Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon 2008 !!!
Heather and I are back in Johannesburg and close to the end of our three week trip to South Africa. Early Wednesday we fly back to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Finally, after almost five years of thinking about the extreme marathon, and 
two previous attempts, I have completed the race in 2008. It was great to have Heather in support as part of the crew. It is a race run in a remote area of South Africa in the Kalahari desert, and the large crew have a lot of work to do in keeping the race progressing and the runners safe. Apart from the sheer length of the race of 240km in seven days in stages, with one rest day, the main challenge is coping with the heat and humidity. My particular mental barrier has always been the long day/night stage of 75km, this year on day four and five. I coped with the first couple of stages very cautiously trying to preserve some energy for later in the race. The staggered start for the long stage had me starting at midday (12h00), just an hour in front of the race leaders. I kept going through to 02h15 the next morning to complete the 75km, and from then on, with just two stages left, the end was in sight. Surprisingly, having never covered such a distance before, I felt stronger with each day, and I think all of us adapted gradually to cope with the heat better. Two days after the race, my feet are still a little trashed, with swelling and blisters. It is a spectacular environment in the Kalahari, and just a remarkable place in which many animal and bird species thrive. The race website (www.extrememarathons.com/augrabies/) includes many photographs, and some links to videos on "youtube".
Heather and I are back in Johannesburg and close to the end of our three week trip to South Africa. Early Wednesday we fly back to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Finally, after almost five years of thinking about the extreme marathon, and 
two previous attempts, I have completed the race in 2008. It was great to have Heather in support as part of the crew. It is a race run in a remote area of South Africa in the Kalahari desert, and the large crew have a lot of work to do in keeping the race progressing and the runners safe. Apart from the sheer length of the race of 240km in seven days in stages, with one rest day, the main challenge is coping with the heat and humidity. My particular mental barrier has always been the long day/night stage of 75km, this year on day four and five. I coped with the first couple of stages very cautiously trying to preserve some energy for later in the race. The staggered start for the long stage had me starting at midday (12h00), just an hour in front of the race leaders. I kept going through to 02h15 the next morning to complete the 75km, and from then on, with just two stages left, the end was in sight. Surprisingly, having never covered such a distance before, I felt stronger with each day, and I think all of us adapted gradually to cope with the heat better. Two days after the race, my feet are still a little trashed, with swelling and blisters. It is a spectacular environment in the Kalahari, and just a remarkable place in which many animal and bird species thrive. The race website (www.extrememarathons.com/augrabies/) includes many photographs, and some links to videos on "youtube".