Well it sure has been an interesting couple of days.

Camp one was flooded and all the competitors had to be evacuated to hotels. However, 4 people to a 2 man room assured that we all felt like we were in camp.

In fact our British spirit really showed through yesterday when about 20 of us broke camp (the hotel) and went for a run in the rain, much to the amusement of the other nationalities.

The first stage of the race has had to be scrapped as the tents and equipment could not rescued in time for today’s scheduled start.

But fear not, the race may be 1 day shorter, but the organisers have thrown in 10 miles of the biggest dunes around into a revised day one to keep Marathon des Sables on target as the toughest footrace on earth.

Matt Mahoney

Through knowledge comes hope
Running Marathon des Sables 2009 for Yorkshire Cancer Research

Links:

Sponsor me: www.justgiving.com/mattmds
Web: www.mahoney.co.uk/mds.php
Charity Site: www.yorkshirecancerresearch.org.uk
Official Race Site: www.darbaroud.com/index_uk.php

27th March
Day: T minus 2 – Into the desert
Excitement Level: Damp

So you thought the Sahara was hot and dry. Well Today that couldn’t be further from the truth. The entire country seems to be flooded and half the competiors can’t even get to the first camp.

What is notoriously the toughest foot race on earth is fast looking like turning into the toughest swim.

At this very moment in time we are sat 12kms away from camp and unable to get there because it’s too dangerous for the military transport.

This might be a very long damp night.

26th March
Day: T minus 3 – Fly to Ouarzazate (Morocco)
Excitement Level: Medium rare

“Training to run 100 miles is like training to get hit by a truck”
Luis Escobar

Right now I am pondering the collective noun for the throng of Marathon des Sables competitors that congregated at Gatwick this morning; an asylum, a band of mad men or maybe a hobble (probably more appropriate for the inbound journey)?

So this is it, we have all arrived on the worst self catering beach holiday on earth. Nonetheless, spirits are high and 800 MdS bores have finally released their family and friends from months of obsessive gibbering about freeze dried food, pack weight, their latest injury and the pros and con of long v short parachute silk gaiters … guilty as charged I’m afraid.

Spirits were high as dinner chat turned to pack weight and calories.
So many different tactics, the proof, no doubt, will be in the running.

So we all headed to bed early to pack and repack. 1 day to go!