“After gazing at the sky for some time, I
came to the conclusion that such beauty had been reserved for remote and
dangerous places, and that nature has good reasons for demanding special
sacrifices for those who dare to contemplate it”
Richard
E, Byrd, Alone (1938)
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As promised here is my post-race
report on the Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon. Wow, what a learning curve!
The adventure was amazing, every aspect of the race was filled with personal
challenges, individual success and a great team spirit. My experience is
contrary to how outsiders would interpret extreme adventure racing. At first
glance an outsider would conclude that this is a highly individualistic
activity and that it falls beyond team work. Nothing can be further from the
truth. Although highly dependent upon an individual’s, physical endurance and
mental strength it is the collaborative team dynamic that serves as the primary
motivator that allows an individual to continue way beyond his or her obvious
capability. Extreme adventure racers are motivated by a dual dynamic, on the
one hand personal achievement and on the other hand personal satisfaction that
stems from helping a fellow racer.
I think that the most obvious
aspect learned is that extreme adventure racers lack the concept of “around”.
There is no going around an obstacle, there is only going over, under or
through it. For most of us who live in a world where avoidance (going around)
seems to be the status quo this takes some getting used to, however, the
transition is fairly easy and I abandoned the going around nonsense within the
first hour of the race.
The second aspect I had to
abandon was my incessant drive to know. Extreme adventure racing is about
living in the moment, the now is the only thing that has any relevance. Once I
grasped this my mind seemed to relax and the obstacles that came my way became
much easier to manage. Unfortunately making the shift to the now took a little
longer.
“The only true wisdom lives far from
mankind, out in the great loneliness, and can be reached only through
suffering”
Igjugarjuk,
Caribou Eskimo Shaman
From, a more philosophical
perspective, I grasped the true meaning of Extreme adventure racing,
unfortunately only on day 6. I came to realize that I am unable to subdue the
desert; I am incapable of bending nature to my will. Trying to bend such an
extreme environment to my will became fraught with “failure”, it taxed me
physically, mentally and emotionally and nearly cost me the race. On the
morning of the 6th day, I submitted to the desert, I decided to live
in harmony with her. She saw this and rewarded me at so many levels. I came to
realise that you cannot run in the desert, you can only run with her. By
listening to her, she will show you what to do when. In the early days I would
fight the terrain, running where she showed me to walk, walk when she gave me
some shade to rest and so forth. On day 6, I saw the terrain differently; I
came to listen to it more intently, when it was too difficult to run, I walked,
when the terrain became easier I would run. When the desert gave a stream or a
farm dam, I would indulge myself and would soak up the beauty that she gave.
This harmony was rewarded when I was able to run 34% faster than my overall
race average over the 44km’s on day 6.
So, if you would ask me what I
have learned from the time I spent running across the Kalahari Desert it would
be (1) to live simply, (2) be in the now and (3) listen to the silent guidance
that we so easily ignore. I felt a harmony and peace, a certain fulfilment that
you can only find in the most difficult of circumstances. I became softer but
not weaker, I came to understand that “around” is not an option but I did so in
strength and not power.
The friends made in the desert, the
bonds built and the relationships solidified transcended both gender and
nationality. Somehow, language was no longer a barrier and we all got along
irrespective of who or what we are outside of the desert. It was great to
simply be a human being, uncontaminated by social status, material wealth or
the facades that we hold so dear in life. There were no masks, no pretence and
no undermining motives. We were all raw, exposed and everyone could see who you
really were. It was beautiful; I saw goodness, kindness, love, respect and
perseverance. It restored my hope in humanity, for if in such extreme and
taxing circumstances so much beauty and kindness can emerge there must surely
still be a spark of hope for our species. The question is how we take the desert
to our respective nations.
During my seven days in the KAEM
tribe I was honoured with the title “desert poet” and have decided to have this
printed on all my running gear from now on. Thank you to all my fellow
adventurers (both runners and crew) who made every moment of the KAEM 2012 so
special.
“You don’t have to be a fantastic hero to do
certain things – to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently
motivated to reach challenging goals”
Sir
Edmund Hillary
What follows is as much detail as
I could possibly put together without spoiling the experience for others, I
hope this helps.
1.
Race
Overview
|
Total Distance
|
Advertised
245km’s
|
Real Distance
250km’s
|
|
Day 1
|
30km
|
30km
|
|
Day 2
|
38km
|
40km
|
|
Day 3
|
30km
|
30km
|
|
Day 4
|
79km
|
82km
|
|
Day 5
|
Rest
|
Rest
|
|
Day 6
|
44km
|
44km
|
|
Day 7
|
24km
|
24km
|
Day 2 started
with a climb, at 1,38km’s we were at an altitude of 434m and by the time we
reached 2,18km’s we had gained 137m’s (up to 571m over an 800m distance). A
similar climb was repeated on day 3 when we climbed from an altitude of 417m’s
to 488m’s (a 71m gain) in little over 340m’s. At times we had to use ropes to
reach the top.
Day 4, our long
run, saw us cross three mountain ranges resulting in a total altitude elevation
gain of 922 meters.
A total of 46 runners
entered the KAEM but only 38 (83%) completed the run. The majority of the 8
runners that withdrew from the race were as a result of the heat resulting in
dehydration issues. Two runners, Phil Waudby and Henda Salmeron had more
serious injuries with Phil developing hernia issues and Henda developing a tear
in her patella.
It was with
sadness that I had to say goodbye to both of them (both friends prior to
meeting at the KAEM) on the same day. It made the reality of the extremeness of
the event crystal clear. It was, however, great to see both of them from time
to time manning the various checkpoints along the way. Their encouragement and
positive attitude provided the strength and drive for many of us that remained
within the race.
Maximum
Temperature during the Event: 51
deg Celsius
Minimum
Temperature during the Event: -1
deg Celsius
Day 1 was a 30km run that introduced us
to the desert, river bed after river bed made it clear that this was going to
be a sandy run. The test came, however, when we ended up in a sandy river bed,
in a gorge, that lasted for 3,3 km’s. The heat was intense but bearable.
Day 2 was 38km’s and started with a
climb. Our race book had a warning printed in bold: “Please be vary careful here of
loosening any rocks that may tumble down upon people below you. If this does
happen please shout a warning to the others below you. This section is very
steep and great care must be taken”. The climb was intense but the
satisfaction of reaching CP1 at the top was empowering. Unfortunately the day
would turn out to be one of the most intense in this race. The temperatures
soared to well over 45 degrees Celsius early on in the day and peaked at around
50 degrees Celsius. At some point my Garmin Fenix recorded a 51 degree Celsius.
All of this took its toll, the climb, took Phil and Henda out of the race,
while the remainder of the day took many more out of the race. Rehydration
became a constant focus whom some were able to manage while others paid the
price. I reached CP4 with chest pains and a racing heart rate. After 20 minutes
my resting heart rate was still well over a 100 beats per minute (normal
resting heart rate for me is 48 bpm). This concerned me and the medical
personnel which saw me being held back for around 2-hours before I was allowed
to continue. I had to rethink my race strategy to ensure that my heart rate
remained more stable and control able in this severe heat environment, more
about this later.
Day 3 was once again a 30km run and as
with day 2 had a real climb early on in the race. At times the climb was so
steep it required the use of ropes to reach the top, but both the climb and
reaching the top was spectacular. The view from the top was indescribable. As
the day progressed it seemed to cool a little with a desert wind being welcomed
by everyone.
Day 4/5 was on every one’s mind up to
this point. The distance of 79km’s (my Garmin Fenix recorded this distance as
80km’s and not 79km’s) were no small feat at the best of times but in this
environment and on this terrain it was clear that it was going to be a real
challenge. The wind that started on day 3 continued throughout the night which
meant that we set off in a cooler environment that on the previous days. The
run was scenic to say the least, we crossed two mountain ranges with
spectacular views, ran in river beds, gorges and some of the most beautiful
scenery nature has to offer, and all of that before we reached CP4 at 33km’s. I
reached CP4 at 14:09 after having started out at 07:00, it therefore took me 7 hours
to cover 33km’s; the terrain was difficult at times but rewarding every step of
the way. In context, I would normally run a 33km distance in around 3h20. The
terrain combined with the fact that we covered around 100km’s during the
previous three days doubled my running time per kilometre. I stopped at CP4,
took care of my feet, ate something and took a brief soak to cool down in the
”pool”. It is amazing how easily a farm dam becomes a pool when you are out
there.
The day ended
with a river bed stretch that reached from CP8 to the end, a total distance of
13km’s. At three in the morning I briefly lost my sense of humour around CP9,
but a little warmth, a lollypop and a pep talk got my mind back in the race and
my body had to follow. Thanks to some really great people at CP9 the last 6km’s
were done in good spirits. In every ultra-endurance race there comes a time
when you will have to dig deep to find the strength and will to continue, for
me it was around CP9. By this time I had covered around 173km’s over the past 4
days, in some of the most extreme environment on the planet, battling the
terrain, the heat, the wind and most of all my own mind. It was somewhere
between CP8 and CP9 that the personal daemons had to be fought and conquered.
The voices of doubt, the fear of going into the unknown and the desire to be
comfortable all had to be won. The pain, the tiredness and the mental and
physical strain had to be controlled. It is only when you reach this point that
you are able to see how strong you really are, but this never happens alone.
Each and every one of us finds the support we need at such time in something,
sometimes it is our fellow runners, other times it is the support staff, maybe
a prayer, nature itself or something else, but we all find something to hold on
to that takes us over the tipping point. This lasts only a moment, once over
the crest all your physical and mental strength is renewed and what lies ahead
becomes somewhat easier.
Day 5 was a rest
day, but that did not mean that it was stress free. In all of our minds day 6
loomed, another ultra-marathon distance, this time a 44km stretch that would
take us to our last day if we could get through it. The knowledge that in
previous races, those that completed their long stage had a close to 100%
chance of completing the entire race was what kept us upbeat. The day was spent
resting, sleeping, chatting, laughing and swimming in the Orange River. What a
day!
I had the
privilege of meeting Meng Poh Ng who travelled from Singapore to support some
of his employees who ran the KAEM, raising money for a hospital back home. We
set off on day 6 together.
Day 6, the daunting 44km run went well.
I ran from the start to CP1 with Meng, a most interesting individual. He had
run the KAEM the year before and gave me a good run for my money, his fresh
legs challenged me and I had to stay focused. The scenery was stunning as the
km’s ticked by and by the time I reached 40km’s I could taste the end. When I
crossed the finish line on day 6, it was the first time during this race that
the end of the race felt obtainable, it was in reach.
Day 7 was only 24km’s long. I started
off with the same strength and determination as on day 6, by the time I reached
CP1 it dawned on me that this was the last few hours I had left in this
wonderful place. I changed my focus from running to finish, to slowing down so
that I could soak up every moment. There was happiness on the one hand, the
reality of finishing the race, the ability to hear Tanya and Arielle’s voices
and the privilege of going home to the comforts that we are all so used to. But
there was also some sadness, friends will have to part for now, the beauty and
rawness of this wonderful place will have to stay behind, but most of all I
will have to leave something very important behind, a little of me. I love the
challenge, the ability to be totally exposed before the awesomeness of nature,
the tiredness, the pain and the simplicity.
I crossed the
finish line amongst new found friends all of whom had experienced the same
hardship but stayed to taste the victory. My hart went out for those who had to
be withdrawn from the race but stayed to cheering us on. This is what great
sportsmen and women are made off. It is with them that I will run again, we
will at some time in the future run this race together and we will complete it
together. I could hardly wait to get a signal on my cell phone to phone Tanya
and Arielle.
There is only
one word that can come close to defining this race: Magnificent!
As I am writing
this from the comfort of my home, I realize how privileged I am to have
participated in such a great adventure. Thank you to my family for your support
and indulging me on this journey. It is a reality that our loved ones make as
much sacrifices as we the runners do, they tolerate our endless hours of
preparation, support us when we enter events that we are unable to adequately
describe, including giving a real reason why we are doing it. The reality is – We
don’t know why! They worry about us, continues to believe in us and cry with us
when things go right as well as when they go wrong. Our families are our
greatest crew, thank you Tanya and Arielle!
“It’s not the goal, but the way there that matters, and the harder the
way, the more worthwhile the journey”
Wlifred Thesiger, Arabian
Sands (1959)
2.
Race
Analytics
After the event
I attempted to find a relationship between individual performance and a number
of elements such as (1) age, (2) marathon time, and (3) years of running
experience. For the sake of analysis I
grouped the field into the top 10%, the next 20%, the next 40%, the next 20%
and finally the slowest 10%.
I mostly disregarded
the top 10% group’s performance on the basis that they represents the
genetically focused group that will perform because they have a genetic
advantage and is not representative of the larger population. The remaining
90%’s analysis provided some interesting results.
There seems to
be a well-established relationship between performance and the number of years
a runner has been running. The fastest group, the next 20% (after the exclusion
of the fastest 10%), has an average number of active running years that comes
to 17. The next group (the average 40%) has an average of 11 years with the
second slowest group averaging 9 years. The slowest group has an average of 7
years running experience.
Age seems to be
somewhat spread over the field, although there appears to be a tendency for the
fastest 10% and next fastest 20% group to have an average age of around 37
years. The Next 40% has an average age of 44 while the second slowest group
averages 46 years. The slowest group has an average age of 42 years but I think
this has less significance. And that running experience has a higher relevance.
Marathon time
follows a similar pattern with the top 10% averaging a 2:49 marathon, the next
20% averaging a 3:12 marathon, the 40% group averages a 3:28 marathon while the
second slowest group has an average marathon time of 3:47. The slowest group
has an average marathon time of 3:38 which again, for me, points to running
experience playing a far more consistent role in performance.
What was
noteworthy from a running prediction perspective, however, is the relationship
between marathon time and actual race performance. The fastest 10% took on
average 69% longer than their marathon time to cover the same distance. The
next 20% took 103% longer, the 40% group took 115% longer, and the second
slowest 20% took 143% longer while the slowest group took 211% longer than
their marathon time. I interpret this to point towards physical conditioning
that comes through years of training, running experience and overall body
conditioning. It seems clear to me that the longer you run consistently the
better your overall performance would be.
I, therefore,
conclude that an individual’s own race objectives should be pegged within the
broader parameters. Years of running experience, your age and ultimately your
preparation all plays an equally strong role in dictating what your performance
will be during such an extreme event. There are, however, exceptions to the
rule. In the top 10% we have such an anomaly. Firstly Alwyn Maas (2nd
position) is much older than the average 37 years, but compensates for this
through conditioning and his 13 years running experience. On the opposite side
is Tiaan Erwee (3rd position), having only 4 years running
experience he compensates through conditioning and his relatively young age (12
years younger than the average). I am also of the opinion that genetics has a
much stronger role in this group’s performance than further down the field.
In conclusion, no
single element on its own drives performance. Nor does a single element dictate
an ultimate limit on performance. It is, therefore, ultimately how each runner
balances his age, physical and mental preparation, and running experience that
will dictate his overall performance. It does, however, seem highly unlikely
from the available data that a runner would be able to enhance his performance
through physical conditioning only.
3.
Personal
Objectives
Entering the
race I had four primary objectives, the first was to test my nutrition
hypothesis. On all accounts this seems to have been highly successful with some
minor changes that will be discussed later. My second objective was to assess
my pack content and weight, I feel here I had the greatest of success as I will
be making huge changes, at first this seems to indicate a weight reduction of
around 1,7 to 2,2kg’s for the Marathon des Sables. I will discuss this in
detail below. My third objective was to test my training program’s
effectiveness. It seems as if my program is mostly adequate, however, I have
identified two areas for improvement. My last objective was to complete the
race in a time somewhere between 50 and 70 hours. At 59:39:00 I am happy with
my performance. Without much change and with a little experience I could have
easily shaved off an additional 5 to 7 hours of my time.
Overall I
reached all my race objectives and more.
“It does not matter how slow you go, as long as you don’t stop”
Confucius
4.
Race
Conditions
“It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is
because we do not dare that things are difficult”
Seneca (Roman Philosopher,
1st Century AD)
4.1 Heat
There is not
much that can prepare you for the extreme heat that a desert race will throw
your way. But it’s not just the heat that plays a role but the temperature
swing that can be a huge shock to your system.
The effect of
both is best demonstrated by two experiences I had during the race. The first
was on day 2 when a 50 degree Celsius peak saw my body attempting to cool
itself by increasing my heart rate. Unfortunately a rapid heart rate increases
your overall metabolic rate which translates to higher calorie consumption as
well as reaching a higher level of fatigue earlier than normal. Obviously none
of these are any good during an extreme adventure race.
I had to find a
way to manage my heart rate more efficiently throughout the race to prevent
this from taking place. My solution for this was to (1) stay hydrated, (2) keep
on fuelling my body and (3) run wisely. To do the latter meant intense
concentration. You need to read your terrain constantly, be cognisant of your
own physical effort and then adapt your running to maintain a constant effort
opposed to a constant speed. This way I was able to maintain a relatively
constant 140 BPM on average with a resting heart rate within 15 minutes of
running of around 54 BPM. Although this meant a slower run for me, it
effectively managed my risk, allowed me to stay in the race and gave me an
opportunity to do what I set out to do. The result was that I maintained a
cooler and more constant core temperature, maintained an average heart rate
that was within 3% of the rate I used to calculate my nutritional requirements
and less fatigue.
The second event
happened at around 02:00am on day 5. During the long stage, at around 65km’s
most of my energy was already depleted, and a sudden drop in ambient
temperature to -1 degree Celsius caused me to rapidly cool down. Although the
temperature had climbed again to the low 20’s by 03:00am my body was spiralling
downwards and hypothermia started to set in. Uncontrollable shivering was once
again consuming energy reserves that I did not have, also not a great position
to find yourself in when you are crossing a desert. What gave rise to this was
a bad decision earlier on in the race. I scheduled CP6 as my dinner CP, when I
arrived at CP6 there were no warm water so I decided to push forward to CP7
another 8,5km’s away. Unfortunately by this time I was running on empty and
reaching CP7 took some serious hard work. At CP7, I ate my dinner and rested
for about 90 minutes. Unfortunately my earlier decision took my body to near
depletion and the food I had for dinner could cover the immediate effects but
there were insufficient time for my muscles to absorb and store the nutrients.
By the time I reached CP8 refuelling consisted primarily of solving short term
requirements so fast burning carbohydrates became the solution. The drawback of
fast burning sugars is that it causes your energy levels to peak quickly
followed by a crash, each time you repeat the cycle the effect gets worse. For
me the crash combined with the environment came in the form of hypothermia.
The best would
have been for me to have had my dinner at CP6 as I have planned, even if I had
to have eaten it cold. Fuel is more important than taste in the hierarchy of
desert survival. The best I could do to solve a single bad decision was to (1)
take a rest, of about 30 minutes, (2) take out the survival (space) blanket to increase
my core temperature and (3) refuel slowly, first with a feel good fast burning
sugar in low quantity (a sucking sweet), then followed by a slow burning energy
drink (32Gi), to sustain my energy reserves until I could refuel decently. This
strategy worked but I will not suggest allowing yourself to deteriorate to such
a point. Energy depletion should be avoided at all cost.
4.2 Sun
The sun is
relentless and with the decreased pace (due to the terrain) we all spent many
hours subjected to the harsh desert sun. The best way to deal with the sun is
to avoid burning altogether. For me this meant using Nivea’s SPF50+ for Kids, I
would cover my body once in the morning before the race start and would not
need to recover any area, irrespective of how much I sweat or dowsed myself at
CP’s. I came home a little more tanned than before I left. This was one of my
primary concerns before I left as I have a tendency to burn really badly when
out in the sun.
4.3 Sand
What can one say
about the sand? Well firstly there is good sand, this is the sand that slows
you down but you are still able to maintain a steady run/jog pace. Then there
are the @#$% bad sand. This is the sand that slows you down to a walk
and even makes a walk difficult to sustain. It requires great effort to move
through and taxes you both physically and mentally.
There are a few
things worthy to note about sand. The first is avoid it all together,
unfortunately if you decide to run in a desert this is not possible, so then
the next best thing to do is make peace with it. It will (2) get into
everything, your shoes, your socks, between your toes, fingers, literally
everywhere. Therefore, avoid, cream on your feet or between your legs. It will
hold the sand and create a very efficient grinding past that will eat away all
good skin and flesh. So in short keep yourself dry. Some runners allowed the
water to run down into their shoes when dowsing themselves, the result was skin
loss around the back and under the heel. As one can imagine this is an
extremely painful condition, making running virtually impossible and extremely
painful.
Running in sand
requires a high knee lift motion and a predominantly toe strike. Unfortunately
this combination works well for fast runners for who this seems to be a more
natural running style. The slower runners, and those already tired seems to
have a mid-foot strike that reduces one to walking. As a matter of fact, I
found that a brisk walk on sand out performed my own efforts to run with added
benefits of a lower energy consumption and lower core temperature. I also
outperformed other slower and tired runners who tried to maintain a running
pace. I came to the conclusion that walking is an essential skill for any
extreme adventure racer, and one that is seriously neglected in most of our
training.
4.4 Rocks
In the Kalahari
these varied from small unstable rubble to boulders that need to be carefully
climbed. At times, small rocks can make running near impossible with the risk
of losing your footing and sustaining a serious injury so real that walking is
the only viable option. The darker rocks, obviously retains the heat meaning
that when running over these you have a dual heat source warming your feet. The
result is an expansion or swelling of the feet and for this reason an oversize
shoe is best. There is a thought that your feet will only expand width wise so
a half size should be able to accommodate the expansion.
I can only base
my conclusion on my own experience and that is that my feet expanded in all
directions during the heat of the day. Firstly blood rushing to the
extremities, and your heart’s inability to recall all the blood from these
extremities results in gravity trapping blood in your feet. This accumulation
is the first source of swelling or expansion. The second is the heat from both
above and below which adds additional expansion in width, length and height. I
wore two sizes bigger than my normal running shoes and at times I felt that my
shoes were too tight. Wearing elastic lases meant that adjustment is fairly
simple. The final source of swelling for which you need to make provision is
for injury, both muscle based and blisters. Although I had none of these other
runners (especially those with heel blisters) were quite happy that they took
an oversize shoe.
I ran with a
shoe, two sizes bigger than my normal size and will continue to do so in the
future.
4.5 Snakes, Scorpions and Spiders
In the area that
we ran the dominant snake species are pufadder’s and black spitting cobras. A
few runners encountered a spitting cobra just outside a CP, but I was unlucky
in that throughout the seven days I could not find a single snake to
photograph. The scorpions are relatively small and I had only the briefest of encounter
with a scorpion when I sat down to clean the sand out of my shoes during my
nigh run. A scorpion (about 100mm in size) walked over my hand. Fortunately I
could flick it off.
Spiders on the
other hand caused all manner of commotion amongst those in the group that were
arachnophobic. These little critters “invaded” the tent one evening which
caused many of the runners to have a very uneasy night.
Be that as it
may, no serious venomous bites or stings were recorded during the event.
4.6 Wild Life
The wildlife was
spectacular, we were fortunate enough to see ostrich, giraffe, spring bok, and
a host of other antelope, some dassies and meerkat. During the evening there
were porcupine and on two occasions, day 3 and day 4 we found leopard tracks on
top of our running tracks. This meant that a leopard had walked amongst us
without being seen. Now that is an adventure. On occasion we saw some monkeys
and baboons but the baboons were more regularly heard than seen, especially
when we descended into gorges.
5.
Medical
Issues
5.1
Dehydration
As can be
expected dehydration is one of the foremost issues during a desert race. The
advice I can give to anyone is to get into the habit of drinking continuously
throughout your run. Alwyn Maass gave me a brilliant idea that worked; he takes
one sip of energy drink and two sips of water at regular intervals. Effectively
you need to time it that you drink your 1,5 litres of water between each CP and
half of your energy drink (350ml) between each CP. This ensures that you remain
fuelled and hydrated throughout.
I have two hydration
tests that I use as markers. The first is the brow test. An oily brow is an
indication of dehydration so I do this regularly throughout the race. The
second test, that of the urine test is vital. Urinate regularly, and if you
can’t see through your urine you are in trouble.
I was fortunate
enough that my preparation trained me to drink continuously so dehydration did
not really affect me that much. Remember if you are thirsty, you have already
started to dehydrate. Rehydration aids that are mixed with water can help to
restore you quickly, although I personally found the taste to be so bad that
avoidance became a priority.
5.2
Blood
Sugar
Blood sugar
level will automatically fluctuate in such an extreme environment, especially,
when the body is placed under such extreme stress. The key to stabilizing your
blood sugar is to eat well and often. Testing your food prior to the event is
essential.
5.3
Blisters
To some extent,
blisters are unavoidable, especially if you consider the running environment.
Generally I don’t get blisters but developed three relatively minor blisters. I
consider minor blisters as normal for such conditions. There are, however, some
runners that developed really serious foot conditions. These ranged from toe
nail issues to blisters. I could not find a magic formula for avoiding blisters
and other foot conditions. There seems to have been as many runners with
blisters that bind their feet then those who don’t. Again my own experience
stood me in good stead, these included the following: (1) Miles, nothing
prepares your feet like putting in the training miles. I did not use any
creams, hardeners, or extreme conditioning techniques, just consistently
running day after day in preparation. (2) Stay hydrated, (3) keep your feet dry
and clean throughout by stopping and maintaining your feet regularly. For me
this became a CP ritual and (4) finally do foot maintenance every day after you
completed your day’s run. Treat the minor issues so that they don’t become
major issues.
5.4
Scrapes
As stated
earlier, adventure racers goes under, over or through everything so scrapes,
bruises and cuts are to be expected. Clean these with some antiseptic fluid and
cream and a plaster if it is deep. Besides that role with the punches and take
it on the chin. It is a good idea to have a tetanus injection before you
participate.
5.5
Fatigue
This is normal
given the environment you are in and the stress you are placing on your body. A
diet with sufficient calories and good hydration will deal with most of this.
However, without a good night’s rest your body will remain fatigued and this
will eventually have a huge psychological effect. I, therefore, recommend a light
sleeping mat and a good sleeping bag that is rated to provide the comfort you
need given the temperatures you are to expect during night times. As backup a
light fleece will provide added warmth. A good meal and a good night’s rest
will make all the difference when your body needs to recover for the next day’s
pounding.
5.6
Muscle
Spasms & Cramps
The older and
more experienced guys quickly taught me the trick of sucking on an anti-acid
tablet. Sucking one or two Rennies or chewing an Eno tablet breaks down the
acid in the body which prevents muscle spasms and cramps. I tested the Rennies
and they worked.
5.7
Medication
Medication is a
real problem within an extreme environment where your fluid intake is
restricted. Paracetamol and other analgesics could cause major kidney and liver
damage if not used wisely. The best is to avoid medication throughout the
event, however, if unavoidable, discuss this with the event doctor before
taking anything. Rather safe than sorry.
6.
Water
Water is a
really scares commodity that is firstly used for drinking, then food, then
cleaning and lastly for laundry. Unfortunately there are seldom if any enough
water left for laundry. Use your water sparingly; it is what makes the
difference between having a good or a bad race. Create a natural fridge to cool
your water somewhat. A one or two degree change makes all the difference when
you are out there. Take with a few buffs, wet these and draw them over your
bottles. The slightest breeze will cool the water inside the bottle.
7.
Race Equipment
and Consumables
7.1
Food
Be realistic
when it comes to your food. Choose foods with a high calorie to weight ratio as
this will make your food weight as little as possible. Nutrition trumps taste
but that said taste has a really great psychological effect so there is a fine
balance to be maintained. Test you food beforehand, and I mean everything.
7.2
Clothes
I took two sets
of clothes. The reality is that one set with additional underwear and socks
would have done just fine with one fleece and a pair of flops for around the
camp. Dumping the additional clothes would have saved an additional 500 to 600
grams. A small hand towel opposed to a larger towel would have saved even
more.
7.3
Shoes
I ran with Nike
Pegasus 28’s and no gaiters. For the Kalahari this is fine but I would really
need to find a great gaiter solution for the Sahara. I will also be trying out
the Solomon S-Lab 5 running shoe within the next few months. The guys running
with these seemed to have far less and issues than the rest of us.
Another aspect I
will be experimenting with is toe socks, covered by a thin second sock. The
runners who ran with this combination had no toe blisters and as all my
blisters were centred between my outside toes this might be a solution.
7.4
Hygiene
I ran with two
hand / face towels, one yellow and one red. Both attached to the outside of mu
front pack. The yellow towel was for general use and was used for washing,
drying and wiping the sweat away. The red towel was used for washing and wiping
my hands after using heeding the calls from nature.
7.5
First
Aid
My first-aid kit
was packed to the brim with enough of everything to conduct a small operation
in the field. Needless to say I needed very little of what was in my pack. In
the future my focus would be blister orientated only.
7.6
Technology
In the future I
would leave my IPOD as this was not even switched on once during the race.
During my run I preferred to hear the sounds of nature and in the camp I loved
the conversations that took place. As for my camera, there was one lens that I
didn’t use at all as well as the second battery and flash was not used once.
All of this will stay. I will also no longer take a battery pack with batteries
as I would only need to charge my Garmin Fenix which can easily be done from a
solar charger (power monkey). On the camera issue, it was the best thing I took
with on the trip, I was able to bring back so many great memories, and the
weight of a good camera was worth it.
8.
Food
My race pack
weighed in at 14,5kg’s wet. Of this my food weighed in at 5,2kg’s, my water
1,5kg’s and the rest was clothes, first-aid kit etc. Therefore, of the 14,5kg’s
around 46% constituted my food and water, both essential items in surviving the
desert environment.
8.1
Calories
My energy
requirements calculated to 25,769 KCal’s. I decided to follow the conventional
wisdom and rely on fat reserves to supplement about 20% of my overall energy
requirements. My total food supply came in at 21,483 KCal’s of which 2,288
KCal’s were protein powder. I brought back around 2,500 KCal’s, consisting
mostly of protein powder and 100g’s of nuts. It would be safe to say that I
easily survived on 18,983 KCal’s which is around 74% of my calculated energy
requirement. I did no real carbo-loading prior to the race and had no periods
of hunger throughout the event.
My energy levels
remained fairly constant throughout the race and besides cold water didn’t
really crave anything in specific.
8.2
Sequence
I started to
experiment with eating sequences during the race. One of the changes I made
that delivered a huge benefit was to drink my Milo and condensed milk after
breakfast and not after dinner. It delivered a huge energy boost early morning
when I really needed to get through the day. The breakfast with Milo, and
Condensed milk easily sustained me for the first two and a half to three hours
each day.
Continuous
eating throughout the day ensured that my muscle energy reserves did not become
depleted, the exception, being day 4 (long run).
8.3
Other
I did learn a
great deal from the other, and more experienced runners. I will add soup to my
food pack and drink this as part of my dinner. Olive oil is a great source of
energy and fat so this will be added in the future. David Ball brought with
olives and had olive snacks along the way, this appeal to his taste and greatly
lifted his spirit at times, so each person will have to take with that
something that does more than just feed the body. Clint Seager told me how Nik-Naks
chips got him through a difficult time during the 2011 KAEM, and as I also like
Nik-Naks took with two packets. It felt like a party when I eventually opened
my first pack of Nik-Naks on the rest day.
I will also take
with three more packets of 32GI energy drinks and will take this at more
regular intervals as suggested by Alwyn Maass.
I will be
analysing a larger pool of data collected by various runners during the KAEM to
see how the extreme heat impacts upon heart rate and ultimately upon the body’s
energy requirements. This will be published once the analysis has been
completed.
9.
Psychological Aspects
Then
there are those elements that can make or break a run. I experienced how a good
sense of humour can lighten the most difficult of circumstances. Interaction
and communication within your running community, both before and during the
race is in my opinion vital. The pre-race communication creates an open
platform for idea exchange while the in-race communication creates an ability
for you to contextualise your own performance, hardship and pain.
There
is, however, a real need for an ultra-endurance runner to train him or herself
to deal with prolonged periods of solitude. During any leg of the race you will
find yourself amongst other runners one moment and then again alone the next.
During your long run these periods my extend for hours.
10.
Training
Changes
I
have learned a great deal from this experience and in particular how well my
training prepared me for the race. I feel that my weekly distance that averaged
80km’s per week and peaked at 120km’s were more than adequate given my race
objectives. There were runners that averaged 50km’s per week who battled but
still completed the race.
I
will, therefore, not change my weekly distance by much. I will, however, work
towards averaging 100km’s per week opposed to 80km’s, but this has less to do
with pushing miles and more to do with what I feel I need to add. The
additional km’s will be spent walking. If there is one thing that I was totally
unprepared for, it was the amount of walking that we needed to do. At times the
terrain would simply not allow you to run. To learn how to walk consistently
and at a good pace is essential.
I
will introduce more speed training, my present program had a speed week every 5
to 6 weeks, but I will now rather introduce a speed session every second week.
I will also introduce three gym sessions per week to work on legs, arms, and my
core.
I hope that
this post-race report will assist many of you in preparing for your own extreme
adventure race in line with your own objectives. If you have any questions or
comments please feel free to share these.
“It is only in
adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves – in finding
themselves”
Andre Gide
Thank you for
reading my blog and supporting me,
Genis Pieterse
“the desert poet”
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