Going uphill

Day 2. 8am, 26 degrees C already.

Today's 35.5 km course links Khermou to Jebel El Otfal. The terrain was steep, to say the least , with a most challenging conclusion: the climb up jebel Hered Asfer and its 25% slope factor up to an altitude of 800m.

We started across stony ground, crossing a valley and onto an uphill section. The morning was getting hotter, and I had only run 5km. A short descent of around 500m took us onto undulating, rocky terrain, it's so hard on our ankles. I ran, ignoring the blisters on my feet that formed yesterday. I will have to strap them better for tomorrow's 40km. I reached check point 1 in an hour and 20mins, 11.4km; at home, I can easily run that same distance in 45 mins....

The course today is uphill and I reached check point 2, 20.3km in jjust over 3 and a half hours. We had a long stretch over flat terrain to reach check point 3 at 28.8km. This is when I crashed. My sugar levels went very low and I ended up throwing up.

All there was left to do was replenish my water beakers, blank everything out, > and concentrate on finishing the last 6km. 6km is normally a "walk in the park". I calculated it took me 2 hours to run the last 8km of today's stage. After the 3rd and final check point, the cherry on the cake awaited us, a near impossible uphill climb up to 800m above sea level. 25% gradient on average until you reach the top.

It was so steep, we had a rope to hold onto. I just had to ignore the pain, run through it. Reaching the top of the hill and looking over presented an unbelievable view. The scenery is beautiful, the desert is so vast. I wished I was in a big 4 x 4 vehicle, protected > from the stones, the sand, the elements; but to see it, appreciate it, and feel the desert under my feet, makes the pain temporarily go > away. What goes up, must come down, the descent is not as easy as one might think. It's difficult to keep your balance, and it's hard on the quadricep muscles.

My knees aren't in the best shape, having > had a few operations on one of them, and recently, an ankle operation. But the end was in sight, and I made the end of stage 2 in a time of 5 hours and 59 mins. Douglas, suffering badly with his injury, used poles to help him walk today, and finished in a time of 8 hrs and 45 mins.

The end of the stage is time to relax and recover for tomorrows 40km stage. Not a time to shower > unfortunately, a few baby wipes will have to do! Time to prepare my > dinner of chicken korma with rice, in powder form, eaten out of its own bag with boiling water.

On a positive note, that's one less thing I'll have to carry on my back tomorrow! I shall take this challenge day by day. Tomorrow, Day 3, Tuesday 6th April, Douglas, myself and the other 1006 competitors of the 25th Sultan Marathon des Sables will face a 40km long 3rd stage between Jebel El Otfal and Taourirt Mouchanne.

Nathan and Douglas Barbaro Sant are participating in the Marathon Des Sables to raise awareness and funds for two deserving charities, namely Inspire, and Facing Africa. Donations can be made by visiting www.simplygiving.org.mt/extremechallenge