ṣaḥrā´ al-kubra

Sunday, 6 September 2009

My Namibian Experience

Finally it was my turn for this experience of a lifetime! Thinking back, this race may be one of the best things i treated myself to. Like what (my evil twin sister) Pauline said, this is an experience that can't be measured with money (altho i must admit it's a darn expensive race).

I had intended the whole process to be more low profile. However, the more i want to keep it under wraps, the more "attention" i got. When i finally completed the race, i was very happy and relieved.

A formal writeup of my race experience can be located at sgrunners forum under race review. A more personalized version, however, please logon to http://blog-of-ham.blogspot.com/2009/06/after-dust-has-settled.html

Sunday, 2 November 2008

After the sand has settled...

HH came in 78th overall, 10th in women's category with an overall timing of 48:06:29 (bib#78...what an coincidence!).

"Hey, Joyce and I are back in our hotel. Great Race! Will email once we clean our mess n find a chance. " and...
"Someone I walk wif asked me to try 'it' and trans333. He has a whole list of race for me! :D"

Joyce finished 87th overall, 12th in women's category with an overall timing of 49:43:42 (bib#95).

"We've completed the race this afternoon. The last stage was a 5km run around the pyramids. The long march was 100.2km. It was tiring but under the starry nite, i still enjoyed the shooting stars flying through the sky."

The champion of this race is Ryan N. Sandes from South Africa, clocking 27:09:17. He also won the same title in Gobi March 2008.

Top woman position goes to Nina Breith of Germany with an impressive timing of 32:50:37, placing her 6th in overall. Geez...and she is 46. Hats off!

Link to RTP Sahara 2008 results: http://www.4deserts.com/sahararace/rtpsrtp2.php?SID=3&SBID=RC3&competitorsBiosNum=5

Tuesday, 28 October 2008

Day 2

Course:

Stage 2 traverses some of the most beautiful rock formations in the White Desert with animals, birds and mushroom formations dotting the landscape and the rough country where competitors will traverse. The stage begins with a difficult section followed by more moderate terrain. Competitors will cover almost a marathon distance of 41.8 kilometers (26.1 miles). The terrain is sandy and rocky throughout the stage, however, a small spring is located close to the second checkpoint. The leaders will complete the section in three hours while the back of pack will again take nearly 12 hours.

Monday, 27 October 2008

Stage 1

好的开始是成功的一半！

HH came in tops amongst the Singaporeans for the first stage at 5hrs 41min. Joyce fared well too, finishing the 35km at 6hrs 45min.

Course:

Beginning around the oasis of Farafra, competitors begin Stage 1 in an area surrounded by white rocks in the heart of the White Desert. The first stage is moderate with a total of 35 kilometers (21.9 miles). There are four checkpoints with mainly flat, rocky and sandy ground. The fast competitors are expected to take 3 hours, while the slower competitors will take up to 12 hours to complete the stage.

Sunday, 26 October 2008

Pre-Race

Movenpick Resort that the gers stayed b4 race

We r check

ed in for race at 10am, leaving camp at 12pm. We got a surprise this morning. Will be covering 253 to 258km.

Hmm...seems like the 2 gers are gonna get every penny of their race fee worth :P

Friday, 24 October 2008

Our Iron Ladies to the Sahara!

The journey begins from here, this time the distance is a little longer, in a different environment and surrounded by different elements (less humid, sandy wherever we go?). This is my first desert race but we aren't the first Singaporean to take part in such events. And in about 24 hours, HH and i will be departing for Cairo.

Last nite, we went to see Hwee Hoon & Joyce off at the airport. They are embarking on an exciting journey to Egypt, for a race of their lifetime - Sahara Desert Run!!!

They are the 1st 2 ladies of our running group to attempt this amazing feat. Since the day i knew HH, she has been toying with the idea of a desert run. Now that the day has finally arrived, i am so keyed up for her :)

We had quite a big send-off party..with HH's hubby, Joanne, Cheemeng, Linda, Clarence, Catherine, Charles..and 2 friends who surprised us at the airport - Kim, who came back from Oz & Wilson, from his Kona Ironman.

Our Gobi'08 finishers taking a shot with the Sahara'08 finishers-to-be

The 2 gers bumped into the last "Singaporean" who is in the race. Lloyd was identified by his Salomon Raid Revo 30. He left some of us puzzling about the contents of his small bag which he checked in. The size of his luggage (which looked like a gym bag) pales in comparison with the gers' duffel bags. I wonder what type of race food is in his "doraemon" bag...

As we bade our good wishes to the trio and saw them into the departure hall, the rear view of the 2 petite ladies with their backpacks resembled those of school kids...like 2 school girls following a teacher to class.