I went to the final Doc Trotters clinic and infected
blisters were confirmed as in turn each blister freshly cut open released a
dark brown goo over the nice nurse who was unlucky enough to get my feet to
care for. The excellent medical care
during the race was probably one of the main reasons I was able to continue and
complete the event, and I can’t thank them enough, or apologise enough for
having such a terrible impression of them before I first visited them on day 2.
Yannick, one of the excellent medical team who helped me to finish. |
Andy, Rich and I went into the town after picking up our
race t-shirts and souvenirs, and enjoyed a leisurely lunch and a beer. And then, as we were Brits abroad, a large
group congregated in the hotel lobby to watch a game of football on the telly
and drink beers all afternoon.
The flight home the following day was unfortunately diverted
from Gatwick to Luton due to a fire on a plane on the runway at Gatwick. My folks had gone to Gatwick to welcome us
back, and said there were loads of families there with “welcome home” signs
made – a real shame we couldn’t have seen that.
Darryl, Rich and I ended up sharing a cab from Luton to Sheffield as it
worked out cheaper and quicker than getting new train tickets. It also saved my feet from having to walk too
far, but in the chaos of an overstretched Luton airport immigration section, we
didn’t get a chance to say goodbye properly to our friends who had shared so
much with us over the last 10 days or so.
So now, 2 weeks after getting back to the UK, I can sit back
and think about the race and all it meant a little more impartially. My feet are well on the way to recovery and
although still look a bit grim are no longer infected or painful. I felt like my training was good, given the
challenges of the injuries I picked up in the 3 months prior to the race. My kit worked excellently, and the time and
effort I put into trying it all out in the UK really paid off. Could I have done more to protect my feet?
I’ll never know I suppose. I checked for
hotspots, I treated blisters as they occurred, but ultimately I think the heat
of day 2 just caused some massive degradation in a very short space of
time. The blistering didn’t get any
worse after day 2 as temperatures returned to normal (still hot, but not over
50 degrees) but the damage was done. I’m
proud of myself for getting on with it and completing the race and I’m a little
surprised at how much I could cope with.
Reading these daily updates back, it’s possible to get the
impression that the race was one that I simply endured, but the reality is that
the race for me was far more than the individual stages from A to B. The build up, the communal living, the people
involved and the surroundings all combine to make it a really a magical
event. My tent mates were without
exception kind, funny, helpful and supportive and fantastic athletes (all of us
came in the top half of the field, with Mark claiming bragging rights for best
tent result in 45th position overall). It was a brilliant experience which I shall
remember and treasure forever.
Tent 64. Andy, Rich, Mark, me, Paula, Elisabet, Colin & James |
I’ve been amazed too by the level of support I’ve received
during the long build up and during the race.
Rich and I have raised over £6,500 for Macmillan Cancer Support and theBluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, far in excess of our ambitious £5k target,
and all thanks to the generosity of our friends, colleagues and some people
we’ve never even met. My family have been
hugely accommodating as I sacrificed most weekends from Christmas to April in
my quest for ever longer training sessions and putting up with my tiredness and
grumpiness when injured or finding things tough. And on the race itself, my mum and dad and my
brother were, it seems, glued to the race organisers website seeking out news
of my progress, checking the web cam for my arrival at the end of a stage and
sending me loads of messages of support – it was amazing to know that all my
efforts were followed so closely by my family and friends back home.
So the big question: would I go back and do it again? I
don’t think so. It was such an intense
experience and there are so many factors that can go wrong that I’d be worried
about it not living up to my expectations a second time around. Writing these updates from the notes I took
whilst in the desert has been a great process for me, it’s helped me to re-live
much of the laughs, the emotion of the race and the pride of completing it, but
already I can see that a rose coloured tint is creeping into some aspects of it
(not the feet, they’re too raw for that to ease off just yet), and I kind of
like that. I’d like to remember the race
in a really positive light, so for me the MdS dream has become a reality and I
won’t be seeking it out again – I have the medal, why would I want two?
And besides, there's a new generation on its way who'll be competing in future........
Tent 64 Overall classifications
Overall Position
|
Race No
|
Name
|
Average Pace
|
45th
|
468
|
Mark Lynch
|
8.47 km/h
|
148th
|
635
|
Colin Barnes
|
7.08 km/h
|
169th
|
642
|
Elisabet Frankenburg
|
6.87 km/h
|
305th
|
545
|
James Walker
|
6.04 km/h
|
343rd
|
486
|
Andy Mucklestone
|
5.81 km/h
|
394th
|
450
|
Richard Jones
|
5.57 km/h
|
415th
|
565
|
Ian Wright
|
5.51 km/h
|