165km – 5 Stages (inc 1 night Stage) Self Supported

Preparation

Finding Sand Dunes on the West Coast of Norway is difficult.  But I tried.  A small beach, Åkrasand on Karmøy would have to suffice.  The 1.6km strip of sand would serve as my only specified training prior to taking on the 165km Oman Desert Marathon.  I loaded my Ultimate Direction Fast Pack 30L with around 6 kilos and I would set off along the beach.  As beautiful as Åkrasand is, it has no elevation, the sand is quite firm, and the dunes few and far between.

The Oman Desert Marathon 165km is set in the Winter season in Oman, temperatures can still hit 35 degrees celsius and humidity is high.  Little could prepare me for the scale of this race.  My coach, Sondre Amdahl,  placed me under no illusions, “This is one of the toughest desert races there is”.

Unfortunately in November during preparing for, and competing in the Karmøy Marathon,  I picked up a niggling case of Achilles Tendonitis.  This would hamper my race preparations for ODM in terms of any distance work, which was now out of the window.  If I ran more than 3km then it would flare up and cause significant pain.  So I diverted away from running and into the gym.  Strength work (specifically legs) and the Stair Stepper became my back up plan.  Whilst “De-Loading” the Achilles was the only option.  I also used a combination of heat and ice alternating every 5-10 minutes for hours at a time in the hope of giving me some chance of running is Oman pain free.  As the race week came, the training was done.  There was no point worrying anymore, it was just a case of now turning my attention to the race itself.  Preparing myself mentally as best i could and focussing on getting it done at all costs.

Fuel and Hydration

My plan was quite simple.  One pack of porridge oaks for breakfast, 3 x Tailwind Endurance fuel mix during each stage,  energy bars, and energy gels during, Tailwind Recovery for afterwards, and Dehydrated meal in the evening.  I have experimented a lot with various electrolytes and water additives, but it always comes back to flavour, and with Tailwind it is unrivalled.  I was aiming for around 60-80 grams of carbs per hour.  Everyone has a plan until the get punched in the nose, is the famous saying!

The main issue I found was the heat.  Even starting early at 7:30am it was 20-25 degrees, as the midday Sun hit 11am it was 30 degrees, by 2pm it could be as high as 35 degrees.  Personally I find it very difficult to put calories away when it is this hot.  My body simply rejected calories.  Forcing down energy bars was difficult.

On the Ultimate Direction 30L pack it can carry 2 litres of water on the chest in the form of 4 x 500ml bottles.  So I would have two filled with Tailwind, and two with only water.  This served me to regulate my sodium intake, I would keep salt tablets in the zip pockets also if needed.  Hydration wise I think I got my plan spot on.

I, personally find with energy gels that they are a short term solution and long term they can cause me GI issues.  So whilst I did take occasionally, I never rely on them, for me they are an emergency reaction to feeling low.  In total my food and fuel weighed in around 5 kilos.  My total pack weight was 7 kilos excluding water, so between 8-9 kilos when loaded with water.  This is on the heavy side for sure.  In hindsight I should of put extra work into getting the pack weight down to 7 kgs maximum including water.

The Race Itself

In one word, “Brutal”.  The terrain is 90% soft sand.  There are long stretches of the course that whilst flat and on vehicle tracks give the sense that it is a road but it is still very soft sand.  Any slight inclination drains energy extremely quickly and often it is more effective to hike with poles on these sections, as I often did.  The first 20km on the first day and the last 20km on the last day are on harder ground, so pace can be quickened for sure on these sections.  When it comes to the Dunes Rèal there is nothing that compares to the energy sapping qualities of these beasts.  Some as high as a three story house, it is 3 steps up and 2 steps back.  In the end I resorted to just pumping my legs for as long as possible and then collapsing on my poles for 30 seconds to catch my breath.  The scenery is breathtaking. Each morning and evening we were treated to the most amazing sunrises and sunsets of clementine orange.

In the camps after each stage we lay about nursing our feet and socialising, reminiscing about the days ascents and descents, the dunes and the never ending tracks winding through the desert sands.  As I look back on the five stages it all blurs into one really.  I actually found days one and three, which were the 40km stages to be the most enjoyable.  Days two and four which were slightly shorter, I actually suffered the most on.  This was perhaps due to the ascent profiles, or the long soft vehicle tracks we had to follow.  Day five, the Finale, is a shortish 21km run back into the Bidiyah Resort from the dunes.  A hot humid dust bowl scattered with small soft dunes to navigate around.  The sand is equally as punishing.  Reaching the finish line to be met by a huge BBQ and music blasting is a feeling like no other.  Feeling the grass under my battered feet is welcome relief from worrying about scorpions and snakes.  My biggest takeaway from this event is without doubt sharing the experience with some amazing people,  all on their own journey of discovery.  Experiencing the vastness of the desert and being completely alone for kilometre after kilometre with only my own thoughts as company was a cathartic experience. Here is to the next adventure!

 

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