London Marathon

Well after completing the challenge of a lifetime through the Sahara Desert I sure have been on the move through Africa and Europe. After heading across to Marrakech I boarded an overnight train to Tangiers for a very slow boat to Spain. I then headed by bus to the beautiful Spanish coastal town of Malaga where it was really raining so decided to head straight to Madrid and then Barcelona. I am now in London for another day so thought while in town it was important to make an appearance at the London Marathon. Look forward to providing further details on one of the largest marathons in with world with some 35,000 expected in typical cold and wet London conditons ...

SUCCESS!!! Stage 6 - 17.5km

Well it is finally mission accomplished and I am feeling great after completing the final 17.5km stage 6 to finish race of a lifetime in Tazzarine, Morocco!

The feet were feeling strong after taping up in the morning with the final lef of the course being mostly flat with many rocks and undulating topography. The trip towards the finsih line was filled with local families looking for gifts and presents along the way. One gentleman gave away a flying football that most kids would love though it seemed as though they were not too sure about it after one throw and then were back into the begging mentality which was a little sad. There were some that were a little aggressive pulling at runners and once they had initiated contact it was almost expected that something would be given.

As I ran through a local village for around 3kms towards the end I really stepped on the gas as it was not pretty with poverty stricken families in need a very sad sight with mothers washing clothes in the canal.

It was the best feeling ever to finally reach a tarred road with the final 1.5km to the finish line and this was like heaven. It was so much fun to pass a number of runners in front of me when I hit the gas and sped towards the finish line to produce the best leg of my race. The medal was finally mine!

What a journey and moment to be cherished for a lifetime. After a few moments I managed to find my Marathon Man suit and make a grand entrance across the line once again with the above image captured on the race website. I was interviewed on Japan TV with one of the countries star singers and then on French TV as the Marathon Man ... What a incredible adventure!

Stage 5 - 42.2 kms

Marathon Stage started with some concerns following my left foot blowing up after the 75.5km stage though started well with the Sahara shuffle called upon to get me through to the 1st checkpoint. Along the way I realised that perhaps my shoes may be a little tight after the feet expanding in the heat & made the best decision to take a rest & relace my shoes. Today was the first time I had chosen to listen to my ipod & this made a massive difference in tuning out the pain. I managed to push through to checkpoint 2 with a little shuffling & walking in 51 degree temps. I was particularly inspired today as it was the Marathon Mans very first marathon & in the Sahara! I made good time to checkpoint 3 in some pain & then decided to make a real big effort in the final stage home by running where possible. It was awesome feeling passing a number of people & sprinted it in to get home in 7hrs 30mins. Paris Opera is in town for the final night tonight before the final 17km in the morning Yippee!

The last week has been an incredible journey with the body, mind & spirit really pushed to extremes. There sure have been some of the best moments ever & at times some of the worst experiences. It has been incredible to see the response of such a large group to these conditions & I am extremely pleased to be in the group with very minor concerns such as blisters. The Marathon Des Sables 2008 will be one to treasure & remember for a lifetime. I can definately encourage anyone who would like to push themselves to the next level to take on this challenge as anything is truely possible if you believe in yourself ... I am so appreciative of all you incredible people who have sent through your messages of support to provide the inspiration required to take on the next day! Looking forward to updating you following race finish though may just need a little rest & good bath first.

Rest & Reflection Day

Following the 75.5km stage and close to 19 hours through the Sahara it was great to get some much needed rest. There was a feeling of exhiliration and pride in completing the long day. Having made the last 29km through the night and suffering mentally and physically there was now a little time to reflect on the incredible achievement.

Further competitors continue to arrive throughout the day with each person stumbling into camp all being congratulated on the super effort. There were still people arriivng right up to the 36 hour cut off with some amazingly courageous efforts from those suffering from injuries.

I actually managed to use the water rations to take some time out for a shower in the desert to clean up and cool down in the afternoon sun. There was a moment today where I really appreciated that the Marathon des Sables was actually the 'toughest footrace on earth'. At this stage I started to contemplate returning the the Sahara to take on the adventure once again ... WOW!

Now with the marathon day and final day ahead it feels like the worst is now behind me and I am determined to make it through the final two days by picking up the pace.

Stage 4 - 75 kms

Toughest and most extreme physical and mental challenge ever! The 75.5km stage proved to be the most intense day yet and showed the reason this race is considered the toughest on the planet. Starting out on poll position just after 9am I made good pace for the first 7km to be greeted by massive mountain that would see us scale 200m vertical incline. During the climb half way up as people scrambled to get up quick a very large bolder dislodged and fortunately just missed taking us all out by a matter of centimetres. Very lucky not to wipe out a number of us & really shook us up! There were another two major climbs through this stage and I arrived into checkpoint 4 the 46.5km mark just as the sun had set. There were a further 29km to go until the stage was over. Having struggled with the right food & having a funny tummy I stopped for a short rest before meeting up with some English lads Brett & Pete for the next stage. The company was invaluable on what was now a pitch black landscape.

With temperatures dropping, head lights on & green glowsticks in each of our packs the desert landscape resembled a new world from the previous days. In an effort to stay warm I rugged up though was soon too hot when on the move. It was more like the day temperatures than the night. Finally pushing through to checkpoint 5 we were greeted with the event camera crew that interviewed me to get my thoughts & check in on my pain tolerance! Only one more checkpoint & then on to end. As we refreshed & prepared to set off a fellow tent mate of Bretts, Paul called out & joined us. With Pete keen to set cracking pace it was agreed Brett, Paul & myself would see it through to end. The next 2 stages would transform us all pushing physical & mental pain barriers. Brett & Paul are both great guys & for some reason a major topic of discussion continued to revolve around food! I am sure the thought of getting back home to enjoy the pleasures really pushed us ahead. Tired & sore. Result #525 18hr 58min.

Stage 3 - 40 kms

Following the first few days getting accustomed to the desert conditions, terrain, heat, food and water restrictions the race plan stepped up today. I made a early run for it and managed to maintain a good pace with the backpack still weighing close to 13kg the major limitation. Clearly my luxury items remain important in the Sahara. The initial strategy of walking the majority of the course is highly recommended and one that most competitors not looking for a time adopt. Having been slowed a little in the previous days waiting at checkpoints and with others you meet along the way I decided today to go solo as much as possible & focus on doing my very best. There was one huge mountain that had to be scaled today though believe the one tomorrow is even higher. Feeling good after finishing 40km in just over 8hrs and now must ready myself for the 75.5km overnight stage 4 where I will be moving as fast as possible through the darkness of the desert.

Stage 2 - 38 kms

Day two started out with all competitors forming # 23 for the sweeping helicopters above. A little quicker off the line today with only small sand dunes in sight in the distance. The first check point was 14km away and although hard was done at decent speed. The next stage was real tough with temps reaching 46 degrees across salt flats! Along the way I started to notice some blisters though these are not so bad compared to others in camp. I met Paulo from Italia along the way and managed to chat in broken Italian English for some time which was great. After struggling through to checkpoint 3 we were faced with a 300m mountain climb before the final 5km stretch which lasted forever. It is great to have completed day 2 and although really exhausted I am doing fine and taking it easy so as to survive the 245.3km. Thank you so much to those sending email messages of support as they really mean the world to me & keep me going at the end of the day! Day 3 will be more than 40km tomorrow.

:-)