Today we completed a journey that has taken us several thousand miles from home to compete in the toughest footrace on earth. It was so much more than just about running. the people we met, the places we saw had an impact on us. I dont think it has really sank in, the magnitude of our accomplishment. We feel good, but our bodies are tired and our feet are a mess. We survived the week with determination and purpose. In search of the ultimate runners high, we found it over the last two days as we finally had the opportunity to run. Run like road racers. this event was dominated by some of the best ultra runners in the world. individuals far superior to us, yet with similar passion and drive. The last week has been an experience of a lifetime. We have some great stories to tell and the pictures will be fabulous. see you all in a few days.
P.S. we dont plan to run this week.
Today was marathon day, and we raced. we completed the course in 5 hours 3 minutes and jumped up in the general rankings. yesterday we rested after the long stage with our tent mates and enjoyed a can of pepsi compliments of the organizers. we will be entertained by the Paris Opera tonight for our last night in camp. we wont miss the sand and wind, but we will miss the friends we found in our tent mates. tomorrows stage is short, but major sand dunes the size of mountains. the largest sand dunes in Morocco. it will be good to be finished as we have feet that ache every moment of the day and our backs hurt from carrying the packs all day. we have covered 134 miles in the last 5 days and our bodies feel every movement. Thanks again for all the emails and news from home. it really makes the day. We will see you all soon. we plan to enjoy tomorrow and have dinner with our new friends from around the world as we celebrate completing this incredible challenge.
If you would like to send Tim or Tom an e-mail go to this website: www.darbaroud.com It is in French but if you click on the half British/American flag near the upper right corner of the page it will turn everything into English. From there go to Write a Competitor (Tom is bib #506, Tim is bib #510). I know they would love to hear words of encouragement from everyone possible.
Troy Fears
Friday brought us a 6 hour bus ride to the middle of the Sahara desert. it is an amazing place. we did not do to much the first two days. medical checks and technical checks took up much of Saturday. today was the first stage of racing. 29.3K of sand and hills. very difficult. we survived after 5 hours in the heat. our feet seem to be holding up. today was the first day we were self sufficient. tomorrow brings a 35K with several climbs, but not as many sand dunes.
we have 6 tent mates representing Germany, Austraulia, Israel, England and America. It is a good group with a lot of support. two have run the race before which helps. i will continue to update as available.
if you want to send us any messages during the race you can go to the daraboud.com website and send us emails starting on saturday 24 of march. we will not have access to the blog, but can get emails sent from home. just follow the directions for Tom and I. the more encouragement we get the better.
It is now 8:30pm the night before we travel into the desert for the ultimate footrace. we have met some amazing people and athletes from all over the world. all of us confined to this small city in Morocco. the locals have been very friendly and helpful with any needs we may have. It has been hard to keep up with news from home though, no TV and internet is touch and go. we have managed to read the tribune star on line the last two days. after tonight we may not have any access to the internet for some time. i understand the lines at the bivouc can be quite long at times and if we are to tired to write we may hold off a day.
the race does not start until Sunday. we will not know the exact distance or route until tomorrow when we have boarded the bus heading to the desert. the contrast in temperature from day to night is dramatic. it gets windy and cold at night. the sleeping bags will be welcome relief from the cold. sorry this message is a little scattered. We have a race to concentrate on...Thanks for everyones thoughts and prayers. we plan to stick together and accomplish this event. thanks again and we will talk from the desert.
It is the day before we leave for the desert. There is a nervous energy among the runners. Many sharing stories of prior races here in Morocco. We went for a run this morning through the city and saw snow on the top of the Atlas mountains. What a beautiful site to see. It is generally brown and sandy everywhere so the sight of the snow was refreshing. Tom and I are struggling with our understanding of French, but getting through the day. I will write more tonight.
it is about 9pm in Ouarzazate. we had a good day meeting several other runners from all over the world. I am suffering from a head cold but received some local medicine and feeling better tonight, tom feels fine. another day in the city before we head to the desert. we plan to run in the morning and then rest and relax. good night from Morocco, where it is cold and windy tonight.
Today we went for a thirty minute run through the city. we also discussed packing tips with jay and some of the other competitors. i think we have reduced the weight of our packs two or three pounds. we have begun to cut staps off the pack just to reduce weight. we enjoyed lunch with several other runners from all over the world. England, Austrailia, New Zealand and Canada. Runners continue to check into the hotel. it is fun to exchange stories with all of them.
it would appear that Tom and I are a little out of our element. Being true road racers and coming here to the ultimate in Ultra marathoning is quite eye opening. most people are amazed at our speed, while we are amazed by the miles most of them have run, at one time. needless to say we are with some extremely talented runners.
The food has been surprisingly good. we found a pizza and pasta restaurant that is really good. dinners at the hotel have been nice as well. i will try to post one more time today and tomorrow.
We made it to Ouorzazate about 11am Indiana time. We were stuck in Casablanca for 2 hours due to mechanical problems with the plane...Yes they actually used duck tape to hold it together. talk about Indiana Jones. We have met a few of our competitors and we are trying to get used to the lack of phone service and the slow internet service. the keyboards are different as well. We are going out for a run and should get a good night sleep tonight. we are very tired from the long flight.
