Endurance Adventures

God. This is it. The culmination of two years of planning, training, preparation and spending... the MdS is finally here!! It still doesn't seem real- but it probably will do soon...

I have been packing and repacking my kit- trying to fit it all into the pack and realising how bloody heavy it all is! No doubt I will fiddle with it several times before the race starts...



My Kit!

>


What I will Be Wearing...

>


More Equipment

Here's a copy of my kit list;

Marathon Des Sables Kit List…

Compulsory
Backpack- Raidlight
Front pack- as above
Water bottles- Camelbak 650 ml X 2
Sleeping bag- Vango Venom 225
Torch with spare batteries- Tikka XP
10 safety pins
Compass
Lighter
Whistle- attached to rucksack
Knife with metal blade- Swiss Army Knife with nail file & scissors
Topical disinfectant
Anti-venom pump
Signalling mirror
Aluminium survival sheet

Supplied by Darbaroud
Distress flare
Salt tablets
Luminous signal stick for long stage
Road book

Clothes
Legionnaire type hat- Marmot
Tops(s) for day- 1 short sleeve Underarmour HeatGear t-shirt, 1 short sleeve Raidlight Technical t-shirt
Leggings for day- 1 pair Underarmour shorts, 1 pair ¾ length Nike running tights
Leggings for night- Ronhill Tracksters
Lightweight fleece for night- Raidlight top
Running shoes- Brookes Adrenaline
Underwear- pants to be thrown away each day
Sports bra(s)-
Running socks- 3 X Bridgdale, 2 X
Cobber (neck cooler)
Gaiters- parachute silk, attached to shoes with Velcro
Goggles
Sunglasses- plus prescription sunglasses
Buff- buy in the desert
Shoes for night- get from hotel?

Other Equipment
Sun cream- Reimanns P20
Lip salve/ sun screen- Factor 50
Contact lens stuff/ glasses
Stove-
Cooking Pot- titanium kettle
Spork- titanium
Fuel- to be ordered from Darbaroud and collected
Thermarest- self inflatable
Pillow- trekking pillow
Wet wipes- small pack
Small toothpaste
Small toothbrush
Deodorant- small stick
Small pot moisturising cream
Soap flakes
Bodyglide
Toe protector cap
Travel washing line
Duck tape- wrapped round anti-venom pump
Washing liquid- multi purpose
Camera/ memory card/ spare battery
Notebook/ pen
MP3 player/ headphones/ batteries
Watch- if I can find it!!


Medicinal
Strong painkillers- Nurofen plus and paracetamol plus
Muscular aches- Voltarol
Anti-diarrhoea medication
Rehydration sachets
Caffeine tablets- Pro-Plus
Anti Bacterial cleaning gel for hands etc
Moleskin
Zinc oxide tape
Tiny tube Savlon

Here's a sample of what I will be eating each day- pretty much the same every other day;


Day One
Breakfast
Cereal; Jordans maple & pecan/Sainsburies raspberry & yogurt- 600
Powdered milk included above
Coffee; Kenco 2-1 sachet- 61
Snacks
Peanut M & M’s- 300
Sweets; Jelly Beans & Skittles- 126
Nature Valley Canadian Maple Syrup- 185
Power Bar- 219
Shotblox X 3- 100
Dinner
Expedition Meal; Mediterranean Pasta- 800
Custard; Birds Eye- 318
Coffee- 61
Coffee Mocha sachet- 94
Daily Total- 2864


Day Two
Breakfast
Porridge; Oatso Simple Raspberry & powdered milk- 450
Coffee- 61
Snacks
Peanut M & M’s- 300
Sweets; Jelly Beans & Skittles- 126
Nature Valley Oat & Honey- 194
Shotblox X 3- 100
Dinner
Pot Noodle Nice & Spicy; 1 1/2- 635
Walkers Salt & Vinegar crisps- 181
Semolina; Birds Eye- 426
Coffee- 61
Hot chocolate sachet; Cadburys- 120
Daily Total- 2654

I had a lovely surprise at work today- my manager called me into her office for a few minutes, and then followed me back to my office. When I walked in, everybody in the team was there- complete with Good Luck banners and a goody bag! They said that I didn't think they were going to let me go with doing nothing... I felt quite emotional, it was so completely unexpected!

They had bought fun items and stuck a Post it Note caption on each one, such as a packet of Tena Ladies 'For those times you don't want to crouch', a bucket and spade 'For your day off' and best of all a tin of Cadburies Roses 'A well deserved bunch of Roses!' I have got to bloody do it now...

I take the National Express coach to Gatwick tomorrow, and am staying overnight at the Travel Lodge. Thursday we all converge on Gatwick for our special charter flight to Ouazazate (presumably leaving from boarding gate 9 3/4) Friday we have a 5/ 6 hour coach trip from Ouazazate to the desert, Saturday is admin and kit/ medical check day and Sunday is when the race starts...

If you would like to send me a message, log on to www.darbaroud.com; this will be in French but click the flag in the top right corner for an english translation. Click on the link to 'write to a competitor'; this will take you to a drop down menu. Choose my race number- 589- my name should be there too- COOKE Stephanie. Once you select this, the message box should come up. Put my race number and name in the subject line and write a message- no pics or symbols, just plain text. Then press send! These emails are printed off and brought round to our tents at night, and you can't underestimate the emotional support they give.

The Darbaroud site should also have a link to the results for each day, but I understand that they are a bit slow at updating them at times. Basically, if you see a time next to my name it's a good sign! If it says ABANDON, it's not!! (If it says DECEASED it's definately not!!)

This will be my last post before I go... I am kind of thinking 'what the f*ck have I done!!' I really don't know what is waiting for me out there in the desert, or what kind of person will come out the other side... but I do know it's going to be the greatest adventure of my life- so far!!

I have written myself a little motivational message for when things get tough;

You are about to embark on an amazing adventure… one which is going to be the hardest thing you have ever done and it is going to hurt. There will be times when you will be in pain, times when you are feeling down, and times when every part of your body is screaming at you to give up. To give in and climb into the land rover would be so easy and you will feel that you are done and have nothing left to give… but all things must pass, and you can endure this. You are stronger than this. You are going to complete this race. Think about how you are going to feel when you cross that finish line, knowing you have just completed the toughest footrace on earth… the pain will go, but that feeling will last a lifetime. Never, never, never give up. This is your dream and you are going to achieve this. Remember- you are magnificent!

Cheesy, yep- but I have stuck it onto the cover of my notebook along with a message my mum wrote in a good luck card she sent me;

Dear Steph

Just a good luck note to help you on your way.

The week will be tough but I know you will be ok. Take care and don’t worry. Just enjoy the time and experience.

Try to have some fun and a laugh- through the pain…

We are all very proud of you.

Love you lots.
Mum
xxxx

Well- this is it. Nothing more to say now- except BRING IT ON!!!

Labels: Marathon des Sables