Archive for the ‘Marathons’ Category

So popular is this extreme sport becoming that it’s getting tough for endurance athletes to find a race.  The Marathon des Sables, for example, is fully booked until 2011.

Enter Across the Divide. They organise 4 ultra-marathons a year, kicking off  with The Namib on 19-21 February, 2010 – this race is rapidly making its name as the ultimate endurance race for long distance runners.

It is a race that will test each athletes physical and mental strength to the limit.

“Across the Divide have captured the spirit of adventure racing in this event for me!“ Andy McMenemy, Namibia ultra marathon participant 2008.

This race, along with the Iceland Laugavegur Ultra Marathon, the Spanish 24hour Ultra Marathon and the Grand Canyon Ultra are all events organised and run by the founding directors of  ‘Across the Divide’ , Mark and Karen Hannaford and their team.

Mark has been involved with charity challenges and expeditions for over 22 years and has led expeditions all over the world as well as taking part in extreme endurance events. Karen, a keen runner, has been involved for over 17 years in expeditions, event management and charity work.

The extreme series for Across the Divide has actually been developed by Steve Clark who, having completed both the London and Edinburgh marathons, was looking for a new challenge. In April 2005 he completed the Marathon des Sables in Morocco and was  well and truly smitten by the ultra distance race bug.

Tony Ford completes the team with a broad range of event organisational skills. He himself has completed some of the worlds strangest races, from Tough Guy to Lions Head, and The Beast to Bibbulmun Trail. After 15 years of marathons and trail races, Tony still has the bug…

Which brings me back to the Namibia 24 Hour Ultra Marathon (charityatd).

This race was first run in 2008 and in the words of competitor Peter Holdgate, “It was hot!  It was hard! It was awesome! – A true adventure.     This race is a must for individuals who wish to test their limits of physical and mental endurance.”

The route has increased in length slightly for 2010 – it will be 126kms in total which is the same as 3 full marathons. Each of the 6 stages of the route will be 21kms in length.

the route is mainly flat or undulating, firm under foot, but stony with occasional patches of sand and short grass cover. The most difficult part of the route will be traversed at night and it will be important to take care as  rough tracks and loose stones will be difficult to navigate in the dark – even with a full moon.

When dawn breaks and you begin to think that the worst must be behind you, the race finishes with a punishing up-hill section before turning off down to the beach, the infamous Skeleton Coast, and the finish line. Jayne Freer, also an original competitor, says of this final section: “The last leg is truly horrific – punishing on the mind, body and soul. Eighteen kilometres down a road that never ends, followed by a further two down to the sea at the Mile 72 campsite. Each and every step is punishing, painstaking and pure hell.”

Runners have to be self-sufficient throughout, carrying all their food, water, energy bars and change of clothing in backpacks – everything they will need for temperatures topping 40 degrees Celsius (46 C was clocked one day) and plummeting to two degrees at night.

Steve Tidball, a competent runner regularly doing 30-40 miles with no problem, was defeated by heatstroke within the first 2 hours of the 2009 race – it is worth noting that he came to this race fully prepared having even done heat training in preparation for the desert temperatures. However, he was allowed to complete the race, and had this to say about it: “Of course once I’d started to recover the magnitude of what we’d been through began to kick in. We met people out there who’ll undoubtedly be friends for life. I learnt that the desert is not to be underestimated; it is an awesomely intimidating place capable of destroying you. I loved every minute of the camp, and the opportunity of being surrounded by people who are just like you and like a bit of pain with their running. And finally I feel unbelievably grateful to the doctors at Across the Divide, first for saving me from doing anything reckless with my health, then secondly for letting me rejoin the race. It allowed me to take away invaluable experiences that will last with me forever.”

As with all the ultra-marathon endurance races we talk about on this site, whether it be AdventureCORPS’ Death Valley Badwater Marathon, or RacingThePlanet’s 4 Deserts (the Sahara Race is underway as we speak), or Across the Divide’s, what strikes me most about the event is the amazing depth of camaraderie and alliance amongst the competitors and organisers – one and the same in some cases. And the friendships that are born out of adversity… There seems to be a unique bond which is tangible but hard to explain.

Well worth witnessing first hand I think.

A normal length marathon is run in the Namib at the same time and will finish after stage 2.

There are still 98 places available for the extreme  Namibia 24 Hour Ultra Marathon and if you wish to enter please click here

The Sahara Race, a seriously extreme endurance race, has got off to an excellent start…

At the start of the race special recognition was given to Alasdair Morrison of Scotland and Ji Sung Yoo of South Korea, the only competitors in the race who have completed the 4 Deserts. However five more competitors will join the 4 Deserts Club, if they complete this current Sahara Race.

The oldest competitor, 74-year-old Jack Denness of the UK, said: “It is fantastic to be here. I love it. It is great for my ego as even the front runners give me lots of respect because of my age.”

Whilst we wined and dined most of a blissful sunny Sunday away, 130 intrepid adventurers set off under clear blue Sahara skies on a sandy, rocky route that had been classified as moderate.

“The magic of the famous White Desert will be only the beginning of many memorable moments in the Sahara Race.” – said course director, Carlos Garcia Prieto of Spain, and indeed it was. Special permission was needed to be allowed to camp in this very special place.

Canada’s Trailwinders team member Lara Rintoul said: “Its so beautiful out there I’m happy not to run, as powering along head down would mean I wouldn’t see it. We’ll never be back here so we have to ensure we take it all in and enjoy it.”

The winner of the Atacama Crossing 2009, Canada’s Mehmet Danis, led the field on the first day clearly determined to make his mark early on in this event. Crossing the finish line he said: “It was a nice first half but after the third checkpoint the soft sand and heat really got to me and I slowed.”

Tobias Frenz of Germany has taken second place. He said: “The first 10km was easy then you hit the sand. I really went for it in the last 5km.” Christian Schiester of Austria is the third man across the line.

Erica Terblanche of South Africa was the first woman to complete the first stage after a very strong first day performance. Erica is a former world class adventure racer with an impressive track record in endurance running as well. She now works in the financial sector in London and when asked what her colleagues think of her unusual passion for endurance sports (she recently completed a 10,000km cycle expedition across South East Asia) she said,  “People at work have been trying to reconcile what I’m like for 20 years. I have a briefcase in one hand and a surf board in the other!”

Team Trifecta were the first team to finish.

Some competitors lost time earlier in the day because of navigational errors and the harshness of the race, the environment, and the conditions took their toll on some of the entrants and Alain Wehbi of France, Erik de Haart of Australia and  Patrick Griggs of the USA withdrew.

As night fell at the end of the first day, glow sticks were placed on the course to guide the last competitors in.

Last to come in were Jack Denness and Karen Dockwray of the UK in high spirits. As they crossed the line, 74-year-old Jack joked: “Sorry we were so long, we stopped off for a honeymoon.”

Many competitors found the first day very tough and the medical tent was busier than normal. Several people needed treatment with IV drips… Everyone was happy to sit, relax, draw breath and enjoy the excellent cuisine:

Tongue in cheek I have to admit!!!

Stage 2 has got off to a good start with Austria’s Christian Schiester leading at the first checkpoint of the day, though he’s only seconds ahead of Canada’s Mehmet Danis and Tobias Frenz of Germany…

And whilst the competitors are slogging it through the sand, the event organisers are having a little fun:

With thanks to racingtheplanet for the videos and the photograph. If you have taken the time to watch the 3 videos you will have got a very good impression of the atmosphere out there: the joie de vivre, the camaraderie, the mood of this singular event…

Since we’re on the subject of marathons  – I just HAD to bring this one to your attention and perhaps you would be kind enough to let me know whether you would judge it as one of the most FUN marathons in the world! Thank you to  MrBolsderiz for the great video – the fact that it is in French won’t worry you in the least – it’s the spirit of the marathon that you will want to see…

This is, of course, the  Marathon des Chateaux du Medoc or simply known as The Medoc.

It first started in 1984 and is always run in September before the harvest. It almost immediately assumed the reputation of the most convivial marathon of them all.

The race is strictly limited to 8,500, so if you would like to take part in the next one it’s on Saturday, 11th September, 2010 – and you’d best get your skates on…

Out of that 8,500, 90% of the runners are in flamboyant fancy dress… costumes are positively encouraged.

Now here’s the best bit: The course passes many of the greatest chateaux in Bordeaux, where participants are expected to drink wine instead of water and foie gras instead of bananas. It winds through the vineyards connected by narrow roads, gravel paths and infrequent but bothersome patches of sand. The changing terrain is a challenge even for the experienced runner.

It begins in Pauillac in the Médoc area of Bordeaux, passes the hamlets of Saint Julien and Saint Estephe, past the vineyards of Lafite Rothschild and Château Latour, to name but a few. It is a must for all wine enthusiasts and runners. It is, without doubt, the most Bacchanalian event in the charity sporting calendar.

More than 30 chateaux open their gates to this seething mass of humanity, and local producers lay on tables of ‘degustation’ offering everything from foie gras and escargot to artisan cheeses. The result is a carnival-like celebration with runners and spectators enjoying the best the region has to offer as the route winds, increasingly drunkenly, through the beautiful Bordeaux vineyards.

You can only run a marathon like this in France.

It is the sort of marathon that would have tickled Pheidippides’ fancy. Pheidippides, that ancient Greek whom marathons honour – he first ran 240 km (150 miles) in two days when he was sent to Sparta to request help after the Persians had landed at Marathon, Greece. He then ran the 40 km (25 miles) from the battlefield near the town of Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory over Persia in the Battle of Marathon…. and hence the term ‘marathons’. Pheidippides, sad to say, just had time to utter the word “Nenikékamen” (we have won) before he died of exhaustion.

It was because of this story, and because of a poem written about Pheidippides by Robert Browning in 1879, that inspired Baron Pierre de Coubertin and other founders of the modern Olympic Games to invent a running race of 42 km called the Marathon.

And thus is history made…

Back to practicalities, if you wish to subscribe for the  2010 race, send for your registration forms  at http://www.marathondumedoc.com

Registration is open now for runners through to November. The deadline may be a bit more flexible for runners from outside of France, but don’t rely on that ‘maybe’.

We don’t often write about a mere marathon… not to say we don’t admire each and every one of you marathon-runners – we do! but ultra-marathons are more our thing. However – since this one is happening in our backyard we thought it deserved a mention:

The Nice-Cannes marathon gets underway on Sunday, 8th November. It’s a total of 42.195 km on an entirely coastal route… The start is in Nice on the  Promenade des Anglais and the finish line is in Cannes at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès.

This is a flat and competitive course which will take you passed St. Laurent du Var,  Cagnes sur Mer, Villeneuve-Loubet, Antibes Juan-les-Pins, Vallauris Golfe Juan  – and you can expect around about 6,000 spectators to be  cheering you on.

2008 was the first time this race was run and there were about 10,000 competitors – quite a crowd. Even though it’s November, if the sun is out it can get very hot – nothing like Furnace Creek, but more than most Northern Europeaners will be expecting.

• Start:   Promenade des Anglais, Nice
• Finish:   La Croisette, Cannes
• Starting time:   08.00 a.m.
• Time limit:   6 hours
• Average temperature:   10-16°C

There will be 15 refreshments areas (excluding the one in the finish area) in the race which means there will be one every 2.5 km starting at the 5 km mark. There will also be 5 shower/sponge areas (one every 7.5 km).

Everybody who completes the marathon is rewarded with a medal, a T-Shirt and has access to a massage…

The closing date for entries was 30th September, however, if you really want to do this you can try contacting the organisers directly on: http://www.marathon06.com/2008/AN/organisation

I know this is a 9-minute video that I am asking you to watch (racingtheplanet), but please do, or at least give it a brief viewing. The scenery is spectacular, the camaraderie amazing and the sense of fun – exhilarating.

The Sahara Race, part of the 4 Desert series, will be held from the 25th to 31st October, 2008 in Egypt’s Sahara Desert (the world’s largest subtropical desert) for a seven day, six stage race. This is the third leg in the series with those already run being the Atacama Desert and the Gobi Desert. The last leg will be Antarctica – and yes, the Antarctica is a desert as it has a negligible annual rainfall.

There is a 5th event – but it’s in a different location each year. In 2010 it will be held in the Outback in  Western Australia’s Kimberley region.

The Sahara Race is a 250km (155 miles) race beginning at the Farafra Oasis, seven hours from Cairo. The six stage race takes place over seven days, and will see competitors going through a strange and forbidding landscape of sand and rock whilst camping in some of the most remote oases of the Sahara Desert. The finish line at the Pyramids of Giza will be on the  31st October.

The heat in the Sahara can be fierce, but due to very low humidity, it is bearable. Temperatures can rise to 120 F (49 C) during the day and fall to around 50F (10 C) which means the evenings can be quite cold. Strong winds and sandstorms are not uncommon.

If you’ve watched the above video you might be wondering why on earth they carry such enormous packs when the conditions are certainly going to be difficult. The reason? The competitors must carry all their own gear, food and clothing. The average backpack weighs about 20 pounds (9 kilos). The only “luxuries” they are provided with each day are a place in a tent in which to sleep, a campfire at night and drinking water. Each competitor will be allocated 10 litres of water per day to keep hydrated in the relentless heat.

Mary Gadams, Founder and CEO of RacingThePlanet, the organizer of the race says, “The 4 Deserts has established itself as the leading endurance series out there. The 4 Deserts is something that people feel the need to conquer, like the Seven Summits or the Five Oceans.”

130 people will be taking part in the Sahara Race. The typical competitor in a race of this quality is a working professional, a high achiever – someone who believes in maximizing every opportunity in life.

“It’s fantastic that we’ve managed to establish a race series that is attracting such a diverse group of truly inspiring people,” says  Gadams.   “Everybody has to deal with the same trials in the 4 Deserts, whether they are a veteran competitor or a complete novice. By limiting the number of participants everyone becomes a source of support for each other and a great camaraderie develops over the 7 days, even amongst the most
competitive of athletes.”

There are also some professional endurance athletes taking part such as Austrian Christian Schiester, 41, and Kenneth ‘Tintin’ Johansson, 44, from Sweden and a number of record-setters including Briton Annabelle Bond, 38, who is the fastest woman to ever complete the Seven Summits; helicopter pilot Jennifer Murray, 68, again from the UK who amongst other aviation firsts, has most recently completed a circumnavigation of the globe via both poles; Ron Hackett who was Canada’s first blind triathlete and is a two-time World Cup Triathlon Champion; and Jack Denness, a school caretaker from England who is the only 70-year-old to have ever completed the Badwater Ultramarathon.

The man everyone will have to beat though is Mehmet Danis, 34, from Canada. The Canadian Forces officer won the Atacama Crossing earlier this year, and is currently training under the guidance of his celebrated compatriot ultramarathon runner Ray Zahab.

As with a lot of the organisations or extroadinary events that we talk about and discuss with admiration, RacingThePlanet, too, support chosen charities in the countries they visit. Last year they raised $45,000 to support Operation Smile in Cairo, a group that provides free surgery to children born with facial deformities. The organisation encourages its participants to run for any charity of their choice. Many of their competitors have raised significant amounts of money for charities all over the world.

As a matter of interest, the entry fee for the Gobi March, Atacama Crossing, Sahara Race, and RacingThePlanet: Namibia in 2009 is US$3100 per race. The Antarctica Race, The Last Desert, is significantly more – $10,000, estimated price. It is only held once every other year. Registration for all the races is on a first-come, first-serve basis and entries are limited based on government and environmental concerns. You can only apply for the Antarctica race  if you have already complete two of the other deserts.

We wrote about the Simpson Desert Bike Challenge yesterday which is underway in Australia, but on the opposite side of the world, in America, the FURNACE CREEK 508 preliminaries begin today.

This is the 26th Anniversary of the Furnace Creek 508 Bicycle Race. The race itself begins tomorrow, October 3-5, 2009. Held since 1983 and known as “The Toughest 48 hours in Sport,” it is the world’s premier ultramarathon bicycle race. This non-stop 508-mile bicycle race is revered the world over for its epic mountain climbs, stark desert scenery, desolate roads, and its reputation as one of the toughest but most gratifying endurance challenges available, bar none.

The man who created this race is the godfather of ultra-cycling. Besides Furnace Creek 508, he also created the Great American Bike Race and Race Across America. His name is John Merino and at the age of 60 he is still cycling and rides the same weight as he did 30 years ago.

It is the company AdventureCORPS, run by Chris Kostman, which hosts Furnace Creek 508.

Chris Kostman himself has an impressive cycling history.  He set world ultra cycling records in high school in 1984 and 1985 and completed the 3127-mile, eleven-day Race Across America bicycle race at age 20 in 1987.

The Furnace Creek 508 race course is actually (to be pedantic) 509.58 miles long and has a total elevation gain of over 35,000′ (10,668 m). It crosses ten mountain passes, and stretches from Santa Clarita (just north of Los Angeles), across the Mojave Desert, through Death Valley, to Twenty Nine Palms.

Designed as an endurance challenge, no drafting or pack riding is allowed in any division at Furnace Creek 508. There is a 48 hour time limit for the solo division and a 46 hour time limit for the relay team division.

The start line is the Hilton Garden Inn of Santa Clarita. The halfway mark is at Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park. Racers then pass through the Mojave National Preserve en route to the finish line at the Best Western Gardens Inn in Twenty Nine Palms, CA.

Approximately 220 bicycle racers will be there from across the USA, Canada, Asia, and Europe.

It is known as the hardest and most popular weekend ultra-race. You can expect extreme heat, extreme cold, head winds, tail winds, flash floods, sandstorms and anything else that Mother Nature can think of will more than likely be thrown at you during the 48 hrs. of this race – here’s a brief excerpt from kjfitz2.

One competitor, on crossing the finish line, said: “This moment was forty five hours and twenty one minutes of heaven and hell.”

Why would anyone push themselves to the very edge of their limits, you might ask? The above competitor, Thrasher, summed it up brilliantly: “My obsession was to finish the Furnace Creek 508. But it became much more to me than just finishing. It has become a life lesson that has changed me forever. Many things are crystal clear to me now because of the 508; Things that had been shades of gray have become a stunning black and white.”

The Furnace Creek 508 becomes more than just a race. It almost becomes a spiritual event between yourself, the elements and endurance.

In response to the above comments, another competitor says: “I couldn’t agree with your comments more. That ride was a lifetime unto itself.”

Ultra-cycling is a world within a world. As Cat, Bumble Bee, Berge, says, on completing last years’ race: “For me ultra cycling has meant belonging to a family of unique friends, where love, concern, support and high regard for one another characterize our relationships.”

Good luck to all this year’s entrants…

Here’s something a little different – not quite as extreme as ultra-marathons, but very definitely their own brand of adventure stamped all over them…

The Adventure Marathon idea was born in 1998 in Copenhagen, Denmark when Director of Albatros Travel, Mr. Søren Rasmussen got the idea of organising a marathon on The Great Wall of China. The following year 300 runners participated in the first Great Wall Marathon ever and it was clear that a new “niche” was started. More adventurous marathons followed, some more successful than others and today 4 marathons are a permanent part of the family, they are:

• The Great Wall Marathon on the Great Wall in China,
• The Big Five Marathon on the savannah in South Africa,
• The Great Tibetan Marathon in the mountains of Tibet,
• and The Polar Circle Marathon on the ice sheet of Greenland.

The Petra Marathon is the newest venue for this innovative company. It will be run this weekend, 26th September. As you can imagine, registration for this marathon is definitely closed… however, if you’re really keen you can register for the 2010 Petra Marathon which will be run on 17th September next year.

This is the first time ever that the Petra Marathon has been run, and what a setting.

Petra, an ancient city carved in the sandstone mountains, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  It was elected as one of the ‘New 7 Wonders of the World’ in 2007. Runners can look forward to astonishing sights and a challenging course through a unique landscape.

The lowest point of the race will be about 875 m and the highest elevation is just under 1,450 m.

The Petra Marathon will be swiftly followed by the Polar Circle Marathon which is on October 24th, 2009.

This marathon is a tough, unique race in truly magnificent scenery. Greenland’s endless ice and snow make up the backdrop of this unusual race, in which runners pass glacier tongues, moraine landscapes and soundless, arctic desert.

Most of the course is run on gravel road and smaller paths between moraine hills – except for the part that takes place on the 3 km thick Greenlandic ice cap.

October weather in Greenland is normally beautiful and not too cold. Sunshine is the order of the day, though the occasional light snowfall may occur. Expect temperatures of around -5º C / 25º F.

It looks as though you can still register for this marathon, but I’d advise you to be quick as I am sure time will be running out. Please follow this Polar Marathon link.

The next Great Wall Marathon will be run on 15th may, 2010.

The 5,164 steps of the Great Wall will put your physique to the test, and the breathtaking surroundings of Tianjin Province will compete with your tired
muscles for attention. The Great Wall Marathon® is the ideal way to combine an unusual running event with exploring one of the world’s most astonishing sights.

June 5th, 2010 is the day for the Big Five Marathon in South Africa.

Runners from all over the world will meet in one of the most spectacular “Big Five” game reserves in Africa. In these magnificent surroundings, one can combine exciting game drives with a challenging marathon route going right through the habitat of the most famous African game: Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo, Lion and Leopard. No fences, no rivers, nothing at all separates the runners from the African wildlife.

And if you’re an ardent football fan you could always try taking a match while you’re out there…  the FIFA World Cup starts on 11th June.

And finally, since it’s already happened, we will end with the Great Tibetan Marathon (AlbatrosAfrica) on the Tibetan plateau in Northern India, otherwise known as Little Tibet.

The Great Tibetan Marathon is nothing like traditional marathon courses on even roads in well-known surroundings. The mountainous terrain, in which the marathon takes place, naturally makes the tracks rugged, the 3,500 m altitude makes the air deficient in oxygen and the views are absolutely spectacular. there is no need to emphasize how tough a race this is. So tough actually, that it was voted Toughest Marathon on the Most Extreme Marathons-list by Forbes Magazine.

And also very different… this is a very spiritual marathon. The start is blown on long Buddhist horns, instead of the traditional shot by a starting pistol, and all runners are blessed by Buddhist monks, who also serve as helpers along the way.

The Great Tibetan Marathon 2009 happened on 18 July 2009. The marathon winners were Indian Stanzin Otsal (3:24:59) and South African Leanne Juul (3:58:08). 74 runners from all over the world finished the three distances: marathon, half marathon and 10 km.

Occasionally we profile someone who fits into our extreme personality box and recently Wim Hof, aka The IceMan, swam into our radar.

Born April 20, 1959, Wim Hof is a Dutch world record holder and adventurer, commonly nicknamed the Iceman for his ability to withstand extreme cold. In 2007, he attempted, but failed, to climb Mount Everest wearing nothing but shorts.  He holds nine world records including a world record for longest ice bath, 1 hour and 31 minutes in May 2008.

In February 2007 he completed a half-marathon (21kms) above the Arctic Circle in Finland wearing only shorts (SUPERGOODNEWS). He completed the marathon barefoot…

In February 2009, Wim Hof reached the top of Mount Kilamanjaro in 2 days wearing only his shorts. It took him another 2 days to climb down.

Wim can actually regulate his core heat to control the temperature of his skin. Something of a medical enigma, he is able to withstand cold that could kill or seriously injure other people. He uses the Tantric practice called Tummo to control his body temperature. Tummo has been practiced by Yogi monks in Tibet. Apparently Wim is the only known non-monk to have mastered Tummo.

He has proved that extreme cold can be resisted by controlling the human body using the power of the mind only.

In March 2009 he successfully completed a FULL marathon again above the Arctic Circle, this time adding open sandals to his ensemble.

His technique to prepare himself for the marathon were unconventional to say the least. Instead of being out there pounding pavements, he, instead, immersed himself in freezing water. He insists that all exertions are mind over matter.

His love of freezing temperatures began when he was 18. He claims to have ‘found his inner self’ when he immersed himself in freezing water for 30 seconds. Since then he has dedicated his whole adult life to conquering the cold.

“The cold is not our enemy. The cold is our best friend. Because you learn to control you body and your mind,” he says and continues with: “fear is something real. You have to understand fear to cope with it.”

Temperatures in the Arctic Circle can plummet very quickly and without warning, but this did not deter Wim. However he did acknowledge that a full marathon in temperatures ranging around -8 to -16 C would be his toughest  challenge of his mind control theories, bearing in mind that that at or below 0º C (32°F) and below you run the risk of frostbite in fingers, feet and extremities, with hypothermia being a very real risk.

Running in his trademark shorts, Wim used sports sandals for the event to give him more traction on the snow. It was vital to run on compacted snow otherwise he would expend too much energy. He did no physical training for the event apart from a half hour swim under 2″ ice the day before to focus his mind and to prepare his body’s reaction to the extreme cold.

To scientists amazement his blood pressure was almost the same after the swim. They acknowledge that he has an almost superhuman ability to withstand cold.

To make matters worse, he started the marathon with a sprained ankle, but despite this he chose to continue.

After 2 hours of running he was out of his comfort zone and at 3 hours he was tired. The support crew were worried. Every marathon runner knows that at any time you can reach the wall where your body says “enough now”. But Wim has trained his body to listen to his more powerful mind - “keep the cold out, don’t go with the fatigue, don’t g0 with the suffering…”

With 3 miles left he was tired and walking. He admitted to feeling a little cold, his legs were heavy, but after a hot drink he continued this time with his 6-year old son, Noah, keeping him company.

He limped across the finish line in 5 hours and 25 minutes and enjoyed a well-earned cigarette!

Our congratulations go to this extroadinary man. A fitting holder of the title: THE ICEMAN….

New research shows that people who feel compelled to take part in ultra-marathons and other severe endurance races are not masochists but are quite possibly addicted to exercise.

A new study in the August edition of the journal Behavioral Neuroscience showed running may indeed be addictive to the brain in the same way as heroin or morphine.

Stan Jensen is a good example. Author of Run100s.com, he has competed in 20 marathons and 125 ultra-marathons in his lifetime. He said he considered his first race “fun”, but one marathon was not enough and he eventually morphed into an ultra-marathon runner. “There was a time at which I was definitely addicted to running. I enjoyed it, I enjoyed the way I felt when I ran and I enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment when I finished,” he said.

But it’s not just the brain that keeps you going. You have to have adequately prepared your body and organised nutritional snacks to eat along the way. this is imperative to keep up your stamina.

Whilst researching various ultra-marathons I have come across the name of Hammer Nutrition. Many athletes laud their products, so I thought I should have a closer look as to who and what is Hammer Nutrition…

Hammer Nutrition is a company that understands the needs of endurance athletes and seems to have covered most corners of this market. They pride themselves on marketing quality products to endurance athletes around the globe – a complete line of the finest fuels available. Their products contain only ingredients that promote healthy, steady energy production. None of their products contain any added simple sugars, artificial flavors or colorings, or any questionable, fad, or unproven ingredients.

Kathleen McCormack, having completed the 624 miles, 47,000+ ft of elevation gain, 44:41 total time California Triple Crown Stage Cycling Race, said that to keep her body fueled properly during all those hours on the bike, she relied heavily on Hammer Nutrition products like yummy Caffé Latte Perpetuem, Banana Hammer Gel, Endurolytes, Anti-Fatigue Caps, and Endurance Amino and last but certainly not least…  the fabulous SEAT SAVER chamois cream! Post ride, she always goes straight for an ice cold serving of Hammer Nutritions Recoverite to promote adequate recovery.

Mobility or range-of-motion (ROM) around a joint and the ability to run with EASE and in a RELAXED MANNER is often facilitated by increased flexibility.

Each time your feet hit the ground (approximately 1000 times in only 1-mile of running) your body needs to be strong and stiff to resist ground forces and transfer deceleration into acceleration. If you are functionally strong, you will run faster and easier than if you have great levels of flexibility.

“The body is (simply) a chain of stabile segments connected to mobile joints. When there’s a break in that chain, problems usually ensue,” says Gary Cook.

Competitors at the Badwater marathon, the toughest endurance race in the world, who used Hammer products sware by them. Jamie Donaldson, took top honors in the Women’s division again this year, and her time of 27 hours, 20 minutes, 18 seconds was good for 5th place overall. She recently commented that “this was my best-feeling Badwater ever! It was considerably hotter than last year by 5-10 degrees and I didn’t have one stomach issue using only Perpeteum, Endurolytes, and Hammer Gel. Amazing! Also, I LOVED the caffé latte of Perpetuem! That flavor rocks! I placed 1st female in the second fastest time for a woman ever in 27:20.”

67-year-old Arthur Webb of Santa Rosa, CA, finished his 11th Badwater, and his time of 46:35.29 placed him a fantastic 37th overall, but he suffered major problems early on in the race and said “if it was not for the Endurolytes and HEED I probably would not have made it. But consuming these products gave me the ability to finish off the Badwater race in 46:35 and buckled for my eleventh time .”

So who and what is Hammer Nutrition?

Hammer Nutrition has recognised the fact that endurance athletes often focus on carb intake, and leave protein considerations for the weight lifters and bodybuilders. Differences in goals and body type aside, the fact is that endurance athletes also need a considerable amount of protein, mainly in two protein demands:

• to repair and rebuild muscle tissue;
• to protect and enhance immune system functioning.

Lean muscle mass can be lost at a considerable rate during exercise, especially if protein is deficient in the fueling and lengthy training sessions greatly stress the immune system. Athletes with inadequate protein intake are susceptible to over-training syndrome, overuse injuries, slow healing of injuries, and catching colds and other ailments.

Whey protein, because of its fast absorption, is the ideal recovery protein for post-exercise use. Soy is best during exercise, as it is least likely to produce ammonia, which in turn contributes to muscle fatigue.

There is a relatively easy system to work out your optimum protein intake in grams should be:

• multiply your body weight in kilograms (pounds divided by 2.2) by 1.4 to 1.7, depending on the intensity of your exercise.

Serious endurance athletes do need considerable amounts of protein, far above the normal adult RDA, because maintenance, repair, and growth of lean muscle mass all depend on it,as well as optimum immune system function. Low dietary protein lengthens recovery time, causes muscle weakness,and suppresses the immune system.

Chronic protein deficiency will cancel the beneficial effects of your workouts; instead, you will become susceptible to fatigue, lethargy, anemia, and possibly even more severe disorders. Athletes with over-training syndrome usually have protein deficiency.

Pain Killers

The other thing that is of interest to all you marathon, ultra-marathon or endurance athletes out there is you should know the effects that popping ibuprofen pills has on an athlete.

David Nieman, a well-regarded physiologist and director of the Human Performance Laboratory at the North Carolina Research Campus, was asked to look at the stresses that was placed on the participants of endurance racing.

Nieman and the race authorities had anticipated that the rigorous distance and altitude would affect runners’ immune systems and muscles, and they did, but another of their findings suprised everyone…

After looking at racers’ blood work, he determined that some of the ultramarathoners were supplying their own physiological stress, in tablet form. Those runners who’d popped over-the-counter ibuprofen pills before and during the race displayed, at the end of the race, significantly more inflammation and other markers of high immune system response than the runners who hadn’t taken anti-inflammatories. The ibuprofen users also showed signs of mild kidney impairment and, both before and after the race, of low-level endotoxemia, a condition in which bacteria leak from the colon into the bloodstream.

Seven out of ten of the runners were using ibuprofen before and, in most cases, at regular intervals throughout the race, he says. “There was widespread use and very little understanding of the consequences.”

Rather a solemn article today – but facts that one should know about.

Philipp Mosimann began running marathons when he was 21. Having completed marathons in Switzerland, Singapore, Kuala-Lumpar and Paris he turned his attention to ultra-marathons and has since competed in, and completed, the Gobi Desert in China, the Atacama in Chili, the Sahara and through Vietnam.

The Namib was his fifth desert run.

2 years ago he convinced his brother, Mark, to take up the sport with him. “On runs that involve such longs stretches as this one does, it is a great mental comfort to have a familiar person nearby” he says. “Both of you know that the other is doing ok.”

Why does he do it?

“Running boosts my self-confidence. In day-to-day life I feel much calmer. Through running, you get the maximum out of yourself but still always want more. But nature is stronger and always shows me where my limits are. That’s the whole appeal – nothing more nothing less.”

Pretty well says it all doesn’t it?

In addition, he gets to go to seriously exotic places. Places few others get to see and well beyone the capability of a  travel agency.

However, it comes at a pretty stiff price this ultra-running. I’m talking about the pocket here, not the body… though that too of course!

The starter’s fee alone is US$3,100. Flights, meals and equipment are all extras. You can count on spending Euro 5,000 for the privilege of nearly killing yourself during the run! For that sum you could chill on an exotic island in extreme comfort!

However, it takes all sorts and thank goodness for the Philipp and Mark Mosimann’s of this world.

I wrote about the Namib Desert run fairly extensively when it was happening (RacingThePlanet – Namibia), but just to tweak your memory and make you shift uneasily on your comfortable leather sofa in your air-conditioned sitting-room, the Namib Desert Ultra-Marathon ranks as one of the most gruelling of them all: an ultra-marathon over 250 kms, temperatures that fluctuate between 5 and 45 degrees celsius, and not just sand dunes – the terrain is diverse, difficult, rocky and mountainous.

Runners have to complete 6 stages ranging from 40 to 100 kms a day. This requires plenty of advance training and Philipp and Mark began theirs a full year before. It is necessary to learn to cope with long, demanding training sessions involving distances of up to 50kms and in all sorts of weather conditions. “You have to set some very tough priorities,”  he said. “By entering such a run, you have defined a very clear goal for yourself. In the process, you teach yourself to become good at organising.”

Even with all this preparation, the course will challenge you to your very limits. By the end of the first day, the Fish River Canyon – Africa’s answer to the Grand Canyon – Mosimann had to battle his way over every sort of terrain from stony surfaces to sandy ones, from cliffs to river crossings. “After 30kms I was down on all fours. The combination of sand and water in my shoes did the rest.” By the end of the day he could barely feel his feet.

However, and this is where it is difficult for us more sedentary types to understand, although pushing his body to the absolute limit, he still has time to appreciate the awesome beauty of the country he is running through.

We have waxed verbally before on what a marathon runner should munch of to keep his energy levels up (nutrition). Philipp has his own recipe and it doesn’t include energy bars. He prefers nuts, raisins and jelly babies, along with diced salami in regular portions. To him, this is as good as a 5-course meal on a marathon.

All ultra-marathons are physically and mentally challenging, the Namib perhaps more so and every stage becomes a battle between yourself and exhaustion. “At times you feel mentally completely drained. In order to cope with the seemingly unimaginable distances, you have to constantly set small interim goals for yourself along the way: to the next replenishment place, the next, already visible climb, or even just the next hour.”

And no matter how tough the race is, your mind is already planning the next one… Philipp wants to take part in the 2010 run across the Australian desert.

What is it all for you might ask yourself? When, as Philipp himself admits, even he asks himself  from time to time “what madness, when will it end? “ and finds it necessary “to really have to dig down deep to keep going”. Why do this to yourself?

The answer is simple: for the only victory that matters … the victory over one’s self.

And what do they do when they are not pushing their bodies to the very limits of endurance?  They co-manage the well-known restaurant Mosimann’s in Belgravia, London. So well known and so well thought of that admission is granted to member’s only. The Royal Family dines here as do the Sugar Babes and Sienna Miller. Regular customers include Elton John, Cliff Richard and Bono… in itself a challenging daily routine!