Marathon des Sables 2016 — Running Ranger

I can't decide if I chose to enter the Marathon des Sables this time last year because it was the 'big name' race to do and one to just tick off the list or if I was actually dreaming of running 257km in the Sahara desert?! What I can answer now is that for whatever reason it was I entered, I got so much more out of the race than I originally expected to. You only ever get out of something, what you put in and I put my heart and soul into this race so I could leave with my head held high knowing I left nothing out there on the course. Yes I can now tick that MdS box but I also come back with new friends, stronger bonds with old friends, endless memories and a huge sense of achievement that no one can take away from me.

The Marathon des Sables is a multi-day ultra-marathon run in six days over a course in the Sahara desert of 257km. Besides water and a bivouac to sleep under, it is completely self-sufficient, so you carry your week's supply of food, clothing, sleeping equipment and anything else you might need to survive for the week on your back.

I entered the race with what I believed to be high expectations, of finishing in the top 20 women. Having never done the race before and after seeing the impressive list of female runners I was up against, I doubted my ability to achieve top 20 and so extended the goal to top 30 as a buffer to not let myself down.

The week starts with a chartered flight and 6 hour coach journey, where you pick your tent mates who you will be spending the rest of the week with. My lovely all male tent buddies in number 139 made the week extra special for me. We all settled well into camp life and had such a good laugh from day 1 through to returning to the hotel (and civilisation!) in Ouarzazate 7 days later. Knowing we had to live in camp an additional two nights before the race, I packed a blow up mattress for added comfort and clothes to chuck away the morning of the first day. The longer I could keep fresh, the better! After the military style kit and medical checks where you receive your water tags and GPS tracker and finally give back your suitcase. From then on, it’s just you and your race bag so it suddenly started to feel a little bit too real!

Day 1 Tent Photo of Tent 139 (we took one every day in the same position!) (Alan's photo)

My favourite photo of the route - Day 1, Dunes!

The surprise of finishing in such a high position on day 1 left me feeling more anxious for day 2 (41.3km) than I had been on the first day. By CP2 I had caught up with Lucja so we decided to carry each other through and finish the stage together (see video below of us at the finish line on Day 2).

The pressure of maintaining our position coupled with the long, neverending flat tracks that made up most of the day got too much for us both and from then on for the rest of the week, we both decided to run with each other. We both had a great day 3 (37.5km) and managed to maintain our position from day 2 of 13th (Lucja) and 14th lady (Me).

I had the biggest battle of the week with myself on the 84.3km long day. I am sure that in some point of everybody's race, they were pushed to the point of questioning 'Why the hell am I doing this?'. By 60km into the long day, Lucja and I couldn't even answer this question. We were so far into the deepest and darkest place that your mind spirals you into that your vision becomes so narrow minded and focused on the finish line so that all else fails to fall into perspective. This wasn’t helped by the fact that you could see the camp lights with 20km still to go! Tackling those demons is a challenge in itself but I did it by trying to remember everything I have done to be there and all of my family and friends back at home who have supported me to get where I am. Part of my coping strategy was also to split the day into the 7 checkpoint sections, to break the day up into smaller sections. It was a 15hr long day and I hadn’t expected such a tough route full of dunes and jebels for the longest day. We were both hit with heat stroke by CP4 and for the first time in the race had to take a 5 minute sit down to lower our core body temperatures and heart rate. By the time we hit the runnable sections, we were so exhausted and drained that we could only hold a running pace for a minute at a time with walking breaks in between.

Rest day was predominantly spent lying down, working my way through 3500 calories and chatting to runners around camp. By morning, it was the marathon stage and the last official timed leg of the race so I knew this was my last chance to give it all I had got left in me. The day went quickly and I enjoyed having more runnable sections to push hard on. The 42.2km stage took us 5:31hrs which was my fastest average pace of the week despite the miles already covered in the week. It was a special moment to cross the line with Lucja after sharing so much of my journey with her. I was elated to find out I had finished in 152nd place out of 1200 runners and 14th lady. There has never been such a strong field of ladies, as the top 21 females were in the top 200 compared to 13 in the past two years. A strong competitive field and a great performance by the ladies!

I made a lot of sacrifices to achieve my goals and I couldn't have done it without months of physically and mentally preparing myself. Lucja wrote me a 16 week training plan, incorporating a variety of strength training, hill work, stair reps, yoga, long runs, speed and tempo sessions. My weekly mileage was as little as 40-55miles, which worked for me because I have spent the past 3 years building a solid endurance base so I could focus more on getting faster and stronger. Going into the race, I was at my fittest and strongest… the rest was all in the mind!

There is so much more to the race than just the running that fulfills it being the 'toughest footrace on earth'. Don’t get me wrong, the running is hard too, the race is just so much more than just the running. You need to be a true survivor. This year, we were hit by sand storms that either affected us when we were running in the form of 50mph sand swept headwinds or when back at camp being caught in whirlwinds strong enough to pick up and throw your tent to the ground. When it wasn't windy, it was still and sweltering hot. With little to no shade, your body is exposed to hours of direct sunlight and temperatures of up to 50 degrees. We had the highest number of drop outs this year, which speaks for itself. The race is designed to test every competitor in different ways and question their every ability.

These are the sorts of questions you might find yourself questioning before you even set foot on the Sahara desert and how I prepared for them.

How will your body cope in the heat? Everyone gets affected differently by the heat and has different sweat rates. I personally don't cope well in hot temperatures so booked myself 10 heat chamber sessions at St. Mary's University in Twickenham and an extra 6 bikram yoga classes in the few weeks leading up to the race to acclimatise to the heat. Both were invaluable and I think helped not hinder my performance in the race. The heat chamber worked out at £33pp/h as there are two treadmills so you can split the cost with someone else. At the end of every session you get to see your fluid loss to understand how much water you should be taking on while running.

How will the feet hold up? There are some people who walk away with no blisters and others whose feet end up completely destroyed. Like most things, being able to prevent blisters and hotspots is all based on what works well for you. Firstly, find the right shoes! New Balance Leadville 100s are my shoes of choice for all trail races and i’ve never had any problems with them. I buy half a size bigger but no more. This leaves enough room for a small bit of swelling but not too much so that your feet move about in the shoes and cause rubbing. I always wear injinji toe socks as the liner and had the X-Bionic metal socks on the outside for added comfort and heat regulation. I had one blister all week! Another tip for girls, get a shellac pedicure before racing - the gel strengthens the nails so you’re less likely to lose a toenail and of course they look pretty too! For the gaiters I use AR Desert Gaiters and got the velcro stitched from a cobbler in Turnham Green. I never had any sand in my shoes so it all worked great. When finding out what works for you, try and test kit on long runs and in the heat if possible.

What’s more important, more calories or less weight? Pack weight and calories are two of some of the most important things you will spend hours deliberating over before you leave. The lighter you can get your bag, the easier it is to run with, but the more calories you have, the more fuel you have to keep you energised. You really need to find a balance that is right for your body and your race. I think the key here is to try and get the best of both worlds and the only way to do this is to get your kit as light as possible so you have more weight for food. I aimed my kit to be 2kg and food 4.5kg. My kit ended up being 2.5kg because I had a small sleeping mat and blow up pillow but 2kg could have been possible!

How long will each stage take me, so what food should I pack? There are some things you can't perfectly prepare for. We were only given the route and distances on the way to the bivouac so preparing for the distances each day in terms of fuel is a bit of a guessing game. I based my fuel on one gel or energy bar every hour so I worked out how much fuel I needed by guessing the distances and how long I thought that would take me to run. Knowing how much lack of energy affects my performance, if I was in doubt, I would take extra fuel. When back at camp I would snack on nuts, paperami’s, snack bars, dinner and a recovery shake.

How am I going to go to the toilet? From the second you step onto the coach to be taken to camp, you will not see a toilet again until you get to the hotel after the race. The MdS version of a toilet is a basic plastic sheet walled cubicle with a foldable, open holed seat which you have to put your poo bag in and around before sitting on. You do your business, pick up the poo bag and put it in the black bins outside. I personally preferred to walk a short distance away from camp to avoid any germs where everyone else goes.

Toilets in the distance and not much else! (Alan's photo)

How does it work with water? Water is rationed. Everyone is given a card to be hole punched at water collection at CPs, in the morning and when you finish each stage. The amount provided varies on the distances but generally you have 3l in the morning, 1.5/3l at the CPs and 4.5l at the end of each stage. I never went thirsty but had to always be aware of how much I needed to save until the next supply point.

What do I wear in the desert? My choice of desert gear, is and always will be, X-Bionic. I wore the trik top and shorts and had absolutely no problems. The material is lightweight, it stays fresh for a long time, prevents you from overheating and stops any chafing. I've worn this trick top now for two multi-stage ultras and another mountain race so the kit is definitely worth the money.

The Marathon des Sables was hands down the most physically demanding week of my life... but if someone said to me now, if you could rewind and do it all over again... in a heartbeat i'd say yes.

Up next for me is the Lakeland 110km and then both Lucja and I are running the length of the Netherlands in just our pink Runderwear for The Pink Ribbon Foundation. Thats 500km and we want to do it in 5 days so follow our Facebook page for updates!