MDS 120 PERU 2025 – Stage 2

Stage 2 of MDS 120 Peru asked for grit, not the kind you feel in your teeth after miles of soft sand, but the kind that keeps you moving when your legs and head start to argue with each other.

The day opened under a blanket of cloud and a bite of early chill. Soon enough the sky broke open, the sun pushed through, and the landscape shifted again.

Runners climbed hard from the start, working through rolling terrain that rose and fell like waves before the coastline even appeared. The sand stayed soft and stubborn, forcing every step to count.

What the course took in effort, it paid back in views. Wide open desert. Long lines of dunes. Light bouncing off ridges and carving shadows that stretched for kilometres.

Each distance had its battles, but they shared one reward.

The final approach dropped into Paracas National Reserve, where the South Pacific came into full view.

The coastline set the stage for the last push, a reminder of why runners sign up for days like this.

Stage 2 was tough. It was also unforgettable. The kind of day that reminds you you’re capable of more than you think when the terrain and the moment rise together. Tomorrow, a rest day…