STAGE 1 UPDATE 2350HRS 25-OCT-2009
All the places visited by the 4 Deserts series are special and each has its own unique characteristics, but in terms of sheer romance and mystique, there are few locations that match the Sahara.
That said, romance perhaps wasn’t the first thing on the minds of Sahara Race 2009 competitors as they lined up for the event start this morning. Only the usual pre-race emotions were visible on the 120 faces that looked out across the seemingly limitless expanse of sand. Some were visibly nervous, others mildly emotional and a few a little tired after yesterday’s long journey from Cairo. The default mood though was excited and happy. Externally at least, nobody looked scared. But why would they be? Trained, mentally prepared and properly equipped, they simply wanted to get their heads down and start eating away at this 250km journey that represents many things to not so many people.
The Sahara Race is an athletic contest for some, a voyage of self discovery for others. It’s an adventure of the purest kind, something becoming increasingly rare in modern society. Those who take part are equals, regardless of where in the world they come from, what they do for a living, or how fast they can cover the distance.
Just getting to the start line at Farafra was to turn into something of an adventure for a number of the competitors yesterday. One of the buses carrying people from Cairo on the seven hour trip south to the campsite broke down en-route. No harm came to anyone, but it meant a very late arrival into camp. It’s the kind of event that just goes with the territory here. As philosophical as the stranded were, they were pretty relieved to learn today’s start had been moved back to 0900hrs to allow a bit more time to recover from the journey.
Zero hour in a 4 Deserts event is always a huge release for competitors. All the training, worrying, dreaming and travelling is finally over. Preparation can be a complex affair, but when the start comes, things become much simpler. It’s suddenly just a case of putting one foot in front of the other, quickly or slowly. It’s about progress, that’s all.
Looking like he’d been shot out of a cannon, Canadian Mehmet Danis went off hard from the start, clearly intending to make faster progress along the 34km stage than anyone else in the field. The relatively easy terrain underfoot – mostly sandy, slightly rocky ground, with little elevation – made his job pretty straightforward and he was through the first checkpoint super quick. However, the Sahara Race 2009 was never going to be a one horse race and he was hotly pursued all the way by Christian Schiester of Austria and Germany’s Tobias Frenz.
Danis, who won the Atacama Crossing 2009, did fade slightly in the heat on the last few kms, but it wasn’t an issue in terms of the final placings. He crossed the line in 3:14:39, with Schiester closing the gap slightly to clock in at 3:24:19. Frenz’s official time was 3:26:15.
“It’s just as well I came first today,” said Danis afterwards. “I put everything into it to win and wanted to show the other guys that, if they want to win, they are going to have to hurt.”
Coming into this event, Schiester looked like the man who would pose the biggest threat to race favourite Danis and his result today suggests he’s just waiting to pounce. Keeping his cards pretty close to his chest, Schiester said afterwards: “I didn’t run too fast as the decision day is at Stage 3 or 4, but I’m feeling good.”
Thoroughly surprised by her win in the female category was South Africa’s Erica Terblanche. The 38-year-old London based strategy manager is an experienced adventure racer and ultra marathoner, but she’d missed a load of training in the run-up to the Sahara Race 2009 due to an injury. After leading the women’s race all day, Terblanche crossed the line in 04:42:59, making her fifteenth overall.
“I’m grateful and delighted to have finished the stage as the first placed woman, but I’ll just run this a day at a time,” she said modestly.
Second woman home was Christina Dotson of Bermuda in 05:34:50, with Teresa Lam of Hong Kong third in 5:53.27
It was business as usual for the well-oiled Team Trifecta. The trio – Frank Fumich of the USA and Australians, Michael Hull and Pete Wilson – were first team home in a time of 04:47:16. If they finish this event, they’ll all become 4 Deserts Club members. There was nothing in their performance today to suggest they won’t reach their goal, but it's early days.
As the heat on the course soared and soared, people began to suffer and some real battles of survival unfolded. Several competitors complained of stomach problems, with a few ultimately ending up on IV drips in a busy medical tent. Patrick Griggs of the USA was forced to withdraw with an injury, as was Erik de Haart of Australia. Alain Wehbi of France also had to pull out. They gave it their best shot and should be proud.
Mary Gadams, RacingThePlanet founder and chief executive, said: “I thought today was going to be relatively easy, but when I went out on the course I saw a lot of people struggling.”
“It was a humbling experience,” said Ross Eathorne of New Zealand, summing up how many felt about this demanding, awe-inspiring first day.
Last across the line tonight was Jack Denness, the 74-year-old endurance wizard from the UK and his race partner, Karen Dockwray. Karen, like pretty much everyone else in camp, was stunned when it rained for around 10 minutes. “I thought I was hallucinating,” she said.
Rain on the first day of the Sahara Race 2009. That’s got to be lucky. Tomorrow competitors will tackle the tough 44km (27.28mile) Marathon el Qarawin stage that will see them leave behind the spectacular rock formations of the White Desert.
Note: For any media inquiries, please contact Samantha Healey at shealey@racingtheplanet.com. |
