) will be provided each night, but all else will be carried in my backpack. I’ll be covering the 150+ miles while carrying 20 pounds, mostly food, in temperatures that can exceed 120 degrees.

You can join me in my fastpack across the Sahara. Once the race begins on Sunday, March 29, I'll be able to send one email to one recipient each day. I've set up my blog (mohammednc.blogspot.com) so that I can post via email. Therefore, throughout the race (March 29-April 4) I intend to post daily about the race and my personal experience.

While I will be in the company of good friends at MdS, I could still use your encouragement and support during race! The great news is that from March 28 through April 3 only, you can write me by going to the race website: http://darbaroud.com and clicking on "écrire aux concurrents/write to competitors." Be sure to click on the English/American flag in the upper right-hand corner of the screen to see the website in English. You will need to include my full name (Mohammed Idlibi) and race number (828) for me to receive the message. Do not send any attachments, as such messages will not be delivered. This is understandable, as all emails are downloaded via satellite phone before being printed and delivered to me each night in my tent. I can assure you that receiving your messages at the bivouac will do much to boost my spirits, and I will need it.

If you want to follow my journey through the desert at the Marathon des Sables, check out the blog: mohammednc.blogspot.com.

READ THIS MESSAGE IN FRENCH!

En exactement 8 jours je commencerai le premier jour des Marathon des sables (MdS) et botterai la ligne avec 800 environ des concurrents avec la pointe du pied à partir de partout dans le monde. Il y a 76 coureurs dans l'éventualité américaine. Les sables de DES de marathon est français pour le marathon des sables ! Les 7 jours, la course de 6 étapes à travers les dunes de sable du désert de Sahara commence le sud-est d'Ouarzazate, Maroc. Je porterai toutes ma vitesse et nourriture pour la semaine pendant mon dos. L'eau et l'abri (tente de Berber) seront fournis chaque nuit, mais tout autrement dedans portés mon sac à dos. Je couvrirai les milles 150+ tout en portant 20 livres, la plupart du temps nourriture, dans les températures qui peuvent dépasser 120 degrés.

Vous pouvez me joindre dans mon fastpack à travers le Sahara. Une fois que la course commence le dimanche 29 mars, je pourrai envoyer à un email à un destinataire chaque jour. J'ai installé mon blog (mohammednc.blogspot.com) de sorte que je puisse signaler par l'intermédiaire de l'email. Par conséquent, dans toute la course (les 29 mars-4 avril) j'ai l'intention de signaler le journal au sujet de la course et de mon expérience personnelle.

Tandis que je serai à la compagnie de bons amis aux MdS, je pourrais encore employer votre encouragement et appui pendant la course ! Les grandes nouvelles sont celle à partir du 28 mars jusqu'au 3 avril seulement, vous peuvent m'écrire en allant au site Web de course : http://darbaroud.com et cliquer sur le " ; les concurrents aux. d'écrire/écrivent à competitors." ; Être sûr de cliquer dessus drapeau anglais/américain dans le coin droit supérieur de l'écran pour voir le site Web en anglais. Vous devrez inclure mon nom et prénoms (Mohamed Idlibi) et nombre de course (828) pour que je reçoive le message. N'envoyer aucun attachement, car de tels messages ne seront pas fournis. C'est compréhensible, car tous les email sont téléchargés par l'intermédiaire du téléphone satellite avant de m'être imprimée et livrée chaque nuit dans ma tente. Je peux vous assurer que que la réception de vos messages au bivouac fera beaucoup pour amplifier mes spiritueux, et moi aura besoin de lui.

Si vous voulez suivre mon voyage par le désert aux Marathon des Sable, vérifier le blog : mohammednc.blogspot.com.

Crowders 20M

The weather recently has been weird lately, flip flopping from cold to hot to cold. A blizzard came thru on the Mt. Mitchell Challenge forcing a few runners to drop due to hypothermia and the lowest finishing rate. The weekend after, we ran thru Hot Springs and thru a heat wave with temperatures close to 80 degrees. This weekend we hit rain and temperatures not going north of the 40’s! Note: Photo above was not taken during the run, I just thought it looked good!

Me, DC, Mason, and Rob met at the Cracker Barrel at 0700. For some odd reason I was under the impression we would have breakfast there, which I was looking forward to. But this was only a rendezvous location. We drove down to the Linwood access of Crowders and met up with Greg. The five of us set out from Linwood to run towards Pinnacle. I had my Houdini jacket on and although the cold rain was soaking my body, I warmed up after the first few miles and wrapped the jacket around my waist. We pushed thru sloppy wet trails and flashbacks of Mitchell paced my mind.

As we passed the ranger station, and began the approach up Pinnacle I began to hike up the steep sections as both DC and Mason passed me by. They took off and I would not see them again for the next 4 hours. A few hundred feet below the summit of Pinnacle was the new trail that leads to the Boulder Ranger Station (Not opened yet) and I veered left. Before I took off both Greg and Rob hollered and said that they were turning around here. I paced back a few feet to say good bye and grab a gel from Greg that mentioned he did not need. They both headed back down Pinnacle and I turned left again and tried hard to catch up to Mason and DC. It rained harder, it was pouring rain, and I ran harder. I stopped for a minute and put on my rain jacket and added the extra thin layer between my body and the elements. I was cold and gloveless so I yanked my sleeve from the jacket down to keep my hands warm. I had never been on this trail and I was excited to experience it for the first time.

I had two handheld bottles which were both half full by this point and decided to drop one of them on the side of the trail for two reasons. One, I consume a lot of water, so in the event there is no where to refill I will at least have a half a bottle to take me back from Pinnacle to the car. Two, there was not need to carry two bottles, carrying one made me faster. I skipped down the steps and crossed a road. I found it odd that DC and Mason were no where to be seen, but kept trucking along. I knew they wanted to get 20 miles in today and that we would cross paths on their return because obviously they were blazing his section.

I ran/hiked the uphill’s and I was determined to catch up to these two. I crossed another road, and kept moving. Then another road, and I kept following the red blaze. I questioned myself at this point, was I lost? I knew I was on the only trail that led out of Crowders so that couldn’t be the case, I wasn’t lost. I was just moving slower than both DC and Mason. I kept going and finally reached the Boulder Ranger Station and was full of joy when I saw water fountains. I guzzeled what water I had left in my bottle and to my shock the fountains were not working. My watch said 2:10 which was how long I was on my feet from Linwood to Boulder. I spoke to Danny the ranger and asked him if he had seen two crazy yahoos running in the rain. He quickly said “No.” I was getting cold talking to Danny and took off on the return. I was alone, cold, wet, and with no water. Somehow I lost both DC and Mason. How did I get myself into this situation? I did what I could and truck back along the same way I came out. I would push my pace a little and then my hamstrings would start talking to me. I quickly told them to quite down and would slow my pace. I found my water bottle that I had left half full, and guzzeled about 200 ml right away. Finally I was back on Pinnacle and running down the sloppy mud past the main ranger station and back towards Crowders. I was back at Linwood in 4:24 with the inbound run taking me 4 minutes longer than the outbound. I was wet, cold and dehydrated and could only think of food at this point as I had only slammed down two gels.

Mason and DC were no where, and neither was their car. Whoa! I thought to turn this 20 mile day into an 80 mile day and run back to my car, but then came to my senses and knocked on the Linville ranger’s door. From their I was able to call DC and have them turn around and pick me up.

What happened: Both DC and Mason ran to the true summit of Pinnacle and waited for what they thought was me, Greg, and Rob to reach the summit. Well of coarse none of us made it to the summit, Greg and Rob turned around and I turned left on the new trail hoping to catch them. After DC and Mason waited for a few minutes they decided to go ahead and thought we had all turned around. I was ahead of them the entire time on the new trail, and I made it to the new Boulder ranger station while both Mason and DC turned around half a mile from the new Boulder ranger station. On the return they were ahead of me and I never caught up to them. When they finished they thought I had gotten a ride from Greg and took off!

Thank you to the Linwood ranger who kept me warm and let me use the phone! Exciting adventure for sure. We all went out for a foot long subway after the run.

Trot Thru Hot Springs – Devils Fork to Davenport – 70 Miles on the AT

Matt and I left Marion at 4:30am. After all the logistics panned out there were 5 of us on the AT at Devils Fork Gap just after 8am, and we were off. Adam Hill was gracious enough to take the car back down to Ash-vegas so on the return we would have to drive all the way back to Devils Fork. The 5 of us were about to embark on a journey together for the next 70 miles, running, hiking, essentially trotting all the way to Hot Springs, NC and then to Max Patch and finally back to our final destination Davenport Gap. Matt dubbed the trail run “Trot Thru Hot.”

Day 1: Devils Fork Gap to Hot Springs, NC – 35 Miles

At first my 20lb pack felt awkward but after a few miles I was coasting. I had the following in my pack: Sleeping bag, pad, tarp, cooking gear and food for the entire trail. All five of us, Matt, Kevin, Liz, Scott, and I ran together for the first 10 or so miles. We then began to spread out a bit. With warmer temperatures as the weather forecasted a high of 78 in Hot Springs! It was only last week that runners were pulled off the Mt. Mitchell Challenge course for hypothermia. If that race was on this weekend, some runners would have been pulled for heat exhaustion. Remnants of the wintery snow storm that passed thru last weekend were evident. Traces of snow and ice laced the mountains despite the higher temperatures.

I was carrying weight to simulate some of the same experiences on the Marathon Des Sable. The heat was a plus for me, and a wakeup call, on what to expect in the Sahara Desert. I was filling my water bottles up at ever stream and every small spring that trickled any water source. I was also downing NUUN electrolyte supplements and salt tabs. This is to ensure that I replace my electrolytes during such heat, otherwise face the inevitable; Hyponatrima. This is not a good scenario while atop some back country mountain in Tennessee! There was one section on the trail where I ran out of water for 2 miles or so. This forced me to slow down a bit until I was able to refuel near a shelter and hydrate my system.

I was consistently hiking up the hills, and running the flat and downhill sections of trail. My goal was to average 3+ mph. Running downhill with heavy weight can be tricky. Your body becomes top heavy and you just have to become used to such balance. Thankfully we won’t have huge mountains to climb in the Sahara, but a few sand dunes!

It wasn’t long and I was on the trail alone. The sun was blasting heat and I was soaked in sweat. Every now and then I would fill up my bottle in a cool stream and soak my head and cool off. Refreshing. Liz and Scott had planned a hotel in Hot Springs and packed light, so they took off. Matt and Kevin were ahead of me, and I knew it would be a long two days, so I was in no hurry. I descended to the French Broad at 6:30 pm exactly, and made it into Hot Springs 15 minutes before 7pm.

I was searching for Matt and Kevin, and knew that they had to be chowing down on some food right about now. They weren’t anywhere in sight, so I began to walk up the sidewalk in Hot Springs that was blazed with the AT and saw a showered Liz and Scott flagging me down. They told me that we all had planned to eat at the Iron Horse Station. By this point I was getting a little cold because my entire body and cloths were soaked in sweat and cool spring water. I was starving.

We sat down and waited for Matt and Kevin, and after waiting for a while decided to order. I had no idea where they were at this point. After a great meal that was over priced I decided to wus out and get a room, shower, clean up, and get a good night rest. I did test out my sleeping bag in the room which worked fabulous. Scott, Liz, and I had planned to wake up the next morning at 8am (we lost an hour due to day light savings). While eating breakfast at the dinner I learned from a thru hiker that Matt and Kevin were at this very same diner last night scarfing down a pizza around 7pm. They had hiked South on the AT and found a place to camp for the night.

Day 2: Hot Springs, NC to Davenport Gap – 35 Miles

The three of us together started Day 2 just after 8am again. On any given stage run/hike, Day 2 is always the worst. Your body has not fully recovered from Day 1, and psychologically you mind tells you to stop and rest. If you can over come Day 2 then you can do multi day stage running in my opinion. Of course I have limited experience with this other than the Bartram Trail last year. I was ascending the steep climbs at a rate of 40 feet per minute which is moving with a pack on your back. Later in the day I noticed my ascent rate to be closer to 30/25 feet per minute as I slowed down during the later part of the day. The morning sun shined on the trail and gave me energy to push harder. The first few hours felt great as a perfect breeze cooled my skin. Later that day the hot humid air filled my lungs and made traveling at a faster rate more difficult. I paced myself.

Apparently between Hot Springs and Max Patch there is a bold bear that has been stealing food from hikers and backpackers on this section of the AT as I saw several warning signs about this one bear.

It seemed like forever, but eventually I reached Max Patch which had a large snow patch on the side of the mountain. The sun warmed this 4,600 foot mountain as people enjoyed the day at the summit. I stopped for a moment and asked someone to take a photo while at the summit.

Then I descended down Max Patch. I have done this section from Davenport Gap to Hot Springs, so I was familiar with the climbs still ahead. Several steep climbs came and went, and I was now heading up Snowbird Mountain. It was here that I laid on the trail for two 10 minute breaks waiting for Scott and Liz, and cooling my over heated engine. “Could it be that they had already passed me?” I questioned myself. I would have seen them. A few false summit of Snowbird kept emerging and finally a grassy treeless patch is at the top with a homing tower. This is how you know you have made it to the true summit.

The descent is a 2,500 foot drop to a gravel road that leads into Davenport Gap. I ran where I could and even began to hike downhill as the mileage and heat had taken a toll on my body. When I reached the gravel road I instinctively turned left and ran/hiked down the last mile to the car. It was here I saw the entire crew waiting for me with an iced coke. I was happy to have finished successfully this long distance speed hike. My combined time for both days covering all 70 miles is 21:30.

Work it!