Marathon Des Sables 2021 - Desert Dad Diary Day 3
Race Day, Stage 1
Once again, awoken after a better nights’ sleep, by some loud, classical music emanating from the back of a trailer. Having been caught out by the sheer darkness of the previous morning, I have learned from my experience and left the essentials in a place where I can find them quickly, and it works! Headlamp on, bags already packed the previous night, our Driver Sayed finds our tent numbered 12 in the melee of tents that all look exactly the same. Sayedd informs me that he has had another comfortable nights’ sleep in the desert under the stars and the only issue he had during the very windy night, was that his ears were full of sand. My room-mate Ian informs me that he has never rested so well. What does he do that I don’t? Maybe its being organised and prepared? I am convinced he must have been trained in the Cub Scouts.
So now, following Breakfast, it is dawning on the Competitors that today is Race Day Stage 1.
They unfortunately now have to be completely and utterly self-sufficient and therefore the Food Marquee is strategically erected out of sight of the Competitors for varying reasons, one being that in the past they have sneaked in to have meal and returned to their Bivouac on a full tummy of delicious chicken, rather than dried eggplant.
We realise that today is probably the hottest day ever that the MDS has run! On parts of the course it is recorded at 45 degrees in the shade! Later we are to find out that in fact temperatures exceeded 55 degrees in the direct sunlight.
The Competitors gather for the start with loads of smiling faces and positive thoughts. As they line up after their final checks we see over 700 Competitors looking forward to an experience of a lifetime.
Expectations were high the night before when I went to visit a few of the tents, now reality had struck, it’s Race Day and exceedingly hot!
After the final interviews and photographs the helicopter took to the air and hearts were beating somewhat faster, this is it, this is what we’ve have trained for for 18 months.
The countdown can be heard over the tannoy down from 10 to 1 and with the sound of AC/DC blasting out ‘Highway to Hell’ in the desert.
And they’re off! All running, well to begin with at least.
My photographer friend and I get our last shots and then we meet our driver who has momentarily disappeared. His briefing clearly wasn't understood. However I eventually locate him wandering aimlessly around and off we shoot to a remote area that we chose near CP1 (Checkpoint 1). This makes for some beautiful photos and we spend around 30 minutes at this spot waiting for the two leading Moroccan runners to appear. In the distance we spot a helicopter then 10 minutes they appear, looking very comfortable in the intense heat.
We then move to another area which appears to be a Village and then complete our journey via CP2, in the sand dunes, one kilometre out from the finish line.
It is noticeable that those we saw at CP1 and 2 who were ok at that stage, were now suffering badly in the heat. The Moroccan, Rashid has completed the course in a little over 3 1/2 hours and heads off for a deserved rest.
Following another delightful supper of Moroccan cuisine, we have another briefing for Race Day, Stage 2. I am clearly feeling more confident that I now know where my kit is and how the day works.
