Blood, Sweat and Dust Devils by R. Paul Bateson (mds diary 2001)
Marathon des Sables, 30th March to 9th April, 2001.
Sometimes attention to detail and 15 months planning and preparation isn’t enough to overcome a physical disability --- and will power isn’t an option.
BLOOD, SWEAT AND DUST DEVILS
Diary of a failed attempt.
(16th Marathon des Sables, 30th March to 9th April, 2001)
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It was January 5th, my 49th birthday, I had flu, it was cold, wet and generally normal for a UK winter (miserable) – I needed a challenge to mark my 50th, so I telephoned ‘Best of Morocco’ and entered the ‘worlds toughest footrace’ the Marathon des Sables.
Over the previous few years working in an Outdoor Pursuits Shop, (Base Camp in Ilkley, West Yorkshire), I had often talked to people about desert travel, having done quite a few trips to the Sahara and the race had always intrigued me.
The route varies each year but basically it is a foot race in stages covering around 250km done at one’s own pace while maintaining self-sufficiency in food, clothing and gear.
The itinerary offers various terrain; dunes, stoney plateaus, trail, oueds, palm groves and small mountains over six stages of between 25 and 85 km including a non-stop stage covered partly at night.
Over the next few months I trained, mainly in the gym to build overall strength (but also because the weather was so bad), and also I was planning a move to Spain for warm weather training and hopefully to stay permanently.
I accomplished this in October when I moved to Competa.
Benidorm and Sevilla marathons were used for training (in Sevilla I did a personal best of 3hr 51min a month prior to the MdS) so I was ready for the challenge with just the niggling problem of my deafness, tinnitus and poor balance (caused by anti-biotics) to overcome.
I flew out to Quarzazate via Casablanca on 28th March, meeting Canadian, American and Mexican competitors on the way and the adventure began.
Thursday 29th March.
Look around Quarzazate, a big town, I had expected a small place with a couple of hotels. Competitors arriving all day, 33 countries, 650 competitors plus almost the same number of race personnel, journalists, TV crews etc. This is a major event covered by a 1000 TV and radio stations.
Briefing in evening.
Friday 30th March.
Up at 5.30, big breakfast then away in one of a dozen coaches for the secret start location.
The 5 hour journey takes us east across Morocco to Erfoud.
On the way we are issued ‘Road Books’ the complete race guide including maps, compass bearings and most importantly, stage details.
Mexican champion, Luis Guerrero, my room mate, finds it first, Stage 4, 82km.
The longest stage in the history of the race (16 years), well the organiser did want his race to be the toughest.
We continue through Erfoud then stop, - no more road. Transfer to open military type trucks, continue across open desert, very uncomfortable journey, seriously worried about potential injury as we bounce along.
After 4 or 5 km arrive at Base 1, glad to get off unscathed.
1600 hrs, shown to Bivouac no. 53, sharing with 5 English and two Australian, rest of day free. Surprised how warm it is at night, 25degrees, freak conditions.
Saturday 31st March.
Up at 6, sort kit and fill in declaration of kit and food. Have to prove you have a minimum of 2000 calories a day as organisers only provide water during the race.
Very giant black and white ant, around 4cm, headed off from entering the shelter, it suddenly disappeared, where????
My race number is 453 so I have till 15.30 before my kit and medical inspection. My food weighs in at 4.5kg and the rest of kit another 7.5kg. I had trained with 12kg but I still have to add water plus supplied distress rocket, survival blanket and salt tablets, I’ll have to manage, anyway I am well inside the regulation 16kg max.
Doctor happy with my ECG and medical, weight ok at 66kg.
Some concern re my deafness, warned to take it carefully as extra Dunes this year!
So far we have been fed by the organisation’s very high quality mobile canteen and meals have included wine and cheese, superb, Tomorrow self-sufficiency begins!
Sunday 1st April. Day 1, 25km.
High winds during the night but slept ok. Up at 6, Bedouin site team work way round dismantling the 70 shelters, (Coffee sacks sewn together and pegged at each end then lifted in the centre with poles plus a couple of carpets on the ground).
Windy, hazy, sand blowing everywhere.
Prepare Allsports drink mixes, electrolytes, salts etc and eat high energy muesli.
My food was supplied by German company, Simpert Reiter and only required the addition of hot or cold water. I chose it because it tastes very good, is high in calories and cooks in its own satchet therefore I didn’t need to carry extra pans.
First stage starts 9.30, away into headwind, stay with tent mate Jason, an RAF bandsman who had served in the Gulf. Steady jog across open desert, soft sand, rocks and small dunes to checkpoint 1, 11km, ID card clipped, water issued, 1 and half litres, in race numbered bottles, (traced litter meant time penalty), feel ok so quickly on way again.
Very hard climbing up and down sand dunes.
Road Book; Km 21, CP2 at end of wadi near dunes on right. Cross Moulay Amar erg. Keep same direction (190 degrees).
After 3hr 55min arrive finish, Bivouac 2. 330th.
Quite happy despite headwinds and 42degrees, tinnitus a bit worse. Feet ok, soak in ‘half beach ball foot bath’.
My gaiter design has worked well, no sand in my shoes or socks. Legs, hips and shoulders a bit stiff.
Simpert Reiter Pasta Carbonara followed by Chocolate Mousse for meal, lovely.
Rest of day to rest, tomorrow it is the feared ‘Dune Day’.
Monday 2nd April. Day 2, 34km.
The previous days ‘Dust Devils’, (small, sand whirlwinds which play across the desert like searchlights), were quiet.
I removed the solidified pool of blood and sand from the ground near my head, result of a nose bleed during the night, and prepared for the tough day to come.
A few were out of the race already, today could be worse.
Following the usual start line briefing we were away at 8.30, already very hot.
Road Book; Head South (compass point 168) towards big dunes. Km 2, Beginning of Chebbi erg (no markings). You must take compass point 158. Km. 6.5; CP1 in middle of dunes.
Continue compass point 158. At CP2 and 15km of hell in 45 plus degrees we had crossed the first batch of the second biggest dunes in Africa, (over 3000 feet).
More endless, rocky plateau to CP3 then at 30.5km, Beginning of Znaigui erg (no markings).
You must take compass point 209). Bivouac 3 was at the end of this dune section.
I finished, having struggled in the dunes to keep my balance despite using ski poles, in just under 7 hours. I collected my 4 and a half litres of water and staggered to my shelter to rest.
A few minutes later a ‘Doc Trotter’ Medical team member came for me, as they were monitoring me they wanted to check me over. Here I was tested and given 3bottles of saline via IV drip, I was dehydrated despite drinking all my issued water.
It also meant a 1hour penalty plus I missed my chance to stretch my muscles, best done within half an hour of finishing.
After over 2 hours I went back to the shelter with a sore arm from the IV to find the others were all back apart from Rob, one of the Aussies, who appeared about an hour later.
Tomorrow it is further but no big dunes.
Tuesday 3rd April. Day 3, 38km.
Up at 6, feet in good condition, a combination of Biobas Foot balm, two pairs of Smartwool socks and a very comfortable pair of Teva Ricochet shoes with specially made orthotic Superfeet footbeds, encased in breathable Pertex Gaiters was working perfectly. A lot of competitors were already suffering with painful blisters and ‘Doc Trotter’ was kept very busy the previous day.
Very hot by 8.15 after an unusually hot night we were away at 8.45. Km 10.5, CP1 on stoney plateau at end of small dunes. Head W/SW (compass point 245) to reach 17 km point. Feel ok at this point but after collecting issued 1 ½ litres of water my troubles started.
I transferred most of the water to my water bladder but it didn’t close properly as water started to seep down my back into my shorts, I realised it wasn’t sweat when the back of my shorts became soaked through. I had to stop, check the bladder, which seemed ok and continue, it kept dripping so I drank what I could and checked again.
I solved the problem but by then I had probably lost over ½ litre of vital water and drink mix.
I staggered into CP2 and got my next issue of 1 ½ litres of much needed water. Just over half way and some big dunes to climb, temperature over 45 degrees and a head wind. Not Happy! Km 30.8, Village of Jdaid.
Aim for dune in jebel, direction S/W (compass point 234). On a long climb after the village I was again struggling with my balance and my tinnitus was ‘deafening’ .
I kept slipping and tripping and eventually I sat down. At this point, with only 5 km to the stage end, I couldn’t have carried on, even for a million pounds.
A race 4x4 radioed for a ‘Doc Trotter’ and I abandoned and travelled to the finish, upset but out of it and suffering yet another nose bleed.
If I had just sat for an hour and waited for a group of slower competitors I may have finished the stage but next day was the double marathon, 82 km and at that point I couldn’t face it.
My race was over, my camera had jammed up, all my cash, passport, plane tickets were soaked, a sand storm was building but amazingly I hadn’t any blisters!
I intend to stay with the race so the rest of my food is taken off me and bagged up (so I can’t give extra to anyone in the race) and from now on I eat with the press and staff.
Wednesday 4th April.
Up at 5, didn’t sleep very well, extremely hot and sand storm during night had made things very uncomfortable, my race was over but the other guys had 82km to face.
After breakfast I joined a group of other abandoned to travel across the desert in a specially designed safari coach, huge, luxurious, 4x4 privately owned but contracted to events of this type, Paris-Dakar rally etc.
Away at 6.30 on an amazing journey crossing what appeared to be impossible terrain and working to GPS bearings we arrived at ‘the middle of nowhere’ around 11.
Nothing to do now but wait for the rest of the race to appear.
To give an idea of the size of the Atlantide Organisation there are; 80 technical team, 100 logistic and 30 medical. 80 Berber tents, 35 Saharan tents, 80 all-terrain vehicles, 2 mountain bikes, 2 camels, 2 helicopters, 1 Cesna aircraft, 5 Boeing, 3 satellite phones, 1 image-transmitting satellite and a mobile waste-disposal unit. On the fuel side, 15000 litres of diesel, 5000 litres of petrol, 8000 litres of kerosene and 80000 litres of mineral water plus 1 grain of folly. . . .
The rest of the day was spent watching dust devils spiral across the vast plain, walking around looking for ammonites, a fossil numerous in the desert, talking to a group of Berber children, (even in the middle of nowhere children always mysteriously appear) who gradually accumulated a collection of food, sweets and biros from the mad visitors and watching as Base Camp 5 took shape.
Just before 7pm a runner crossed the line, incredible as he had set off at 9 to cover the 82km double marathon stage, even more amazingly 3min later, Lahcen Ahansal, a Moroccan who has won for the past 5 years, also finished, and he had been one of the top 50 who had started at midday, a double marathon in severe terrain in under 7 hours and he wasn’t out of breathe!!
I had gone to bed around 10pm when suddenly the wind started to strengthen and next minute the shelter collapsed on top of me, sand was blasting me, I could hardly see and I had to gather my things, crawl out trying to keep hold of stuff.
A few tents were collapsed and the Bedouin crew were soon out re-securing ropes and pegs and eventually as the storm passed things returned to normal and I could empty sand from my sleeping bag, rucksac etc., (it does get everywhere).
Guy, of the Haven Cancer Charity, was first back at the tent about midnight and last one in was Rob, an Australian also celebrating his 50th year, who finished around 1pm the following afternoon.
Thursday 5th April.
A rest day depending on when you finished, some walk/run through the night others stop for a sleep and brew up. There are time cut offs for various checkpoints but they are quite generous.
Spend day watching people finish and Swallows flying only inches above the ground weaving in and out of the tents.
Big memory of the day, a huge dust devil, maybe 5metres across, whirled through the camp and sucked up someone’s sleeping mat which flew like a magic carpet at heights of between 2 and 30metres all over the camp until heading out into the desert where it was chased down and grabbed after almost a km.
Friday 6th April. Day 6, 42km.
A full marathon.
Allocated seat in Mitsubishi Pajero no.3, driver, Vicente, one of the routing team.
I get to see today’s route from a different angle as we set off checking bearings, marking rocks with red paint and fixing marker boards. Although the road book gives route details and bearings there are also markers along the way for security.
Another very tough route and again very hot. At CP3 I find a scorpion burrow and with a piece of grass I manage to entice its occupant out for photos.
Quite a big one at around 8cm. Hope no one decides to sit here.
Not very well in the afternoon, temperature over 48 degrees in the shelter, can only lie down and suffer.
Saturday 7th April. The final stage, 22km, a half-marathon.
Driven to the finishing town of Tazzarine in the back of an open truck. A hard rocky route with a tarmac finish down the main street.
Full carnival atmosphere here, local dignitaries, army, band and the population out in force.
Lahcen Ahansal wins the stage in 1hour 22min finishing with his usual leap to touch the finish banner.
He completed the 250 odd kilometres in 18hours 42min 10sec, an incredible time for the toughest, hottest and longest race yet.
Slowest finisher took 74hr 40min 24sec.
Fastest woman in 8th overall was Italian champion Franca Fiacconi in 23hr 46min 46sec.
547 finished.
The 180000 french francs and numerous trophies which makes up the prize list isn’t the attraction for the majority, it is expensive to enter but the event has a magic about it hard to define.
At the time of dropping out I couldn’t have even considered going on but maybe in the future, with improved technology to help my hearing and some financial backing coupled with my experience from this year I would give it another try.
Maybe. . . ?
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