We're finally back home.
Yesterday was a day of homecoming, farewells and reunions. Hugs all round, exchanging email addresses and phone numbers, and promises to meet again to remember these past few days. Arrival at the airport and welcome signs from loved ones. More hugs and tears as reality sinks in.
Oh, my God. I can’t imagine what achieving a goal like this must feel like. Exhaustion and physical pain meant Pere was unable to write to me until last night, but we have been able to follow his progress over the last two stages. And Joan Bartomeu has achieved the impossible: capturing the exact moment Pere crossed the finish line! Here it is:
After two long days of restlessness, we finally received news from the front. And what news! Pere's face speaks for itself.
He set off at 9h 14min 46s and reached the finish line at 21h 42min 11s. Don’t take my word for it, as I’m more of a humanities person, but I make that a total of 12 hours, 27 minutes and 45 seconds. Exactly. That is how long the unstoppable Pere took to cover 82 km of desert.
After the first stages, the runners would casually mention a sore foot, a painful knee or a blister... Yesterday the pain had spread throughout their bodies, making it easier to ask: “Where doesn't it hurt?”
Pere battles his way through hot, dry, sand-laden winds of 30 km/h. Although the organisers described yesterday’s stage as easy, they had not accounted for the wild, changeable desert winds, which turned the journée facile in a real nightmare.
It must stop you in your tracks (or finish frying your brain) to be running through the desert when Berber nomads suddenly appear and say, “Very happy tomorrow!”.
Apparently, this is the main topic of conversation among the 849 participants of the 26th MDS.
The runners from the Iberian Peninsula left on Saturday on the Madrid–Errachidia flight. Buses then took them from oasis to oasis to Erfoud and on to Rissani, 15 km from the Dar Kaoua dunes, where the race would start. Honestly, I do not even know how Pere manages to remember all these names.
It sounds like the start of a joke, but it is absolutely true. I'm Victor. Less than two months ago, I started working at Tuareg, and I never imagined that five weeks later I would be reporting on an event as amazing as the 26th Marathon des Sables.
At the Barcelona office they wanted to say goodbye and I took advantage of it to show them the equipment and luggage.
Joan B. couldn’t resist trying on the glasses, cap, backpack and drinks harness. Now we can imagine what the inhabitants of the Moroccan Sahara must think when they come across four hundred people dressed like this, running through the desert.
At the Barcelona office they wanted to say goodbye and I took advantage of it to show them the equipment and luggage.
Joan B. couldn’t resist trying on the glasses, cap, backpack and drinks harness. Now we can imagine what the inhabitants of the Moroccan Sahara must think when they come across four hundred people dressed like this, running through the desert.
I've been injured for a week, a week of absolute rest, a week of vacation or punishment...
With little time left before I leave for Morocco, I have developed a muscle strain. I have seen a couple of doctors, and the second has left me feeling more reassured than the first.
On the left of the image, breakfast: an energy bar, a Viennese coffee and cereal to mix with the cappuccino.
In the centre, the snacks to eat during the race: more energy bars, gels, nuts and a sachet of isotonic drink powder.
On the right, dinner: freeze-dried meals and soups instant.
“The important thing is to finish as sane as possible to, at each stage,
have enough oxygen reaching my brain to send back a few
sensations and experiences”.
Pere Mongay combines his professional work as a trip planner at Viajes Tuareg with his enthusiasm for outdoor activities. He feels a need to explore the mountains, on foot in summer or on skis in winter. He has competed in disciplines as diverse as orienteering raids, ski touring and mountain running. He is now preparing to take part for the first time in one of the world’s toughest long-distance races, the Marathon des Sables. As he talks, his passion for his work and outdoor sports shines through.
If we asked people in the street what an exercise stress test is, many would give the same definition: the medical examination footballers undergo when they sign for another team. We can all picture it: shorts and a treadmill to run on.
I have read in a document from the Marathon des Sables organisers that they recommend a minimum of 3,000 to 4,000 kilocalories per day per participant. 4,000 kilocalories is a lot! I have no idea how many calories or kcal I consume every day, but I will have to find out.
Today I rediscovered a new part of my body, the toes!
Last week I visited a shop specialising in athletics equipment. I was amazed by the space devoted to socks. Thousands of socks on display, in different sizes and colours and with a thousand and one features.
The spirit of Self-sufficiency of the Marathon des Sables is one of the features that makes this competition one of the most demanding races. Self-sufficiency in the desert means that each participant carries everything needed to survive for seven days, from a sleeping bag to all their food, except water.
The dates are getting closer and you have to start doing your homework.
There’s a list of equipment that I looked at a few months ago and thought: “Phew! I’ll take a proper look at this closer to the time.”. In fact, I think two items are essential: good footwear and a backpack. You need time to get used to both. As for footwear, we all know that you should never set off on a trekking wearing new boots, and the same goes for trainers: you have to get to know them, talk to them and let them mould to your feet.