MDS 2015 - Journey to the East

Leaving Warsaw

It's raining cats and dogs as we drive through Warsaw, Poland trying to make our way to the airport.  I'm barely awake because I've spent the last three days and two nights finishing up school assignments and some last minute packing for MdS. I want nothing more than to get to Marrakesh, check into the Riad, and crash for hours. I really don't care about the race...all I want is SLEEP! The unfortunate part is I have a nine-hour layover in Frankfurt and there is going to be no place to crash.

 So the next best thing is grab a burger, something I haven't had in a looooong time.  

Finally, after almost 14 hours of traveling, I arrive in Marrakech where I am greeted by my driver and we are off to Riad El Youssoufi.

Riad El Youssoufi, is a located about 400 meters due west of the souk. It's located in a quiet part of Marrakech tucked away from the busy streets. Julien, the director of the properties, is very connected within Marrakech and is very helpful on many levels other than coordinating trips and making sure your stay is comfortable. My plan is to stay here for a few days for some much needed R&R and complete the last of school work and then start to focus on the race. Oh, yeah...I still need to work on getting my front pack modified. 

My room is the upper left corner of this picture

Not a bad place to do homework.

The Souk--this place is crazy!

Extra elastic material so I can slip a 1.5L water bottle in and out.
This cost me a whole $2...what a deal!

Journey to the East... 

It's 1am on April 1st and I woke up because I saw my phone light up. I was waiting to hear from one of my daughters around this timeframe so I got up and checked my phone:

Seriously...

It's a notification that my MdS trip officially starts and I find it funny that it's also April Fools day. I'm not sure who the fool is at the moment. The guy who woke up to get his phone and read his calendar or the one who is getting ready to run in the desert. 

I very clumsily crawl back into bed and sleep for a few more hours. Today, a bunch of the U.S. runners are scheduled to meet at a hotel where we will all board a shuttle for a trip over the Atlas mountains and down the other side to a small town named Ouarzazate, Morocco. The trip looks like it will take about 4 hours to travel, based on my experience in Africa, we should be up for a solid adventure. Jay Batchen, Dreamschasers Outdoor Adventures, has done an excellent job in facilitating all of the administrative travel for the U.S. contingent as well as a bunch of hints and tips. He's a 9 or 10 time finisher of MdS and is also back for more adventure this year.  Rumor has it we'll be getting a "what to expect at MdS" workshop tomorrow morning. Here's some photo's of the trip over to Ouarzazate, Morocco:

There is so much going in this picture. This is the starting point for the MdS adventures and the official journey to the east.

The official start of the journey was quickly halted by a moroccan traffic jam involving a motorcycle and cows.

The journey is relatively flat at first and then begins to ascend into the Atlas mountains.

We drove by so many little villages like this. They are cut literally into the side of the mountains.

Yes, those are cows on the top of this truck. I'm pretty sure the mountains are the only place where cows are raised.

Quick 'pee' break. Driver is drinking Moroccan mint tea. We all came to love and crave this tea in upcoming days.

Fresh butchered meat...I hope. 

Beautiful Atlas mountains...check out the trail!

Terrain as we descended out of the Atlas mountains and into the "Land of Oz". 

"The Door of the Desert" - Ouarzazate, Morrocco

Entering Ouarzazate, Morroco

Ouarzazate (pronounced war-za-zat) derives from a Berber phrase meaning "without noise" or "without confusion" is nicknamed The Door of the Desert and the Hollywood of Morocco. After traveling through the city, you get a good feeling that both nicknames are appropriate for the city. Historically, Ouarzazate was a small crossing point for traders that has expanded over the years to hosting movie productions. If you're an adventurer, this is the gateway to several world-class destinations. If you're a movie buff, you can visit sets of some of the biggest blockbuster videos made since the 1950's. 

Ouarzazate has also been the staging point for Marathon des Sables for years. As we roll into town, you get the feeling that a lot of big stuff happens in this town and this week, the MdS is it. Our shuttle takes us to the Riad Salam where we will be staying the next couple of days. We're all pretty starving so we check into the hotel, meet Jay, throw our stuff into the room and head into town for some food.

Gotta love translated menus. The "Pastes" look awesome!

Edytte, Josh, and I needed tons of umbrellas to block us from the sun. Ha!  

Pre-loading for MdS.

Classic Vegetable and Cous Cous dish in Morocco.

Nice way to end the day. Tomorrow we meet other U.S. runners and have a meeting with Jay in the morning.

"MdS 101" by Jay Batchen, Dreamchasers Outdoor Adventures  

It's 9am and I'm still super groggy from a night of hard sleeping. I managed to sleep through my alarm clock and was almost late to breakfast. I rushed down to the restaurant and grabbed some juice, pancakes, and lot's of honey. I has fairly hungry and I'm pretty sure that I ate close to ten little pancakes. I'm still up against the wire on some small school tasks so I ran over to the hotel lobby and got on the internet to finish up my work before Jay's briefing. I feel overworked right now but I'm also celebrating in the fact that I'm not engaging in discussions about kit, nutrition, and race strategy. I've already decided all of that and I'm "in to win it" in terms of what I brought. I'm the type of person that will start to second guess things as I begin to discuss things with folks. 

Jay's briefing is just outside the restaurant in a nice shaded area. It's the perfect spot to spend an hour or so talking about the finer things of MdS. Jay is super detailed oriented and he covered lot's of topics. He discussed the logistics behind getting out to the bivouac, life in the bivouac, the "do's and dont's" of berber tent living, equipment, and a solid Q&A session. I was really happy to have attended this session. Most MdS runners don't get this luxury and they are literally wheeling their luggage lost once they arrive at the bivouac. The rest of the afternoon was primarily meant for our group to go through equipment and make any last minute adjustments. Our bus to the bivouac is set to arrive at our hotel first thing the next day. Here's a few pics of the briefing:

Left to right: Isabelle, Dirk, Chris, Russ, Sarah

Jay showing us the ropes of the MdS pack.

Cat: "I want to sit on your lap"
Ricky: "No, you're not!!!"
Cat: "Yes I am"
Ricky: "No you're...."

Seriously.....

Most of Jay's kit.

The group checking out kit and meeting other runners for MdS. 

The Gathering

I went to bed the previous night with no homework to keep me up, my kit is consolidated and my gear is already sorted out. I've only brought enough clothes to wear pre/post MdS so I've got next to nothing. I lay down on my bed and for the first time...think about MdS. "HOLY SH$$$T....what am I doing here" screams loud and clear in my mind! I try to shake the negative thoughts but they keep coming. I put on some music and eventually fall asleep. I'm awakened the next morning by lots of vehicles parking and driving up and down the street. There's an unusual feel and hedonic tone in Ouarzazate. There's a logistical excitement kind of vibe but reserved. Just getting to Ouarzazate has been quite the expedition in of itself and now were are finally going to travel to the bivouac...the place we'll be for the next few days...the first start of MdS...a collection point where all runner tribes from throughout the world will consolidate for seven days with one goal in mind...finish the toughest footrace in the world. The bus ride was a little over six hours. We drove and drove and drove some more.

Learning the bivouac toilet system.

Climbing out of the flatlands. The two buses behind are also filled with MdS participants from other countries.

Very diverse landscape.

Traveling through several checkpoints along the way. 

Bus caravan going through a round-about.

Driving around a washed out bridge.

Words cannot describe how blue the sky was this day. No filters--straight alla naturale'.
At this point, we are wondering how much longer!

The rocks marks the spot. Turn right at the rock and you'll arrive at the 2015 MdS bivouac! Finally....

This fella, Commissioner of Logistics, is escorting us to the bivouac.  

 The bivouac...

After a short drive from the highway, we got off the bus and walked with our race kit and extra luggage to our berber tent. This is home for a few days and will be the official start to MdS 2015. The MdS bivouac is a logistic nightmare (from a planners perspective) but one of the most amazing sites you'll see as a runner. The bivouac configuration will never change for us during the entire race. The whole logistical package will be tore down by 8am every morning, moved by Moroccon military and berbers across the desert to the next bivouac and set back up before the runners arrive at the next start point. I believe MdS logistics probably has two sets of this configuration (minus equipment) that is leapfrogged across the route. I could be wrong but this seems highly rationale.  

MdS 2015 Bivouac Configuration. Photo Credit: MdS, 2015

This was is the food collection point for dinner on the 3rd and breakfast, lunch, dinner on the 4th. 

Runners lining up for dinner. Soups, coffee, and tea were self-served close to that lamp.

MdS Dinner

A picture from our berber tent (#178). We would fall asleep to MdS runners arriving throughout the night.
Falling asleep was pretty hard. So many thoughts going through my head both positive and negative.

The Tribes have Gathered...

Words cannot describe our craving for primal experiences. Living under the stars...being self-sufficient...the only focus is to be alive...feel alive. Being primal is deeply embedded in our DNA and feeling alive is what meaningful experiences are all about. Most importantly, we are social creatures and we crave people to share these experiences with. Author of Tribes, Seth Godin, said it best, "human beings can't help it: we need to belong. One of the most powerful of our survival mechanisms is to be part of a tribe, to contribute to (and take from) a group of like-minded people. We are drawn to leaders and to their ideas, and we can't resist the rush of belonging and the thrill of the new" (p. 3).

Morning sunrise at the Bivouac

Waking up under a berber tent and looking around, you quickly understand the idea of the "tribes have gathered". At this point and from here on out, everyone has traveled from all over the world with one goal in mind...test your limits and learn more about yourself. Even though there are many language barriers there is a belief in self and a belief in group and code that all runners seem to already know. You can hear the chants from tents, you can feel the global beat, you feel alive. My question of "what the hell am I doing here" is immediately answered: I'm here because I belong to this tribe, I'm here because I have the same belief in an idea that was generated over 30 years ago and I believe in the community that is here. It's not the leadership that drives this tribe, it's the concept, the idea behind the question of "how much do you got" when presented the proving grounds of MdS. When you look around the bivouac, it's appears chaotic but there's a sense of calm to me, I am home.

The 4th of April is packed with lots of stuff to do. The biggest task for all racers is to get your breakfast, rest, and prepare for the administration shake down, and get some more rest.

Tent #178 sorting kit (Right to Left: Alissa, Martin, Felicia, Mosi, Rach, Dean)

Steve, Camel #1, Camel #2, and Dean

Felicia and Mosi at tent #178 getting prepped for gear inspection and admin check.

Inside the admin tent were you got your packed weighed, medical sheet checked, and issued more race kit.

A look outside from the admin tent during the sand storm.

MdS Runner #888: Alissa, she's as tough as nails!!!!

My friend, mentor, and coach Liza Howard.
We are gathering for local music and race announcements in the middle of the bivouac.

A little sand storm during the music. 

Marathon des Sables originator--Patrick Bauer announcing one of the famous Ahansal brothers will be guiding a blind runner during the race.

Regardless of how windy it is, we head back to the tent for one last night of sleep before stage 1.

As I lay my head to sleep...

It's tough to sleep tonight. There's a ton of excitement in the camp and there are lots of people still out and about trying to get squared away for the start of MdS Stage-One. This is the biggest race that I've ever participated in and I'm beginning to think that I don't have the experience to compete in this race. From a running perspective, I've got five marathons under my belt and one 100-miler and that's an appetizer to most of the runners at MdS. 

To stay focused, I pull out my phone and read the answers to some questions that Liza had me think about and respond:

What are your goals for MdS?

My goals for MdS are quite simple: Run this race, test my skills/limits, and finish.

Why are you running?

I first read about MdS when I was around 11 or 12 years old in an adventure magazine. Ever since then, I’ve been infatuated with adventure races like the MdS. I’ve been in long adventure races before and have competed well in them. Participating in MdS has been a lifelong goal, which I never thought would be possible.

What do you hope to gain from the experience?

Professionally, I’m using equipment and strategies that one of my companies uses to teach students how to survive and move in hostile environments. I’m hoping to take what I learn and make adjustments or validate what is being taught.

Personally, I want to grow as a runner and I want to go up against the hardest tests out there. It’s the same reasons why I have accomplished most things in my life. I don’t like easy and don’t want easy. This experience is truly about testing my will, my mental capacity, and my ability to overcome obstacles. I feel this race is going to push me into some really dark places and I want to know that I have the ability and desire to navigate through them.

What would be a bad day?  Bad race?

A bad day is a day when I don’t smile and it’s raining so hard that my underwear is soaked and wet. The latter is not a player in this race…LOL. Honestly, it takes a lot to have a bad day when I’m on an adventure. An adventure is there to blow you around in the winds and it’s up to you to decide whether it’s good or bad. I could see a bad day being bit by a rabid dog, snake, or camel spider. All of which I can’t control so there is no sense in worrying about it. I could see other issues being a bad day such as consciously deciding not to eat, drink, or otherwise take care of myself. This is hard to envision because I understand the importance and consequences that relate to these matters.

A bad race. This is hard to imagine. I’m really looking forward to the experience. I’m ready to mentally embrace the suck should the race go in this manner. Either way, I don’t think it’s going to be a bad race. I don’t envision this race being easy or moderate. It’s going to be difficult and the biggest challenge of my life. I’ve prepared my mind for this, I’ve explored my soul and I am ready.

How important is placing in the top 10 to you?  Top 20?

Based on my “summit fever” during my last race, I’ve decided long ago that placement does not matter to me. I really don’t have an overall time goal, place goal, or even studied the field. I trained the last five months grounded in the concept that I am training to improve my physical and mental abilities to deal with a course that is challenging. I’ve been running literally scared about this race and this has pushed me to train super hard. I’m not running to test myself against others; I am running to test myself against this course and those dark mental moments.

What is most likely to derail your race?

Not getting a coke until the 5th day…LOL! So much of this race is about recovery and successful communal living. The chances of catching something are pretty high. So I would say that not taking care of myself outside of running the course would most likely derail my race. It truly boils down to good sanitation and hygiene and camp living skills.

What would cause you to drop?

Something life-threatening. I know this is something that always gets said but I can always walk. There are many people who will be walking AND you actually get a huge welcome when you’re the last to finish the MdS so why not change the mindset to “I’m going to finish dead last and inches in front of that damn camel!”

How will you avoid that?

I have to take care of myself both in the race and out of the race. Socializing will be fun but getting prepared for the next stage is more important: run, drink, eat, sleep, run, drink, eat, and sleep. Focus on good pacing, moving with even effort across the terrain, and being flexible, and paying attention/taking care of issues when they first arise.

How can I best support you out there?

You’ve got a race ahead of you! Focus on your runs. When we see each other, a good laugh and hug will do just fine.

Every day I’ve seen this race as a war where I am literally running with messed up feet and everything has gone bad around me. I often see myself focused on just getting to objects that are within feet from me, yet I still finished. It's not a pretty finish but it's still a finish. I have visualized myself coming out of each stage battered to no end. My mind is in a good place right now because of this. I’ve created such a mess of a race in my mind that I’m prepared for the worst. At least, at this point in time, I believe I am.

After reading this, I feel refocused and fall asleep. That night, I never would've thought I'd be walking the last 6k of Stage 1....