Stage 1 was a tough day, the talk in bivouac was all about the relentless sand and how the final 10km was relentlessly tough.
It was an early sleep for most and the night was a cold one. Temperatures plummeted, especially in the early hour of the following morning.
Bivouac came to life around 0500 and stage 2 eventually started at 0700.
The early km’s were relatively easy and cool. So cool that Rachid wore a windbreaker and gloves… He actually did not remove them all day despite the temperatures rising to 27-degrees.
The highlight of the day was a dune section with sunrise. Pure magic with high views of the surrounding landscape.
While there is no ‘easy’ running here in Oman, the km’s after the dunes were relatively flat and easy.
With Mohamed taking victory on stage 1, a slender 4-seconds ahead of his brother, Rachid, all the action would be around the Moroccan.
The local Omani runner’s, especially Salah Al Saidi did all they could to put him under pressure but Mohamed is too strong. In the final 10km’s he made his move and opened a gap for the stage win in 3:05:54.
Rachid did an amazing job to finish 2nd, 3:09:26 and Saleh 3rd in 3:10:01.
Rachid by contrast was taking it easy, with 20km’s covered he was 5-minutes behind the leaders, however, the attack came and he closed the gap effortlessly and then forged ahead with on of the Al Said.
For the women, Aziza Raji was once again making the sand and the dunes look easy. Lydia Oldham, Sally Ford and Tanja Schoenenborn are all close together, but they are fighting for second.
Tomorrow is another 40km stage, followed by stage 4 which starts late afternoon and goes into the night.
Race results are HERE
Oman Desert Marathon website HERE
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IAN CORLESS 