17-Jun-2012 08:07:30 AM [(GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi]

Stage 6 - For most, this stage was a victory lap where one could take things easy. Unfortunately, my poor performance on stage 4 forced me to try to run this stage as fast as I could. My legs were fully recovered from the long march but my feet remained badly bruised on the bottoms. Each step felt like stepping on a nail. I started off slowly to let my feet get numb from the pain. Each kilometer I picked up the pace and began passing competitors. The strategy worked and I was able to make up three places in the overall ranking by finishing 16K course in 1 hour 31 minutes. This improved my final rank to 76. The race ended with young Uyghur children performing for the finishers. It was very emotional to see competitors finish and released all the tensions they had throughout the week. The mood was positive and joyful and a great way to finish. Post Race reflections Below are some post race reflections for future competitors. - Mistakes I Made 1. Wearing Minimus Shoes - You certainly can run a Marathon distances in minimus shoes. Unfortunately, the combination of sharp stones and the wear and tear of multiple marathons eventually wear out your shoes then your feet. This cost me hours in the race. 2. Mountain Running - I did some training in the mountains in Hangzhou, China. This helped provide the basics for rising and descending steep climbs. Unfortunately, I think more experience on higher more technical peaks could have benefitted me. 3. Clean sock - I pack only three pair of Inji sock and two cover up socks. In the future, I would pack a fresh pair for each day. - Things that worked well 1. Salt replacement - I poured oral rehydration salts in my water bottles. Most people do not like the taste but I am used to it. The benefit of the ORS powder was that I did not need to watch the time to take a salt tablet. I think people fall short or their electrolytes because the time passes quickly in the desert and they forget to take their endurolytes. 2. Nutrition - I packed enough food to keep satisfied. I never went to bed hungry nor did I ever have extra food at the end of the day. 3. Use of terrain for advantage - Unfortunately, I was unprepared for the rocky terrain nor the heights. In order to compensate for these shortcomings, I modified my strategy to run hard when the surface allowed. This strategy helped me recover 13 places on stage 4 and 55 positions in Stage 5 (long march) - Things I will remember the most 1. Friendships - One of the things that has left an impression on me is the camaraderie developed in the camp. Thank you to Nick, Lee, Richard, Bert, Marta, Marko, Beatriz, Vicente, and Nahila for all their support and encouragement. Also Colin, Christian, Francisco and Jeison for providing their technical expertise on mountain running. 2. The Scenery - My initial expectation of the desert was a desolate lifeless place. I left with the understanding that the desert is beautiful with plants, life and lots of sharp rock :-) 3. The last competitors to finish the long march - One of the most special moments of the race was when the last two competitors approached the camp at the end of the long run. The runners had been going continuously for 24 hours. They were exhausted and barely could walk. When word got around that the last two competitors were arriving, the entire camp came out to greet them and cheer them on as loud as they could. Thanks to the RTP staff and doctors who helped throughout the week and congratulations to all the finishers !!!