My MdS Story in Photos

Tent 74 Day 7
Originally uploaded by edgehonson

These are some of the great people I shared my week in the desert with. Click on it to link to flikr.com and see more of my MdS pix

Desert Blues

One month on, I now realise that it is difficult to come out my experience in the Sahara unscarred.

Physically, I have no problems. I had a few small blisters but nothing serious. I will lose one toenail in due course, but that's fairly normal. My knees were weak and slightly damaged and consequently I am only just getting back into running having rested them during April. I have joked that I was not there to sunbathe but I did get a bit of colour in my skin and that is now fading.

But mentally, I feel I have some scars. I can find the positive in these scars and they are motivational for me. I experienced something amazing, and want to share that with others so they are inspired to set targets for themselves. Those who have seen me in the past month know that has been my mantra, a little bit of an evangelist. "Set youself targets and thou shalt achieve!"
But I miss what we achieved out in the desert in that amazing week. I also miss having a focus and a target. MdS was part of my heart and soul for many months. It was always there on the horizon. It is difficult to now close that book. I have yet to decide 'What Next', which is a question I am asked. I will, and that will help. Tess and Bruno hope it's not for a while! But for now Sark and I and The Gherkins are preparing for our annual 100km run along the South Downs in July. Until I am able to close the MdS book and open another, I am experiencing Desert Blues.

Thanks For Your Support

Workaid Visit

I visited Workaid, the small self-help charity I raised funds for (currently approaching £7,000). Sylvia Parrot (Chairman) and Bill Duperouzel (Administrator) along with many of the volunteers who refurbish all the tools were there to greet me and hear all about my adventure. They were all very keen to see the state of my feet which sadly (!?) were lacking in any blisters or real evidence. Many thanks to them all, they raised so much money betwen them. Their support throughout was also important to me. I believe in the ideals of the charity and was so proud to run for them. You can find out more via their web site link to the right.

Dancing Not Running

Merzouga, South-eastern Morocco. Saturday March 31st. Approx 10:40am. Finish line of the 22nd Marathon des Sables.
Bravo Edouard!

I Finished MdS!

I returned back home today (Tues). MdS finished on Saturday morning with runners appearing exhausted but elated out of the dunes into dowtown Merzouga after an 11km final stage. The last section was a 1:30min 'sprint' over the 'Erg Chebbi' sand dunes for me. I finished in 236th position overall for the week, taking 35 hrs 17 mins. I am proud to have completed and extremely pleased with myself to have placed so well out of 757 competitors. I have felt stronger every day and have only three small blisters. Very lucky and in the minority in that respect. More later but now I need to sleep, eat and let my body relax. I'll download my photos later.
Thanks much to Tess for updating in my absence.

Day 6: 42.4km - Done

Day 6, a proper marathon of 26.2 miles or 42.4km. Done and dusted in 5 hours 41 minutes. Would you believe it, I have never run that distance before competitively. Only either more than or less than. I really enjoyed it and the 10km of big dunes in the middle. My position is now 239th, which I am amazed at. I came here to finish and am now in the top third. I have got stronger each day.

I'll try to describe this event when I get home but for now it has been the most incredible experience of my life. Utterly recommended for anyone. There are lots of solid walkers as well as runners. For now we are all so dirty and yet content. Even the cripples who have feet problems, and there are many.

There are opera singers doing their thing in the middle of the camp now so I must go. I really appreciate all the emails. Thanks for news regarding the Workaid total (NB: Ed raised more than £7k as of Friday morning) -- I am so proud of this.

Day 5: Rest day

Rest day after the long 70km stage.

We have just been told that a competitor died last night in his tent. Bernard Jule, from France, came in 45th last night as one of the elite runners. He went to bed saying he was fine. He got up briefly at 3.30am to cheer some others in to the finish, said he was fine and looked fine, then went back to his sleeping bag. He never woke up.

As you can imagine the tone around camp has changed. I am sure you will hear about it on the news so please don't worry. I am fine. I came in yesterday in 12hrs 19mins, to make me 235th overall in just over 28hrs. It was a long hard hot day, but I ran well on my own.

The race will continue tomorrow. Most talk is that though this race is intense and extreme, it was not the cause of death. A doctor who works in A&E says he sees this sort of death regularly. Perhaps some heart condition that he never even knew he had. His ECG for the race was fine and he was an ultra fit guy. It just happened.

Thanks for all emails.

Rest day

Day 4 - no news yet

This isn't Ed. I just downloaded and posted it because I imagine that's what he looks like -- bandaged feet, empty water bottles and all. Most participants are running through the night, so we're not getting an update tonight.

Tess

Day 3 - Done

It's a bit late and i need to sleep so I'll be brief.

32km today. Finished in just under 5 hours. 254th overall. Long hard stage today. Sark just ahead of me in rankings. Big 70km day tomorrow so that's the real test. Probably won't be able to email.

Desert still beautiful, event still incredible, but didn't enjoy today as much as yesterday. Too hot.

Day 2: 35km - Done

It is almost impossible to describe how amazing this is! Sark and I finished together in 5 hours 55 minutes, having completed what evryone is describing as the toughest ever stage. Two mountains, the last of which rose like a colossus out of a hot dry plain which took over two hours to get across. Just when you thought you had only 5km to go the markers pointed upwards! The majesty of the desert is indescribable. The camaraderie is humbling. The race is totally deserving of its title, toughest footrace on earth.

I might have a penalty since I seem to have lost my emergency flare today. We each have one but mine was not in its side pouch when I came in today. I await a decision from the officials.

I was 288th out of 757 starters yesterday. Happy but more pleased to get through with no problems. One blister today under the left big toe which the two doctors in our tent are looking forward to treating with some very painful solution.

Thanks to all for the messages, I got them fine.

Day one: 29.6km - done!

All well. I got back to our tent first with Sark 5 minutes behind. Took it easy and walked (fast) a large percentage of it. 4hrs 50 mins; I'm in 288th place.

The terrain is amazing. Ruggedly beautiful. Lots of small sand dunes and hills. Very tough going underfoot and up to 40 degrees C. Aim was to get in the first day unscathed, so have achieved that. No blisters, I can feel my bum knee but it’s okay.

This really is the most incredible event. The atmosphere is so real. A mix of ultra-fit serious endurance athletes, and then people like us, and then those who will get through on sheer will power.

We do 35km tomorrow. Most difficult so far is the organisation of food. Got my pack down in weight to 8.5kg at check-in. Very pleased, it gets lighter every day now!

Day of reckoning

As of 9 this morning, Ed was in base camp, about 100km east of Tazarine, along with 700+ other runners. He was making his last phone call before turning in his travel bag and all other non-essential items. At 2pm today, he will be self-sufficient, carrying everything he needs for the next seven days on his back. The good news is he's able to trim his load even more (no luxuries at all!) and everything so far has gone well. But he is scared at what's up ahead.

Wha exactly is up ahead? 29km the first day, 33 the second, 35 the third, 70 the fourth, rest the fifth, 42 the sixth, then 11 the last. But the last day is all sand dunes! It is a circular route that takes them to a place called Merzouga.

Tess

PO Box 1, Sahara Desert

Please send me messages, apparently they get delivered to our tents in the Sahara! Here are details:

Go to www.darbaroud.com, look for US/UK flag for site in English (It is also hyper linked on the right of this page - Ed). Each day, the organisers list all that day’s results with times and positions. Messages can be sent from 25 – 31 March. In order to send a message, they will need to go to www.darbaroud.com web site and under the special heading “ecrire aux concurrents” (write to competitors) fill in a message form which will require your surname, first name and competitors ID number (Mine is 698 - Ed) . ONLY send text messages and NO attachments or pictures.

Thanks for your support!

Sand Gaiters

It's getting close to decision time for the sand gaiters. They're meant to stop sand getting in your shoes to try to prevent the inevitable blisters. The green ones were supplied by an MdS Veteran who swears by them. The red ones were supplied free this year by New Balance. At the moment I am only going on looks (?!) and the red ones seem more fashionable. They'll be wearing them down the Kings Road next.

Send-off Cake

I returned home from some Sunday shopping to find a reception committee having baked a send-off cake. Bless them! Tess and Bruno have been very hard-done-by for the past few months so are looking forward to me getting this race out of my system and returning to being a normal dad/husband. By the way, the black squiggle on the cake is a snake...

Healing Hands

I have many people to thank for their support to get me to the start line of MdS and my osteopath Simone Sorrell is one of them. This gorgeous and caring lady has an amazing ability to get my misaligned body back into shape. She's also a yoga teacher and mother. Thanks Simone - you're a star! You might even get me on a yoga mat one day...

Spring Has Sprung

The colours of spring are here and the magnolia trees are blossoming. They fuelled my joyful mood on my walk down to my osteopath this morning.

The Man from Tesco He Says No

Ref entry on Feb 26, I received a reply from Tesco. They said thanks for feedback on novel use of OJ cartons but no to donation. Shame! I'll try same with Sainsbury's now...

There be Scorpions

My latest piece of desert kit is helping at least one member of the family sleep better. Our son Bruno was getting increasingly worried about Daddy being bitten by scorpions in the Sahara. With my new AspiVenin venom pump as part of the mandatory kit for all MdS Competitors, he is a lot happier to let Daddy go now.

Coasting along the Coast

On top of Salcombe Hill Cliff looking west along to Dunscombe Cliff to my right, and the sinking MS Napoli out at sea to my left. The ship was caught in bad weather in January and started to sink depositing many of its containers and rubbish on the picturesque beach of Branscombe. Scavengers descended causing havoc to this remote area and it was a major news item. The beach was still closed but Sark and I managed to run along a fair old stretch of it. We were out for five and a half hours going up and down the cliffs and then along the beach.

A Beer in Beer

The signs along the trail kept on giving us a destination and an incentive. And sure enough we eventually reached Beer, the cute little Devon fishing village. Once there it would have been rude not have stopped and indulged in a pint. All part of the training - carbohydrate loading!

Running on Rocks

Tucked in behind Sark plodding along Branscombe beach in East Devon, it struck me how strange we must have looked. We went down for an annual running race called 'The Grizzly' a tortuous 20-mile course starting and finishing at Seaton, a pretty coastal town. Due to a shipwreck off the coast and the ensuing rubbish the beach has been closed which forced the cancellation of the the Grizzly this year. But hundreds of runners still went for quickly organised 'Un-Grizzly' runs over slightly different routes. We peeled off from the main group of runners on Sunday morning and continued on towards Sidmouth before returning home, ending up running for a good few miles on this beach. Some sand but mainly rocks and pebbles of varying sizes. Very tough running and great training. Wish we'd done it three months before not two weeks!

All Publicity is Good Publicity

Sunday March 4 - Amersham
I felt pretty silly dressed up in full Sahara desert gear in my parents Buckinghamshire back garden. But it was for the benefit of a photographer from the local paper. Mum and Dad are patrons of Workaid and Kate the wonderful publicity volunteer has arranged some publicity in the local paper. "Local boy runs across Sahara" type story. Hopefully it will direct more traffic to my site and raise more funds and awareness for them.

ECG or Not to ECG

Went to a clinic at the CRY Centre for Sports Cardiology at the Olympic Medical Institute today.

The wonderful folks at CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) were providing a specialist cardiology clinic and a number of us MdS runners had been referred there by our GPs. It seems the ECG reports of fit ultra-runners can mimic those of people with potential cardiac problems. We need to have an ECG and medical check before we go to the desert.

The lovely Lorna hooked me up to the machine, and fed us with cups of tea and croissants. All was fine and Dr Agnes checked me over and gave me the all-clear. Yet another expense (£35) which I could do without but it all goes to CRY, a registered charity. It's good to know my ticker is in good working order. Now, would you believe it, I have to do it all over again with my GP, since only they can sign off on the actual form.

Run and Become

One size too big, they said. And so Sark and I duly trooped down to the best running shop in London, Run and Become in Victoria. Me to buy a pair of Saucony Omni Grids and Sark to get Asics. We had been down in January to buy exactly the same shoes and now bought our pair for MdS, just a full size bigger. This is apparently to cope with the inevitable feet swelling due to the Saharan heat. We were served again by the wonderful Des. Many thanks to her, owner Shankara, and all the staff for their expertise and enthusiasm.

Gherkins do Sahara

Here's the man who got me into all this. Sark Kenny has been running with me for a while and we signed up for this package tour of southern Morocco together two years ago. The two of us are one half of our UK summer racing team The Gherkins.

It's great what you see when you're out running

Salvation Army founder's grave...





...and the latest iPod model in shop window.

Pack 'O Juice

This is how I am training now - filling my Raidlight up with orange juice cartons. It takes it up to about 10kg, what I expect it to be for the race.

Must write to Tesco asking for sponsorship...

An Intro After an Outro

After my first entry I thought I would introduce my new blog with my second. I really felt a blog was necessary since I have experienced such great interest and support for what I doing in March in the Sahara.

PURPOSE: Initially to inform about my involvement in Marathon des Sables MdS 2007.

METHOD: Ramblings and photos.

RESULT: Hopefully interest, updating sponsors and generating more traffic to my donations page: Pls see link on right.

I have raised over £1,500 in two weeks for Workaid and have a target of £5,000. Let's keep it going!

Thames Path Ultra

Saturday Feb 17. 8:45am
King's Meadow, Reading

About 130 nutters gather, along with me and my trusty photographer Bruno, to run 50miles along the Thames Path. Race Director Rory waves us off at 9am.

9hrs 32 mins later I reach the finish on the steps of the Holiday Inn in Shepperton with stiff thighs but generally OK. There were four Checkpoints (CP) and time/position was recorded at each CP. My placing at CP1 was 19th and I finished in 43rd place. That gives you some idea of my performance - not a tactically astute race. I dropped places at each CP. A lesson as always to start slow and then go slower, an old piece of ultra-runner advice. After my silly start (first 20 miles in under 3hrs) I had to resort to walking for bits till the end. My pace for long training days and races is fairly consistently just over 5mph and today I set off at almost 7mph. The event was partly intended as a warm-up for MdS competitors and there were many of us, all very noticeable since we all seem to have the same kit especially RaidLight running packs. The longest day on MdS (Day 4) in the Sahara is 54 miles but with different conditions!

Winning time today was 6hrs 18mins by some guy who arrived from Belgium. Amazing. That's over 50 miles of mud, wading across flooded fields and pathfinding. Despite my slowing in the middle I finished strong with a friendly South African guy called Gareth from Isle of Man and Garry, another MdS runner. We had a great chat as we went along for the last 10 miles keeping our spirits up and pace consistent. One of the main threads was telling the others about our toughest events so far. "This one", I say! It's easy to drop off and lose motivation and it always helps to hook up with someone else and talk drivel.