The Race of Champions!!!

When I was first invited to take part in the Racing the Planet Namib Race : The Race of Champions I was not keen. The organisation was inviting back all the winners of previous 4 Deserts races to this one event so that there would be some good healthy competition and reunions of sorts. I won the Atacama Crossing back in 2010, which is some considerable time ago, and when I actually received the invite, it was when I wasn't running or exercising at all, as I was trying to sort my fractures and RED-S. The organisers assured me that it would be fine to take part on a purely walking basis (though I wasn't sure if my ego would allow that) and my friend Diana (a tent mate from the Atacama who had won 2 Racing the Planet events herself) persuaded me that it would be a good chance to catchup, as we hadn't seen each other in years.

What was to come...

Although I was back running again when the event came around, I knew that I was not nearly as fit or as fast as I had been in the past. My weekly mileage was half of what is used to be, and I have worked at remaining heavier (and therefore slower) as my health is more important than my speed. I did manage 2 specific "training runs" in that I ran from my house to a local forest, did a loop and ran home again (about 16 miles in total) wears a backpack on 2 occasions. This probably had the opposite of the desired effect on my confidence as these runs were rather slow and were punctuated by a few breaks along the way. Still, as I'd agreed to go all the way out there, I was going to run as much as I felt able, and hoped that might still be enough to finish about 5th in the ladies' field.

I've described my nightmare trip out there (and all the issues with last minute kit and food finding), and you can read reports on line in other places, so I'll just try to mention a few things that stood out on individual days.

Pre-race

My tent - the SS Charles Elliot

Having chased the rest of the race down (at breakneck speeds on the dirt roads up the Namib coast), I got to camp shortly before dark. I then had to do a speedy kitcheck - and have my food supply for the week calorie counted. Luckily there were already people disposing of food that they had brought so I managed to swop a few heavy cereal bars for a couple of lighter dehydrated meals. Diana had decided against coming so this meant that I didn't actually know anyone else running (as it turns out, there was actually a guy from Scotland who came over and reminded me that we'd met at a party in Edinburgh some years before). Di and I were meant to be in a tent with 5 guys, but luckily they were extremely friendly and made me welcome.

My prerace meal wasn't exactly textbook, consisting of food I'd scavenged from the airlines and airport lounges on my way there, but it tasted fine and I was so tired that I hardly noticed my lack of thermorest when I lay down to sleep.

Day 1 (officially 43k but my watch measured it as nearer 49k.....which was an indication of how the distances would pan out for most of the week so I started to ignore it)

And they're of....

All on my own....

It was rather chilly and misty at the start but we knew we'd soon warm up so I started as I meaned to continue, in shorts and tshirt (though I didn't throw away my extra "free" BA tshirt until the last minute). Some eager beavers raced off but I started (as usual) near the back of the field. Initially I ran and chatted with Simon (one of my tentmates) but then he dropped back and I caught up to Mark (another tentmate) and so we passed a few kms together. I didn't feel that I was running very fast or well, but gradually reeled people in over the course of the day.

Chasing down those ahead

Green bibs=former race "champions"

I was about 23rd at the first checkpoint, but just before the 3rd one, I passed Claire (also from GB) who completely shocked me by telling me that she had been the leading lady. The last section seemed rather long and hot, but others were obviously struggling more than me (maybe their fast starts caught up with them) as I passed a few more guys and finished in 6th position overall, first in my tent.

Upgrading from green to yellow!

I know that I don't drink very much when running, but a total of 500ml over the whole day was definitely not enough (especially as I'd been carrying way more than that all the way) and I had a slight headache for most of the afternoon and evening (though the sleep deprivation of the previous few days probably also played a part in that).

It was fun to sit around camp and chat by the fire pits in the late afternoon/evening but everyone ate their dinner early (I had some very heavy cheese sandwiches that night as I thought eating those first would lighten my load rather more than the lightweight dehydrated meal packets) and turned in soon after it got dark.

Day 2 (a slightly shortened route as we were thankfully rerouted to avoid some lions under a bridge we were due to cross)

Morning running along the beach

Another cool and chilly start, but my tentmates and I had wandered down to the sea the night before and spotted the marker flags that told us we'd be running up the beach first thing, so we knew it would be relatively hard work and so we'd warm up.

Some of the "scenery" of the day

Claire had been quite upset and weepy on the startline and asked me if we could run together, but then (maybe due to my usual slow start) she disappeared off into the distance as soon as we were under way. The stretch on the beach was in relatively soft sand, so a couple of fellow runners and I opted for a slightly longer route nearer the sea, as this meant we had slightly harder sand to run on. I think I passed quite a lot of people by doing this, but it's a moot point as to whether it was due to terrain/route choice (as we only had about a short distance on the beach), or if I'd just warmed up and got into my stride.

Not loving the mudflats - neither
the wet nor the dry ones!

From the beach we headed across mudflats, which I really didn't like. It looked like a nice firm surface to run on, but the mud was slightly wet and so stuck like glue to the soles of your shoes and they got heavier and heavier with each step (my tentmates later told me that it was much easier a bit further back in the field as those going ahead had cleared the way of loose mud). I ended up running this section with a Rich (a Brit living in Hong Kong) who'd finished ahead of me on the first day. Chatting away made the time fly and we ended up staying together for a couple of checkpoints (though I confess to having to work rather hard as we crossed dry rutted mud flats later as his stride length seems to navigate the unstable footing much more easily than my baby steps).

Camp looked a bit like a scene from Star Wars

It seemed to me as if people started to flag again from about checkpoint 3 as suddenly Rich was no longer with me and I could now see a couple of men running together away in the distance ahead of me. Rich later told me that it seemed to him that I actually sped up I the latter stages and I certainly opened up a gap without realising it, so that I managed a bit of a sit down and drink on the finish before getting up to take my turn on the "welcome drum" for when he came in.

Not a bad location though

That camp ringed by dunes and was beautiful in the setting sun, and we all enjoyed watching some jackals roaming around nearby in the evening light (thankfully no lions though). The soft sand was also a lot comfier for me to lie on (my hips were definitely objecting to the lack of sleeping mat).




Day 3 - one to put you off beach holidays!



This day did seem like and endless run along beaches, though it was probably to be expected as the event had been advertised with the slogan (run along the famous Skeleton Coast).....but 23k of beach was nearly the end of me!

Morning concentration from my tentmates

Lovely...more beaches

I spent the first stretch of beach running with Jamie so the miles ticked by as we chatted away. The run itself was part endurance and part sprint training. As the easiest sand to run on was just at the water's edge but we had to keep doing sprints up the beach to avoid getting our feet soaked by the waves. There wasn't much to see as the usual cool morning sea mist was ever present and the actual "skeletons" were rather disappointing. There are meant to be many shipwrecks along the coast and so the skeletons of the boats eerily remain in the sand, but we actually only saw 1 mast....and more natural skeletons (as we were entering seal territory). The seals were quite fun as they really didn't seem to object to you running really close to their colonies....but o the smell wasn't exactly Chanel No 5!

Back on my own again - was my chat that bad?

It was nice to leave the beach for some harder packed terrain but the route soon headed back to the sea. I ran alone for most of the day but could see a couple of figures a long way ahead. Initially three guys had been running together but one had dropped off the pace. I caught up to him just as we hit the last long beach strength, but then was really surprised to see him arriving at CP3 just ahead of me........from a different direction, as he'd avoided the whole beach and found a dirt road/track to run along. The marshals at the CP asked me to confirm that he'd not been ahead of me on the beach as he was very likely to get a time penalty for course cutting.

Well - I had some company!

I don't think that he had any qualms about course cutting as the next section zigzagged backwards and forwards across rocky outcrops and climbs, and rather than following the little flags to the left and the right, he appeared to just spot the guys ahead and make a beeline for them.

I stopped for a comfort break and lost him from sight, and so there was no temptation to do the same thing - hence I was a good girl and followed the route (though the flags weren't that easy to spot in the light and the wind).


The description of the last section was "cross an open windy plain (nb it is usually a headwind)" seemed a bit of overkill as the first plain was relatively short.....but then I hit the real one. It was endless, and gradually climbed for the whole distance. It was featureless and unforgiving with the wind whipping gravel and other particles into your face. I could still see the two runners on the horizon, and I would desperately hope they'd drop out of sight as that would surely signal the end of the plain but they just stayed there forever. I caught up to Santiago (again) and this time he remained behind me (he must have really wanted to stay ahead to make him go off route earlier, but then again it must have been disheartening for him as it was the third consecutive day that I'd caught him between CP3 and the finish.


There were some marshals after about 8k or so of the plain, but I was rather disappointed when they weren't sure how far away camp was....I hoped they'd say "just over that rise" but their answers varied from " a few kms" to "5k". Luckily is was just a couple of K, so I managed to push on (the figures in front grew bigger and formed into proper runners) and almost fell down the last sand bank into camp (not sunbathing weather for the rest of the afternoon but then tents provided nice shelter from the wind).



Day 4 - the long day (and the hottest day)



I definitely struggled on Day 4...in fact I almost lost the will to live partway through the day!

Trying to keep my hands warm whilst
listening to the day's runbrief

The day started (as usual) cool and relatively misty. Initially I was running along chatting happily to Ben (British living in Hong Kong) and Rod (from Sydney) but soon Ben dropped back and it was just the two of us. We then caught up to Jamie who'd started off strongly and had a brief chat before moseying on. I knew that Rod was quicker than me as he'd been ahead on every day so far (one of the pair that I'd seen away in the distance at the end of every day) but he seemed happy to take it easy....even waiting at one of the checkpoints whilst I nipped behind a vehicle for a comfort break (there's not much shelter to hide behind in the middle of the Namib desert).

A rose between two thorns (sorry Rod and Ben!)

I found it harder and harder going at the day progressed and the heat increased and the breeze dwindled to nothing, but he stuck with me and encouraged me to run when I could but take the walk breaks I wanted (to be fair I wanted to walk a lot more than run). The checkpoint staff were all making sure that we were carrying at least 2 litres of water every time we left them, but I admit to pouring a good deal of this over my head to try to cool off. I knew that my face was becoming more and more red as Rod kept asking me if I wanted some sunscreen. I'm not usually much of a coke drinker but we were each given a cold can at one of the checkpoints - and it was one of the best things that I'd tasted in a long time....though I was worried that we would then get a time penalty for "outside assistance"!!

It certainly looks like I'm just
trailing along behind Rod

I was really bothered about the fact that I'd been completely slowing Rod down so when he asked me if I was ready to leave one of the checkpoints in the second half of the day, I told him that I needed a longer sit down and to go on without me. The marshals then told me that Claire was approaching and so basically got me out of there on my way. I could see Rod's silhouette off in the distance, but whenever I started to try to ruin, I felt like I was going to be sick. I could not get my core temperature down, no matter how much I drunk/poured over my head - and that always makes me feel really nauseated. It was so bad that I could not even stand having my rucksack waist strap done up, so I resolved to just take it steadily and keep walking onwards, ever onwards.

I was ready to cheer on and support anyone who passed me, as I couldn't be bothered to think about being competitive...I decided that I'd rather take it really slowly and finish than push a bit faster and risk a DNF (after all, with these events, there are no prizes...just a finisher's medal...or nothing for a DNF).

Ditched again

Even when Rich appeared behind me and told me that Claire was chasing me down, I did not feel inclined to push any more. I kept Rich company for a wee while but he found that he couldn't walk very fast so started running again. It wasn't too far to the next CP and as the sun was sinking lower on the horizon, I was starting to feel more human again...and actually managed to run into the CP, arriving just after Rich left it. There was a "rule of the park" which said that after 6pm, we were not allowed to be on our own and so must wait for the person behind us to buddy up. I clarified this info at the CP as it was now about 5pm and Claire was about 30mins behind me (the next person). I asked if they would take the time gap off my final total if I had to wait for her at the last CP, as otherwise it would negate the whole of the day's female race, but they said that they wouldn't, and it was "my problem" if I didn't get to the CP in time to continue alone.

The sun must be strong if I've actually
 got a cap on my head!

As much as I didn't feel competitive, this did spur me on as I decided that I either had to get to the CP before 6pm, or arrive with/ahead of Rich so that we could buddy up if we had to. As it happens Rich was flagging and I was feeling much better so I soon caught him up and then we continued at his pace to the final CP, arriving at about 5:50pm and so were good to go. I felt that Rod had really helped me get through the early and middle part of the day when I'd been suffering so it was only fair that I pay it forward and stick with Rich. It was now dusk and much cooler and so I felt like I could have probably run the whole of the last section, but we worked together joggign whenever possible but taking the odd walkbreak if necessary.....and putting the world to rights as we did so. I was counting down the distance as I really didn't fancy being stuck out there after dark, but suddenly the bright green finish gantry came into view - albeit still a couple of kms away.

Rich and I seem to be enjoying ourselves again

 Rich was just behind me and so I let my legs take me as they wished...and it seemed like they wished to pick it up as I ran the last mile or so at just over 7minute pace. I stopped just short of the line and turned round but Rich was nowhere to be seen. People were telling me to get on and cross the line and stop the clock but no way was I doing that on my own. I'd got there with the help of others and so I stood there like an idiot until Rich came into view. I think I expended the most energy I had all day screaming encouragement at him and we crossed the line together with hands held aloft (just before the 7pm sunset!).

As it turns out the first couple of guys had run together, then Rod and Christophe had also teamed up again as they faded slightly at the end of the day, so a friend looking at the results back in the UK sent me a message asking if we'd been taking part in a 3-legged race! I guess it did look rather like that, but events like this are all about teamwork and having fun, rather then being competitive! Unfortunately for me, it was then rather a lonely night, as although I was feeling good by the time I finished, I had a long wait until the rest of my tentmates arrived...the final ones coming in about 4am.....so I really felt for them!

Day 5 - the "rest" day

Foot/shoe maintenance

My tent chewing the fat round the fire

I totally understand the need for a rest day for some of the competitors, such as my middle-of-the-night-arriving tentmates, but I would really have liked to just get on and run again. A rest day gives you more of a chance to seize up, discover new injuries, and contemplate how much further you have to go. I'd got into a routine of when I got out of bed, when I had my lovely instant porridge, when I set off, when I got to camp and when I then ate and went to bed.

Camp visitors

Suddenly I had longer to lie on the hard ground, wander round camp without my camp slippers, contemplate my minging toenails (ok so I used the time to trephine one to relieve the pressure of a blister uunderneath), debate how to spread out my eating for the day and worry about whether I'd be too hot during the daytime (and so get dehydrated) or too cold at night. To be fair the day passed relatively quickly as we wandered round the campsite, chatted to various people, read emails and tried to spot animals. Nobody really wanted to wander far as we knew we still had 2 runs ahead of us. Ideally I would have had a mini tapestry to do to pass the time (but this was also lost in some airport somewhere as it had been in my hold baggage due to the needle required) but I didn't really miss it, as we so rarely get a whole day to just relax and chat with no pressures of everyday life.

Day 6 - "dune" day...another marathon distance+ effort
 

It took a while to settle into running again

After having enjoyed all those miles on the long day (well, I did but I'm not sure that he did so much!) it seemed natural for Rod and I to fall into step again, but this time we were also with Christophe (from Corsica). I honestly had no idea how these two guys had run together every day, as they couldn't really chat to each other. One spoke French and the other English, so I actually felt like I was earning my keep running with them, acting as a translator so they could find out more about each other, their families, their running and their future race plans. I joked that they could not afford to run off and leave me!

With the boys

Bless them for making me look petite

After the midpoint aid station (well......officially distance-wise if not time-wise) we had a 10k stretch that I was both looking forward to and dreading in equal measure. The whole length of it was along the ridge of a line of dunes, so although we would have amazing views off to each side, the running was exactly the easiest, especially as ther was a good 700m to climb over the length of the ridge. I knew that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the long legs of the guys so I bid them farewell, though I did manage to keep them in sight the whole way along. Some of the climbs were tough as the sand was loose and I had to dig my hands right into the slopes so avoid sliding back down again.....though a good portion of the ridge top itself was actually runnable.

The race leader making the sand look easy

I made it look  a lot less easy!

The problem was that I soon as I raised my eyes to look at the stunning views, I lost concentration on my foot placement and would find myself sinking into deeper sand which made my legs feel much too heavy for any running. Yet again, the distance wasn't exactly accurate, as every time I thought I must be climbing the final rise (based on distance recorded by my GPS) I saw the guys climbing up again ahead of me. Finally I reached the flags marking the end of the climbing, and turned 90° to my right to descend to the checkpoint. I could imagine most runners loving this steep run descent and flinging themselves down it with gay abandon, but I was too conscious of my "delicate" bones to risk this (the waiting marshals must have thought that I looked like a bit of an idiot mincing my way down to them).

 

The endless stretch of dunes

Descending down into the checkpoint

The "rule" was still that all water at checkpoints was for drinking only, but Bev (chief marshal) took pity on me and poured a small amount over my hands - this was vital for me, else I wouldn't have eaten any food in this last section as my hands were completely covered in claggy sand. It seemed as if I emptied half of the dunes out of my shoes, but  at least it made my feet feel slightly lighter.

The last section of the day crossed salt flats and some 4WD tracks in the sand (I tried running along them but the slight rises of soft sand made it hard to settle into a decent pace). We had been told that we would get to run along a runway, but in fact it was just a flatter section of rough ground with some stones marking lines along the edges. Rich had been chasing me all the way along the dunes as he'd loved that section, and as he caught up to me then, we debated pretending to be aeroplanes on the runway, but decided we really didn't have the energy to spare.

The run then went towards the coast away from the dunes

Some marshals made sure we crossed the lone dirt road safely (I'm not entirely sure how necessary they were as the total traffic must've been about 1 vehicle per day) but unfortunately couldn't tell us how far the final stretch along the beach was. We saw some odd ruins and some empty abandoned buildings off in the distance and hoped this meant that we were into the final few kilometres. It was now Rich's turn to start flagging, and my job to keep him going. The final day was just a short run, so he really needed to get to camp as he'd finished the last bit of his "running food", but just as I was starting to worry, the green gantry came into sight......and we crossed the line holding hands arms aloft again. Teamwork really does make it so much more fun.

 

With the S Africans...and the whisky!

I didn't feel too good that afternoon in camp - I couldn't stop shaking - so I admit that I didn't sit outside and welcome all my tentmates in. Instead I selfishly ate some food and curled up in my sleeping bag for a couple of hours. I did feel a bit better later on, so was able to help some of my later tentmates with their packs, their food, their injuries......and enjoy the bread roll and piece of fruit that some locals kindly brought to camp for each of us (wow - they tasted good).....and some whisky round the fire later (with the South African runners - respect to them for having kept it for the last night)!

Day 7 - the final push
 

Teamwork makes the Dreamwork!

In many of these multiday events, the last day is just "for fun" but our last stage was being timed and so did count. It was only a short stage and so it was unlikely that positions would change, especially not at the sharp end of the field hence Christophe, Rod and I naturally fell into step again.

We'd run so much of the week together

Well, that's what they said...but I felt like I was having to put a decent amount of effort in to keep pace and maintain my translator skills. We discussed whether anyone wanted to finish alone for a "finish photo" but all agreed that we'd like to end the run together. We dibbed at the final checkpoint to stop the clock and then hung back for a few minutes so that the guy in front could have his glory shot to himself. We ran over the last dune and into the finish together - linked hands aheld aloft (as the phrase goes "Teamwork makes the Dreamwork!")....and by this time Rich had joined us, though he clearly had done enough hand-holding during the week.

A happy me for surviving the week

Not quite the promised pizza!!!

Then it was time for a very welcome beer or two (but unfortunately a chilli rather than the long-awaited and talked about pizza) while we gradually welcomed everyone home across the line. All my tent made it to the finish so we had to have a big sweaty, dirty group hug...before we all boarded the buses for a nice long (several hours) ride back to civilisation and showers (buy the time my bag actually arrived the hot water had run out, but to be honest I didn't care...any running water was good enough for me to wash in!).

Runners and crew at the Finis :-)

Another amazing week despite the inauspicious start....and some great news friendships forged - bring on the next adventure!!