Posts (page 2)
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.
Just wanted to let everyone know we made it to Casablanca!! We have no cell service, but our race director's email is working while we are in the airport. I will try to post again later today.
Today we leave on an adventure of a lifetime. We are both nervous and excited. Our training is complete and it is now time to focus on the race. We have packed and repacked all of our gear, supplies and food so much I think I have added more weight than necessary, but I would rather go over to Morocco with too much than not have something when we get there. We can always leave some items behind during the race.
I want to thank everyone for their words of encouragement and support during the last few months. Without the support of family, friends and co-workers we would never be able to accomplish this event. Thanks again, and keep us in your prayers the next 2 weeks.
We will try to post our status to the blog everyday, but I understand the lines can sometimes be quite long, so dont worry if you do not hear from us for a couple of days...we will just be enjoying the sun...
For those of you interested, I am attaching the final words of wisdom from our trip organizers. The wife, Lisa Smith Batchen, has actually won the women's race in the past...
HERE IT IS...
Ok, I promise this is the last note before the race. Lisa asked me to forward this to the group since she is unable to attend the event this year…
From Lisa:
Hello to all of you preparing to depart for your amazing running adventure through the Sahara Desert, the 2007 Marathon Des Sables!!!
We have been very busy around our home trying to get Jay ready to join you all, either in NYC or in OZZ. I personally will not be able to travel to or participate in this year's race but please know that I will be cheering you on every step of the way. The Marathon Des Sables is one of my most favorite events. It is a journey of a lifetime, in more ways that one can describe, and I feel you must take part in it first hand to really grasp the wonder of the Sahara! It changes many people and I hope your experience there is memorable!
I will be doing daily updates on my blog before, during and after the race. If you have friends or family members who want to check out my take on the daily stages, please have them check my blog each day: http://lisasmithbatchen.blogspot.com/ I will do my best to post your daily results.
Also, please keep in mind that it might be very difficult for you to send email while you are at camp during the race. I think you will have a better overall experience if you try to avoid the daily lines at the email or phone tents and just enjoy the time away from the world. Try to take good mental (or written) notes and wait until you cross the final finish line to tell your story to your friends and loved ones. Why do I say this? You will most likely stand in line for several hours in the hot sun while waiting to send 1 email or make one phone call. Why not spend that time in your tent sharing stories or stand at the finish line cheering those slower runners across the finish line. You’ll receive emails from friends and loved ones, which will be delivered to your tent each night. This is something to look forward to every day and you will be surprised at who remembers to send you a note!
I hope you have a safe journey and the trip of a life time. Please know that all of us at Dreamchasers will be standing with you in spirit throughout the entire week, but more so at the finish line!!! It is an amazing feeling so do whatever you can to make it through the race. And remember, walking and making friends along the way is always a good option.
Have a great week!!
Lisa
See you soon.
jay batchen
dreamchasers outdoor adventure club, llc
po box 921
110 w. 400 south
victor, id 83455
Tom and I have one week before we head to Morocco (We have been training for approximately 4 months). Although I feel like we have been training forever, the time is almost here and we are ready. From now until the start of the race we will taper and allow our bodies to recover from the miles and miles of pounding we have suffered during training. The past week saw relatively light running (around 50 miles) with no packs. Our bodies definitely need some rest after the last two weeks with at least a marathon each weekend...
This week will see continued tapering with low miles. Our packs are ready and we are finalizing our food and supplies for the trip. You can't imagine the number of items, food and clothing we have gone through trying to find the perfect assortment of food and gear to reduce the weight in the pack, yet maintain our body weight during the race and stay adequately clothed for the differing tempuratures we will experience in the desert.
I will try to add one more post to the blog before we depart, and then the next time you here from us will be when we are in Morocco. Hopefully, before we head to the desert I can provide some details on Morocco and give you an idea of the competition we will face during the race.
Tom and I are on the final leg of our training for the Marathon des Sables. We finished the week with a marathon in Little Rock, Arkansas. We ran with our packs the entire race and finished in 3:39. The race had its up and downs, as did the whole trip. On the way to Little Rock we hit a metal object on the interstate and punctured the gas tank causing the tank to empty and leaving us stranded on the side of the interstate, one mile from an exit. We were just outside Charleston, Missouri with no gas, and limited cell service. When we finally connected with a towing service we had to wait 4 hours while a back yard mechanic plugged the tank (yes, he was good. He knew exactly what we need for a temporary fix). Once back on the road we made it to Little Rock about 50 minutes before pack pick up was to close. A quick trip to the hotel and some pasta and we were ready for bed. It had been an 11 hour trip.
Race moring was cold, but sunny and we felt good. We were asked several times what we were doing carrying backpacks for the race. The race progressed and we found ourselves running well. Each of us had to deal with lingering issues during the race, Tom with his IT band about the half way mark and my quad at mile 20. We hobbled in for a respectable time and the World's largest finisher medal.
With two weeks to go before we leave we are feeling the effects of our training. We feel like we are ready for the trip and plan to taper the next 2 weeks. Stay tuned for more updates.
As the countdown continues to the race, Tom and I have been planning our meals and discussing running shoes and other necessary supplies. We have also continued to pound out the miles. This has caused some pain and discomfort in our legs as they get tired from the 80-90 miles per week we run, several times with packs weighing 10-15 pounds. I currently have a slight tear in my right quadricep and Tom has been hampered by an IT band. Neither injury is keeping us from running. With a little Advil and ice you can tolerate the pain.
This weekend's workout was cut short as a result of the weather. We participated in the Run till your Done 100 miler in Freelandville, Indiana. The wind was strong from the very beginning, and only 8 participant's braved the wind and cold to start the race. By mile 25 the rain/sleet began and the wind continued with gusts of 25 mph or greater. We called it a day at the end of mile 27. Not quite 100 miles, but running a marathon plus as a workout is not too bad either.
Thanks to Deb McKee, Joe Garza and the Tribune Star for such a nice article. You can read the contents of the article below.
Valley runners heading to Morocco in quest to complete marathon on each continent
By Deb McKee
The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE — When Tim Fears and Tom Dever finish their next adventure, they will be one step closer to their ultimate goal of completing a marathon on each of the continents.
On March 23, Fears and Dever will begin a seven-day, 145-mile run/hike across the Moroccan Sahara, testing their mental and physical endurance in what has been called the most grueling marathon in the world: the Marathon of the Sands.
Dever and Fears, both running enthusiasts, will fly to Ouarzazate, Morocco, before being taken by bus to the rugged wilds of the Sahara for the 22nd annual race.
They will join about 500 other runners from all over the world. Only about 25 participants are signed up from the United States, according to U.S. coordinator Jay Batchen of Dreamchasers Outdoor Adventure Club LLC.
Runners will face temperatures of up to 120 degrees (and down to 40 degrees at night), scorpions, sand storms and the inevitable pain and annoyance of blisters. They will not know the route until they get there.
Dever and Fears, who have been running partners for about the past three years, learned of the desert marathon while researching a marathon in the South American Amazon, also coordinated by Dreamchasers.
“We were all set to do the Amazon race in October,” Fears said, “but we got too excited and wanted to do something sooner.” So far, they have completed marathons in North America. Africa will be the second continent toward their goal.
“They have them in Antarctica, too,” Dever said.
Dever, 49, whose family business is Dever Distributing Co., has been running for about five years, he said. Fears, 41, who works at Thompson Thrift, became involved in triathlons about four or five years ago, he said, and became an endurance runner about three years ago.
The adventurers are being sponsored by several area companies: Thompson-Thrift, Michelob Ultra, Fast Track Apparel and The Element Outdoor Outfitters. But corporate support is just one aspect of making the dream a reality, Fears said.
“If our families, friends, business associates weren’t supportive, we couldn’t do it,” he said. “Everyone is supportive, but everyone is also nervous. Jokingly, they’re saying we’re a little crazy, but that just translates to, we’re concerned for your safety. And so are we.
“We’re taking every precaution we can, including sticking together through the whole – this is not a team event – but we intend to stick together. We cross the finish line together or we stop together,” Fears said. “But ‘stop’ is not in our vocabulary.”
Both of the ultra-runners grin at that thought. When asked why they are interested in pushing themselves in such an event, Dever said, “We’ve run numerous marathons, we’ve both been very successful and this is just a new adventure.”
Fears added, “Why not? It’s the challenge … we’ve both been competitive marathoners, and ultra-running is the next step. We’re excited, it’s incredible.”
Dever said his family has been supportive, but his wife is still a bit apprehensive.
“She thinks I’m crazy,” he said, laughing.
The duo has been training daily to prepare for the rigors of the marathon, getting in between 80 and 90 miles weekly, they said.
“Getting up around 4:30 a.m. we can get in six, seven, eight miles an hour and still be in the office by 7,” Fears said.
“Then go run five more miles at lunch,” Dever added.
“And again after work,” Fears said.
They eat light, and schedule meals around running, Dever said. Fears said he eats between four and five small meals a day, including nutrition bars and maybe a quick peanut butter sandwich for lunch after a run.
The Moroccan race consists of six stages over seven days, with the first three daily stages set at around 20 miles each. The fourth stage is around 50 miles; the fifth is a full 26.2-mile marathon and the final stage is about 10 miles.
The two have been consulting the coordinator of the U.S.-based group for training advice.
“We come up with some of the training philosophies,” Dever said, “and I’ll e-mail [Batchen] and say, Hey, this is what we’ve done, what do you think?”
Participants also have access to a Web-based forum to talk to others who have signed up for the race.
Dever and Fears say the Marathon of the Sands is not something to try without lots of experience. Dever has completed nine marathons, and Fears, four. Registrants also must pass a battery of physical tests, including a medical exam and an EKG before being allowed to participate, Fears said.
“We are in the best shape of our lives,” he said.
Both men recently finished the Memphis marathon, and spent Saturday running/walking 50 miles. The two will go to Little Rock, Ark., for a marathon next weekend.
“In Morocco, we’ll do a 50-miler and then a full marathon,” Fears said. “So your body has to be acclimated to what that feels like. We can’t replicate the weather, but we can replicate the weight of the bag and what we’re going to be wearing.”
They do about half their training runs while carrying the packs they’ll take with them to Morocco.
Each of them will carry a pack that weighs, at the beginning, around 18 pounds. A catalog of compulsory packing items required by race organizers lists an anti-venom pump (for scorpion stings), salt tablets, flares, food for the duration of the race (at least 14,000 calories), a compass, two 20-ounce water bottles and a sleeping bag, among other survival gear. Race organizers provide about nine liters of water per day.
“We have to be totally self-sufficient,” Fears said. They will take no extra clothes, except what they are running in and a set of clothing to lounge in at night. Each will have one pair of running shoes, a pair of flip-flops and some gaiters, or overshoes, to keep sand out of their shoes.
“We won’t be showering or shaving, but we are bringing toothbrushes,” Fears said.
For food, the two are looking at items that weigh little, but pack a lot of calories and carbohydrates, such as breakfast bars, nutrition bars, instant noodles, oatmeal, pretzels and peanut butter. Dever said he has ordered a dozen survival bars, each of which carries a whopping 2,400 calories and 252 carbs per bar. Electrolyte tablets, powdered drink mixes and tea bags will help give their water some flavor.
They will each carry a sleeping bag that weighs only a little over one pound, and will sleep in berber tents provided by race organizers.
“Tim and I have run enough miles, we’ve had stress fractures, blisters, sore feet,” Dever said, as he pulled up a picture on the race Web site at www.darbaroud.com showing a past participant’s swollen and blistered feet. Both Dever and Fears grinned.
“We know pain. They’re not going to surprise us that way,” Dever said.
To follow Dever and Fears through their journey, go to their online journal at www.michelobultraadventureteam.vox.com.
The past week and a half has seen steady miles. we have gone light on the packs to let some soreness in the legs and shoulders heal, otherwise feeling strong. We are preparing for our biggest weekend yet with a 50 mile race on Saturday followed by a good workout Sunday.
With a little over 4 weeks to go before the event we are feeling good about our training and are anxious to get started. We have been interviewed by the Tribune Star and I will post the article once it appears in the paper.
Tom and I walked 20 miles with full packs on Saturday in 10 degree weather. Very cold. Sunday was a good 17 miler in mild temps, around 25 degrees. 5 weeks until we leave for Morocco. We feel good about our training and plan to keep up the heavy mileage for the next few weeks. We had great coverage on NewsChannel 10 last Friday. Thanks Kelly.
