Deserts, heat and sand

Nights are drawing in, leaves are falling from the trees and the temperature has begun to drop, this can only mean one thing, winter is just round the corner. Luckily for me I am off to race in the slightly hotter climate of Africa as I’m taking part in the Desert Ultra a 250km Self Sufficiency staged race in Namibia in a few weeks time.

Since 2001 I have run in many Desert races ; Marathon des Sables, The Libyan Challenge, Kalahari Extreme Marathon in South Africa, Atacama Crossing in Chile and the Namibian Desert Challenge.

The Libyan Challenge runs through the Tadrart Acacus an area in South Western Sahara.  The area is a world heritage site, well known for two things: thousands of prehistoric cave paintings, dating from 12000 BC to 100 AD, and its alien-like, jagged landscape of  towering granite mountains (the highest point being 1506m), endless wadis, and mushroom-shaped rock formations; the only way of seeing these is with a guide, I was lucky enough to run 120 miles through it.

The Namibian Desert by contrast is a coastal desert occupying an area of approximately 31,200 square miles and is thought to be the oldest desert and has some of the most spectacular sand dunes in the world ranging in colour from pinks to vivid orange.  The most famous dunes are in the Sossusvlei area, first Dune 45 so called because it is 45 kms from the road that connects the Sesriem gate and Sossusvlei standing over 170m high – I had to climb to the top of this dune at the end of our long day then run all the way down before finishing!

One of the most spectacular Dunes is known as “Big Daddy” this was to be our treat for the last day.  Big Daddy is the highest dune in the Sossusvlei area standing at a wopping 325 meters high and overlooks the surreal landscape of Dead Vlei, a white pan filled with the dark fossils of camelthorn trees; apparently its one of the things that need to be seen before we die (Phew, can knock that one off the list!).  Once I reached the top of “Big Daddy” it was amazing fun running all the way down into the Dead Vlei.

There is also an abundance of wildlife to be seen and during the race I felt as though I was on my own personal running safari; round every corner would be an antelope of some description, ostriches  and at one point a jackal literally jumped out from the undergrowth nearly tripping me up – amazing!

The driest desert in the world is the Atacama Desert in Chile,  this is because its lies between the Andes Mountains and the Chilean Coastal Range. The average rainfall is about 15 mm a year, although some areas receive as little as 1 – 3mm with some weather stations in the Atacama never reporting any rainfall.  You can imagine my surprise one afternoon during the race when the wind picked up (usually around 4 p.m.) and it began to rain, not just a few drops but downpour.  The combination of the rain, wind and sand was probably the most excruciating exfoliation I have ever experienced!

A view of the Andes from the plane. (thanks to PJ for the picture)

The Atacama desert is full of contrasts, the high altitude, slot canyons, sand dunes and of course the notorious salt flats.

Due to the high altitude, nearly non-existent cloud cover, dry air, lack of light pollution from any towns or cities, the area is perfect for astronomy observations.  On the last night of the Atacama Crossing the runners were treated to a fascinating lesson on the stars and planets.

Finally the Kalahari Desert which covers much of Botswana and parts of Namibia and South Africa.  The Kalahari Extreme Marathon takes place in the South African part of the desert.

The Kalahari is a semi arid desert which enables it to support an abundance of wildlife, plants and birds.  Rather like Namibia I saw a huge amount of wildlife which made the experience even more special.  There were many antelopes, zebras, giraffes, loads of Ostriches which are extremely dangerous if they decide they  don’t want to let you pass; the advice we were given by Estienne (the RD) on what we were to do if we encountered an Ostrich was to dive headfirst into a thorn bush – not a chance!  There were also wart hogs who I love as they always make me laugh and quite a few snakes many of which were very dangerous.

Once again, rather like the Atacama Crossing I was in for a bit of a shock when on the third day we had a hail storm – yes you heard me right, a hail storm! Thankfully most of the competitors were back in camp but a few were still out so I can only imagine how painful it must have been for them.

These races are tough and each one has their own unique challenges and beauty, but certainly have two things in common: extreme heat and sand!

Having taken the exciting step of entering your first Desert race, whether staged race or non-stop, you start think about training, equipment and food; however one of the most important issues to think about is how to cope with the extreme heat, which can cause serious problems such as dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke which if untreated can lead to death.

The temperatures can sore to 50ᵒc, zapping your energy, making running harder and slower as your body temperature rises, escaping from the unrelenting sun is on occasions impossible. During the long day of the MdS I was already badly dehydrated my pace dropped to a shuffle and there was no shade to be seen for miles in any direction except for a small tree, I curled up underneath it in the little shade it offered.  Thanks to the shade of the tree I made it to the end of that day, however due to my severe heat exhaustion I was to receive 5 bags of IV drip about 3 hours after finishing. (I did finish the race)

On the Namibian challenge I stupidly lost my electrolytes and ran out of water on the last stage on day 1.  Arriving in camp I had all the symptoms of dehydration, extreme thirst, very dry mouth and I hadn’t peed since the beginning of the day. I had to sit in the shade, replacing my fluids and electrolytes, but avoided the IV drip.

My top tips:

• Heat Training. Although I did some heat training for the MdS in 2001 it was far too long before the event, so was no help during the actual race. Now I spend the month before race training in the sauna, starting with 10 minutes per session building up to 45/60 minutes 4/5 times per week. This is done after my training session, running kit remains on, except for my trainers as I think the gym members might complain!  Stretching and relaxing utilize the time.  It makes no difference whether its winter or summer as the weather in the UK never really gets that hot.  The time spent in the sauna enables my stomach to get used to drinking more fluids as well as coping with the heat.

• Electrolytes. Our body regulates its core temperature by sweating and endurance runners can loose up to 3 liters of sweat per hour in hot conditions. The electrolytes must be replaced to keep the concentrations of your body fluids constant. Having used nothing in the MdS, I now use Nuuns, which dissolve in water. Some other excellent products are Elete, Zero and Succeed SCAPS

• Clothes. My hat of choice is a legionnaire’s hat. It keeps the back of your neck cool and protected, plus it has the added benefit of a slightly longer peak protecting your face. This coupled with the addition of a Buff round the neck, which can be soaked in water to cool you down or used to protect your face in the event of sand storms, should provide adequate head and neck protection from the sun.

• I prefer Lycra running shorts, as the loose shorts tend to chaff on the legs; My Fennec short sleeved running top, which protects my shoulders not only from the sun but also from the straps of the backpack and is long enough that it doesn’t ride up behind the pack while running.  Also a Buff around the wrist that can be soaked with water.

• Socks. I never used to be particularly bothered by socks. Consequently, upon finishing the MdS I came away with my feet covered in blisters but since then have chosen lighter more breathable socks which stopped my feet from sweating and swelling helping to prevent blisters.  Some good socks to use are Toetoe, Wigwam and Dymax socks.

• Sunglasses. I use Sunwise sunglasses that are light reactive, the lenses are polarized polycarbonate which protects the eyes from strong light and are extremely lightweight to wear, plus have the added bonus of a rubber nose and ear grips for a more comfortable fit.

• Gaiters.   These are essential for Desert racing.  They cover your entire trainer stopping any sand from getting in which in turn helps to prevent the sand causing blisters.  You can make your own out of parachute fabric and glue them onto the base of your shoe, or Racekit do some ready-made Gaiters which you Velcro on.  I have used both options but if your feet are prone to feeling hot I would recommend using the velcro option.  It means that if there are sections during the race that don’t require gaiters you can take them off, or if you get to a CP you can vent your feet by pulling the gaiters up.

• My choice of water carrier is always bottles.  Firstly it’s easier to keep an eye on how much water you have left in your bottles, its very easy sometimes to over drink and run out and secondly you can have water in one and either electrolytes or carbohydrate drink in another.  Bladders in my opinion are a nightmare as you have to get them out of a pack, and they can leak leaving you with no water.

• Sun cream/lip balm.  Both essential.  I use a sports sun cream, which is applied only once and doesn’t come off when sweating. There are many of these on the market that suit different skin types and a good lip balm to prevent lips from cracking.   Lip balms can easily fall out of packs, so I have been known to have a LIPZ lip-gloss attached to my sports watch!

• A little tip; when running in deep sand always take shorter strides, this prevents your feet going too deep putting less strain on the body.

The Desert is a stunning place to run. However, always have the right kit and be respectful of what the desert has to offer.  If you do, I am sure that your experience will be truly amazing.

Happy Training