Friday, April 10, 2009
Marathon Des Sables 2009- Continued...
I woke to the depressing sounds of the spray of vehicles driving through sheets of water, and looked out of the window to discover that it was still raining. We went for breakfast, walking through courtyards where the rain was pooling, and heard the news that stage one had definately been cancelled. We were informed that there was to be an official announcement later, so a group of us decided to walk into the village to kill some time.
We found a market, with a couple of stalls selling plastic sheeting, so after a little light bartering decided to buy enough to cover two tents, in case we encountered more wet weather later in the week- it would have been disasterous if our sleeping bags became wet.
Erfoud Market
Erfoud looked rather drab in the wet, the usual pink walls dulled by the rain. We found a cafe with tables under canvas and sat drinking mint tea and milky coffee. We came up with a few stock phrases which we'd take it in turns to say every so often- "It's brightening up a bit", and "There's a break in the clouds".
Downtown Erfoud
Once we had finished lunch back at the hotel, it did brighten up considerably, and was warm enough to sunbath. Some brave souls even used the pool, although it was apparently freezing. I must say, the hotel did a grand job of feeding us all; I think it amused the waiters, as each time they brought out a fresh platter of food, we would all descend on it like a swarm of locusts!
Finally, the BOM representative, Rob, famous for his dry sense of humour and expressionless delivery, called us over for the official announcement; stage one was cancelled, the admin day would be held at a nearby hotel the next day, and the race would start the day after that. We were to remain at the hotel for the next two nights, and would then be taken by coach to the start of the race on Tuesday. We spent the rest of the day sorting out stuff to be sent back to the Berbere Palace, and trying to get our rucksack weight down. Mine still weighed around 10 kilos, despite losing the food for Day 1.
The next day, Monday, we boarded the coaches to take us to check in at the Hotel Kasbah- I suddenly realised I'd left my ECG and medical certificate in my room so had to sprint back for it! We were all slightly cheered as it was a gorgeous day without a cloud in sight and it looked as though the MdS was back on.
Once we reached the hotel, we had a queue to check in;
Queuing For Check In
I stood with Keith, an Australian guy, who kindly lent me a hat as I'd left mine back at the hotel.
Course Officials And The Dune Buggies
We spotted Mohammed Ahansal further back in the queue; Mohammed, and his brother Lahcen, are MdS legends, having won the event between them for the past few years. They were both really nice, unassuming guys though, only too happy to pose for a photo or chat.
Me, Keith And Mohammed Ahansal
Eventually, we reached the head of the queue, and my main luggage to be sent back to Ouazazate was taken off me. I was directed to a desk where I was given salt tablets, a flare and a timing chip, directed to another desk where the chip was fitted to my rucksack, directed to another desk where I was given a water card and card to be stamped each time I visited the Doc Trotters, directed to another desk to collect my race numbers (which had my name on them- a really nice touch) and finally directed to the Doctors desk, where they studied my ECG and certificate. The Doctor asked me if I had done long distances before. I gabbled "Yes, 30, 40, 50 miles in one day... lots..."
He asked me if I had done rhe MdS before. I said no, and he said "Have a good race, drink lots of water" and then I was back out in the sunshine.
I Collect My Essential Equipment
We were given lunch, and told that Patrick Bauer would be delivering a speech at 3:00pm, so hung around the large area by the pool.
A Camel!
I climbed the stairs in one of the main buildings to gain an arial view over the hotel grounds;
The Hotel Kasbah
Unfortunately I also spied a downpour coming our way; when it hit, we all had to run for shelter, although luckily it only lasted for around 30 minutes. We filed back outside to await Patrick's address, and I spied Lahcen Ahansal, and had my photo taken with him.
Me And Lahcen Ahansal
His pack was tiny, and only weighed 6.5 kilos- I told him that mine weighed 10 kilos!
A strange band made their way through the hotel grounds, serenading us with drums, chanting and horns, which seemed to sound the same note over and over again. Finally they ended up on the roof;
The Morrocan Band Who Serenaded Us
Patrick finally made his appearence at 4:30pm, and, with the help of an english translator, said that there had been two main options for the MdS this year; they could have either cancelled the race, or still put a race on. They had chosen the latter option (and it is only now that I can appreciate how close it must have come to being cancelled). The stages were to be arranged from day to day, and the road books would now be pretty much null and void.
The next day would still be dunes day, but we would enter the Erg Chebbi dunes further to the left from a road accessible to the coaches and make a tougher crossing than originally planned.
Patrick called the elite runners onto the stage to show us how to correctly position our race numbers;
Patrick Bauer And The Elite Runners
It was then time to go back to the hotel; the only problem was that the buses seemed to have disappeared, and there were only two available to take us all back. There was a mad scrum for seats, and some folks resorted to sitting in the luggage hold until a lady French offical spotted them; "Ah, no no no- you are all crezzy!"
Luckily the buses made several trips, so we did all get back eventually. Me, Rach and Gilly decided to use our packed breakfasts the next morning, and after dinner and some last minute pack adjustments, settled down for what was to be our last night in civilisation for some time...
We found a market, with a couple of stalls selling plastic sheeting, so after a little light bartering decided to buy enough to cover two tents, in case we encountered more wet weather later in the week- it would have been disasterous if our sleeping bags became wet.
Erfoud Market
Erfoud looked rather drab in the wet, the usual pink walls dulled by the rain. We found a cafe with tables under canvas and sat drinking mint tea and milky coffee. We came up with a few stock phrases which we'd take it in turns to say every so often- "It's brightening up a bit", and "There's a break in the clouds".
Downtown Erfoud
Once we had finished lunch back at the hotel, it did brighten up considerably, and was warm enough to sunbath. Some brave souls even used the pool, although it was apparently freezing. I must say, the hotel did a grand job of feeding us all; I think it amused the waiters, as each time they brought out a fresh platter of food, we would all descend on it like a swarm of locusts!
Finally, the BOM representative, Rob, famous for his dry sense of humour and expressionless delivery, called us over for the official announcement; stage one was cancelled, the admin day would be held at a nearby hotel the next day, and the race would start the day after that. We were to remain at the hotel for the next two nights, and would then be taken by coach to the start of the race on Tuesday. We spent the rest of the day sorting out stuff to be sent back to the Berbere Palace, and trying to get our rucksack weight down. Mine still weighed around 10 kilos, despite losing the food for Day 1.
The next day, Monday, we boarded the coaches to take us to check in at the Hotel Kasbah- I suddenly realised I'd left my ECG and medical certificate in my room so had to sprint back for it! We were all slightly cheered as it was a gorgeous day without a cloud in sight and it looked as though the MdS was back on.
Once we reached the hotel, we had a queue to check in;
Queuing For Check In
I stood with Keith, an Australian guy, who kindly lent me a hat as I'd left mine back at the hotel.
Course Officials And The Dune Buggies
We spotted Mohammed Ahansal further back in the queue; Mohammed, and his brother Lahcen, are MdS legends, having won the event between them for the past few years. They were both really nice, unassuming guys though, only too happy to pose for a photo or chat.
Me, Keith And Mohammed Ahansal
Eventually, we reached the head of the queue, and my main luggage to be sent back to Ouazazate was taken off me. I was directed to a desk where I was given salt tablets, a flare and a timing chip, directed to another desk where the chip was fitted to my rucksack, directed to another desk where I was given a water card and card to be stamped each time I visited the Doc Trotters, directed to another desk to collect my race numbers (which had my name on them- a really nice touch) and finally directed to the Doctors desk, where they studied my ECG and certificate. The Doctor asked me if I had done long distances before. I gabbled "Yes, 30, 40, 50 miles in one day... lots..."
He asked me if I had done rhe MdS before. I said no, and he said "Have a good race, drink lots of water" and then I was back out in the sunshine.
I Collect My Essential Equipment
We were given lunch, and told that Patrick Bauer would be delivering a speech at 3:00pm, so hung around the large area by the pool.
A Camel!
I climbed the stairs in one of the main buildings to gain an arial view over the hotel grounds;
The Hotel Kasbah
Unfortunately I also spied a downpour coming our way; when it hit, we all had to run for shelter, although luckily it only lasted for around 30 minutes. We filed back outside to await Patrick's address, and I spied Lahcen Ahansal, and had my photo taken with him.
Me And Lahcen Ahansal
His pack was tiny, and only weighed 6.5 kilos- I told him that mine weighed 10 kilos!
A strange band made their way through the hotel grounds, serenading us with drums, chanting and horns, which seemed to sound the same note over and over again. Finally they ended up on the roof;
The Morrocan Band Who Serenaded Us
Patrick finally made his appearence at 4:30pm, and, with the help of an english translator, said that there had been two main options for the MdS this year; they could have either cancelled the race, or still put a race on. They had chosen the latter option (and it is only now that I can appreciate how close it must have come to being cancelled). The stages were to be arranged from day to day, and the road books would now be pretty much null and void.
The next day would still be dunes day, but we would enter the Erg Chebbi dunes further to the left from a road accessible to the coaches and make a tougher crossing than originally planned.
Patrick called the elite runners onto the stage to show us how to correctly position our race numbers;
Patrick Bauer And The Elite Runners
It was then time to go back to the hotel; the only problem was that the buses seemed to have disappeared, and there were only two available to take us all back. There was a mad scrum for seats, and some folks resorted to sitting in the luggage hold until a lady French offical spotted them; "Ah, no no no- you are all crezzy!"
Luckily the buses made several trips, so we did all get back eventually. Me, Rach and Gilly decided to use our packed breakfasts the next morning, and after dinner and some last minute pack adjustments, settled down for what was to be our last night in civilisation for some time...
Labels: Erfoud, Marathon des Sables
