Lanzarote Training Camp 2018 Day 7

Posted on January 24, 2018 by talkultra

All good things come to an end…!

Today, the 2018 Lanzarote Training Camp concluded with an incredible morning in the soft-sand and dunes of Lanzarote. It was such a great day! The 40 participants of the training camp looked like (and acted like) kids in a sand pitt.

Up, down, around and over.

There was some pretty serious acrobatics and high-flying too. It is amazing how tired legs and bodies were revived after 100+ miles of running in one week still had some energy left.

The morning session was followed with an afternoon discussion about ‘the next steps’ and how to follow on the training camp both physically and mentally.

A final easy run or ‘walking with poles’ session brought the training element of the camp to an end.

Final night festivities will see maybe a few drinks downed, a group meal and dare I say, the Club La Santa disco may well get a visit.

It has been an incredible week. A huge thanks to all the participants who made it so much fun. Obviously, many thanks to Elisabet Barnes, Sondre Amdahl, Tom Evans and Marie Paule Pierson – the 2018 coaches.

Why not join our 2019 Training Camp?

More information HERE

Lanzarote Training Camp 2018 Day 5 and 6

Posted on January 23, 2018 by talkultra

Day 5 is bivouac day! Arguably, it is the day of the Lanzarote Training Camp that the runners dread but learn the most.

It’s quite simple – we simulate many of the feelings and experiences that you will encounter in your chosen multi-day self-sufficient race.

Runners leave with their race packs including sleeping bag, sleeping mat, food for the dinner, snacks, food for breakfast, a minimum 1.5ltr of water and clothes such as down jacket!

The attendees run or walk in guided groups to the bivouac taking a minimum of 2.5 hours. They then pitch a tent (transported for them) and then they are rationed water. Our bivouac is extra special – it is inside a volcano!

We provide hot water but many runners test and try their own cooking skills using Esbit and then they eat a dehydrated meal. It happens every year… “Oh wow, I love this meal!” to the opposite, “Oh my word, that is disgusting!”

It’s invaluable what can be learnt with a simulation night.

We get a roaring fire going and chat into the night – it is special!

The following morning, our camp attendees are welcomed to ‘rise’ with crow of a cockerel around 0630/ 0645. They then must prepare their own breakfast and prepare for another run; again, a minimum 2-hours.

A night under the stars and an opportunity to test sleeping bag, sleeping mat and all other aspects of self-sufficiency makes everyone realise what is good and what is bad.

Back at Club La Santa we have a 2-hour debrief talk and discussion, from here, all our attendees go away armed with the knowledge that will help them achieve the finish line of their next multi-day race.

Why not join our 2019 Training Camp?

More information HERE

Lanzarote Training Camp 2018 Day 4

Posted on January 21, 2018 by talkultra

No pain, no gain – well, that is what they say! Today, was ‘pain’ morning at the Lanzarote Training Camp when all the participants did at least 6 reps of a volcano.

It’s a challenging morning and the vertical gain is designed to replicate the largest jebel that has appeared in all the latest editions of Marathon des Sables.

Steep with lose gravel for the climb and the descent is a mixture of stone, lose rocks and sharp lava – a gravel road section allows some recovery before a repeating.

It was a hot day and although the session was tough – everyone loved it!

A break for lunch and then Elisabet Barnes did a practical workshop of foot care. It’s an essential session that prepares everyone with all the relevant skills to allow them the flexibility to be self-sufficient when racing. Elisabet also showed and demonstrated foot taping as a preventive measure against blisters.

At 6pm, the day concluded with an easy 5 or 10km shake-outrun to loosen the legs!

Why not join our 2019 Training Camp?

More information HERE

Lanzarote Training Camp 2018 Day 3

Posted on January 20, 2018 by talkultra

A long day on the trails this morning with our 40-participants split into 5 groups moving along the stunning coastline on Lanzarote. The technical trails are a challenge and it is fair to say, they are a much greater challenge than those encountered at say, MDS.

Reassuringly, our run/ walk group covered 25km in less than 4-hours. Perfect and a great confidence boost for the race.

The sun was shining, the skies were blue and the ever present wind that is always in Lanzarote, blew in off the sea to help make perfect running conditions.

It was a hot day though and that could be seen on one or two red faces after the run… Remember the sun cream folks!

A break for lunch and then at 4pm a talk/ discussion by MDS 2017 3rd place, Tom Evans.

Tom talked about nutrition and the differences and requirements of each participant. No two runners are the same. For example, the simple calorie needs and differences between a ‘fast’ runner. ‘mid’ runner or ‘walker.’

The type of food you will eat and how it is made up – carbs, protein and fats. For example, 1 to 1.5g of carbs per KG of body weight is considered ideal, 1.5g per KG of protein and 1g of fat per KG – but is that possible in a multi-day race?

As the question: What is normal for you? YOU need to know what you need! All valuable lessons and questions.

For example, a typical day for Tom:

Breakfast – Porridge and nuts
Whilst running – 2 x GU gels and 100g of Tailwind
Recovery – 2 x 70g of weight gain protein shake
Dinner – 100g freeze dried meal (LYO) and Pip & Nut peanut butter
Hydration – 6 x Nuun tablets

Typically 2623 calories for 665g weight

Hydration, needless to say, so important in any race! You need to sweat to cool muscles, remove toxins and keep ones core cool. Sodium replacement is key.

Tomorrow is another full-day with hill reps in the morning, a foot care workshop and easy shoe-out run!

Why not join our 2019 Training Camp?

More information HERE

Marathon des Sables PERU 2017 #MDSPeru – RACE DAY 6

Posted on December 4, 2017 by talkultra

The race is over! What a race… MDS Peru is a classic in the making and Rachid El Morabity and Nathalie Mauclair, both Raidlight athletes, will go down in history as the pioneering champions of this race.

Many congratulations to Melanie Rousset and Rocio Carrion for rounding out the ladies podium and Aldo Ramirez and Erik Clavery for the men!

It has been an epic week of sand, wind, intense heat and set-sufficiency. It is why Marathon des Sables has pioneered the way for this race format, now MDS Peru follows and creates a new era for the brand and sport.

A full summary of the week to follow and images galleries at iancorless.hotoshelter.com.

The 2017 MDS Peru top-3 are:

Rachid El Morabity
Aldo Ramirez
Erik Clavery

Nathalie Mauclair
Melanie Rousset
Rocio Carrion

: Rachid running at the 2017 MDS Peru which he won.

Marathon des Sables PERU 2017 #MDSPeru – RACE DAY 3

Posted on November 30, 2017 by talkultra

Today’s stage at 32.7km to Ocucaje felt almost like an ‘easy ‘day after two hard days. Maybe because it is the long day tomorrow?

The course actually is one that climbs for most of the day but it is very gradual, so gradual that one hardly notices it. Several short sharp shocks break up the day. After yesterday’s stunning course, today’s route was less dramatic, however, it started with a canyon and a climb and culminated with small dunes. In between it was a mixture of sandy trail and rock. The most noticeable thing was the heat -today was hot!

From a racing point of view, it was almost a repeat of yesterday with Gediminas Grinius leading from the front costly followed by Remigio Huaman. Race leader, Rachid El Morabity, happily sat back and eased himself into the race working through the runners to once again take the front of the race for the win.

It was a closer day today though! El Morabity crossed in 2:56:09, Huaman in 2:58:37 and Grinius continued his revival after a tough day-1 to lace 3rd again in 3:02:38. Talking of revivals, Iain Don Wauchope after struggling for 2-days with illness had a revival today and finished 5th. Notably, Erik Clavery and Julien Chorier finished out of the top-5. With the long day tomorrow, it will be an interesting battle to see who are the top-3 on GC after the 68.4km stage.

For the ladies, Nathalie Mauclair is like a train, she starts at speed and just pushes to the line. She is so incredibly strong. She sounds like she is suffering as she passes, but she smiles, says hello and then pushes on. Once again, she won the day 3:31:18, a time that ranks highly overall!

Melanie Rousset was as consistent as ever. She looked happy in the dunes today and smiled her way to the line crossing in 4:00:23.

Rocio Carrion continues to fly the flag for Peru finishing 3rd once again in 4:30:00 and securing her 3rd lady overall position.

Renee Romero Sayritupac and Aydee Soto Quispe are also representing Peru in style lacing 4th and 5th.

Rachid El Morabity 2:56:09
Remigio Huaman 2:58:37
Gediminas Grinius 3:02:58

Nathalie Mauclair 3:31:18
Melanie Rousset 4:00:23
Rocio Carrion 4:30:50

Rachid El Morabity 9:59:28
Remigio Huaman 10:37:30
Julien Chorier 11:24:03

Nathalie Mauclair 12:14:50
Melanie Rousset 413:56:34
Rocio Carrion 15:45:35

Stage 4 of MDS Peru is the long-day and is set to be quite the spectacle, the runners will get a first glimpse of the Pacific as they approach CP5 at 51.1km covered.

Marathon des Sables PERU 2017 #MDSPeru – RACE DAY 2

Posted on November 29, 2017 by talkultra

Gediminas Grinius did not have a good day yesterday, his stomach was angry with him and he had a tough first experience of the Marathon des Sables Peru. Today, however, he was refreshed and with new energy. He dictated the early pace for the 42.2km from Coyungo to Samac. In reality, he pretty much led the race until Remigio Huaman and of course, Rachid El Morabity closed in on him and passed him.

Rachid ran very relaxed in the early stages, he is known for this! He likes to take his time, settle in to the day and then push hard, close the gaps and then lead from the front for victory. It was a text book day for the Moroccan. He seemed to revel in the arena in which he had to play! It was a stunning day and very different to Morocco. Big landscapes, high dunes, canyons, rivers, moon like landscape, there colours of sand and some intense heat and strong winds.

From the gun, Grinius, Huaman and Erik Clavery seemed on a mission after day 1 not going to plan. Huaman and Clavery had lost 2nd and 3rd places due to the heat and dehydration and it obviously had motivated them to come back and try again. Grinius ran ahead and Huaman closely followed. Clavery ran in 3rd and Julien Chorier, who placed 2nd on day 1, ran with El Morabity. Grinius was looking strong out front but Huaman was also looking comfortable trailing the Lithuanian.

There was a distinct point when El Morabity switched gear and he then chased down and past everyone to take another victory by approximately 7-minutes. Huaman hunted Grinius down and then finally passed with Grinius placing 2nd – it was a great day for these two and certainly makes for an interesting competition.

Nathalie Mauclair once again dictated the ladies race from the front. In the early stages, Melanie Rousset was keeping close and following her fellow French lady and it looked as though we may have a battle on our hands. However, Mauclair snapped the elastic and moved away from the competition and in reality, most of the men.

Rousset, as in the previous day, ran strong in 2nd and this is where she stayed for the whole day. Rocio Carrion once consistent and paced herself for another 3rd place. Josephine Adams is the leading British lady and she was in 4th position after day 1, today she finished 5th.

The day will be remembered for the course and the landscape, it was stunning! The early miles took place on a sandy road that slowly climbed up to Cp1. From here, the first dunes of MDS Peru welcomed the runners and they were stunning. A sandy plateau gently introduced the runners to the canyon of Rio ICA and here the course became something quite special with mixed sandy and rocky terrain and stunning views off into the distance. It was a day not to forget.

Tomorrow’s stage is 32.7km and finishes in Ocucaje. However, most runners will be thinking of the day after, day 4, the in-famous ‘long-day!’ Of the MDS.

Rachid El Morabity 4:18:23
Remigio Huaman 4:25:36 (Remigio has now moved into 2nd overall)
Gediminas Grinius 4:26:04

Nathalie Mauclair 5:00:41
Melanie Rousset 5:36:18
Rocio Carrion 6:12:04

Live Tracking HERE

Stage Results HERE

Marathon des Sables PERU 2017 #MDSPeru – RACE DAY 1

Posted on November 29, 2017 by talkultra

What a tough first day for the MDS Peru! Hot temperatures and a course of very mixed terrain made the journey from Cahuachi to Coyungo a really tough one. To all intents and purposes, it was a fact day with very little climbing, to be honest, it was a day with more downhill running based on the course profile.

It was expected that Peruvian runner, Remigio Huaman would be motivated to set the pace at the front and he didn’t disappoint. He pushed ahead with Both African runner, Iain Don Wauchope. The gap opened up slightly but the ever watchful Rachid El Morabity was keeping them in contact along with Erik Clavery and Julien Chorier.

It wasn’t long before El Morabity reeled the duo in and forged ahead. The writing was on the wall, the five time winner of Marathon des Sables Morocco was showing his experience and the others could only watch. Huaman followed in 2nd and then Clavery with Chorier not far behind. Unfortunately, Don Wauchope was struggling with a bug that I had picked up just a few days before the race – it made him feel flat despite his early pace.

With just over 6km to go, the Moroccan was well ahead of the chasers but surprisingly it was Chorier who arrived second. It turned out that both Huaman and Clavery were suffering in the heat. Regrettably, the heat and illness saw the South African to a walkbut he battled to finish the stage.

It was victory for the El Morabity, he looked in a class of his own out on day 1 in MDS Peru and for sure, just as predicted, he is going to be the one to beat.

For the ladies race, just as in the men’s race, experience counted. Nathalie Mauclair dictated the race and the pace straight from the gun and with the passing of each kilometre, the French lady extended her lead for victory.

Melanie Rousset ran Mauclair close early on but in the latter stages, she too suffered from the heat and dehydration and was forced to pace herself to the line.

Rocio Carrion flew the Peruvian flag placing 3rd.

It was a tough day… no doubt and a route of much variety. In particular, passing small villages and sharing time with the locals was a highlight.

Tomorrow’s stage is 42.2km and takes in impressive dunes and a canyon.

The inaugural 2017 MDS Peru has well and truly begun!

Marathon des Sables PERU 2017 #MDSPeru Day 2

Posted on November 27, 2017 by talkultra

After a late arrival in camp last night, day one in bivouac was an admin day with equipment checks and the deposit of personal belongings. It’s a day that often drags as runners work through all their belongings deciding what to take and what not. Once they drop their case, that is it! No going back. If you have forgot something, you have forgotten it.

It’s all about balancing essentials with luxuries. The ‘racers’ keep things to a minimum trying to get the pack to 6.5kg (the minimum) plus water. This mean no luxuries! The pack weight is pretty much all food, maybe a change of socks, a sleeping bag, seeping mat and of course compulsory items. Once water is added, race pack weight is usually around 8kg on race day 1. This gets lighter as the days pass and the runner eats the contents.

Other runners decide to carry other items to make the week in the desert. However, for every gram carried, this is additional weight to add a burden to ones body and slow you down – it is a fine balancing act. To put this into perspective the heaviest pack weight recorded today was 12kg.

At admin check, medical forms are scrutinised, compulsory items are checked, packs are weighed and the runner is asked to provide an excel doc of food contents to make sure they have enough for the 6-days ahead.

A small number of select runners, those most likely to make the top-10, are also asked to contribute to the ITRA health passport system by providing a blood sample. At the 2017 edition of the race, this is not compulsory.

To conclude the day, a dance by locals was performed and then a compulsory briefing was given outline the week ahead.

Once dinner is concluded, the runners are then self-sufficient.

Race Day 1 has an 0730 start in Cahuachi with 37.2km yo cover before the finish in Coyungo. It is a day of pretty much all downhill starting at an altitude of just over 350m and concluding a little higher than sea level.

You can read a preview of the 2017 MDS Peru HERE

Marathon des Sables PERU 2017 #MDSPeru Day 1

Posted on November 27, 2017 by talkultra

The 2017 and inaugural Marathon des Sables Peru got underway, today, November 26th. With the passing of time, it is a day that will be remembered fondly as all those who are taking part will look back and say, “I was there, I was there at the very first edition!”

Marathon des Sables is over 30-years old and had Patrick Bauer not decided to take a solo-journey, on-foot, through the desert of Morocco, we may well not be talking about MDS Peru.

Bauer pioneered the multi-day racing format and although it has been copied the world over, no other race quite compares to the grand scale of the first and original MDS!

MDS Peru is looking to follow its big Moroccan brother.

Nearly 500 runners from all over the world arrived in Lima to start their journeys. New journeys! They are pioneers of this new race and as such they will create history.

Peru is not a quick trip, for most people, they will have undertaken a minimum 16-hour journey to reach Lima and as they soon found out, the journey didn’t stop there. Boarding luxury CIVA buses, the journey continued for a 9-hour drive south to the ICA desert and bivouac one. A police escort made leaving Lima somewhat faster than on a normal day.

What lies ahead?

Gigantic dunes, cliffs, oases, canyons, sand and the Pacific Ocean. The race will start cover 240+km from Cahuachi to La Catedral.

The MDS Peru follows the Moroccan format of 6-days racing of self-sufficiency, the only things provided; a tent and rationed water. Unlike Morocco, the bivouac will be made up of Individual WAA tents grouped in numbers of 6. These tents will be grouped based on the participants country and language. Think of them of little circular communities built around (hopefully) a camp fire.

Day 1 – 26th November is a travel day of approximately 285km south to Cahuachi and bivouac 1. Apart from long travel, made comfortable by luxury coaches, the runners will have a short welcome briefing, dinner provided and a first night under Peruvian stars.

Day 2 – 27th November is an admin day with equipment checks and the deposit of personal belongings. Food will be provided throughout the day. After the evening meal which concludes at 2000hrs, self-sufficiency will begin and the reality will soon hit home that MDS Peru has begun.

THE RACE November 28th to 4th December.

Day 1 starts in Cahuachi and concludes in Coyungo 37.2km later. The day will begin at 0730 and it is a day of pretty much all downhill starting at an altitude of just over 350m and concluding a little higher than sea level.

Day 2 starts in Coyungo and concludes in Samaca 42.2km later. The profile is more challenging than day-1 with a climb starting at 2.5km covered and concluding 10km later. A long 10km descent follows and then a rollercoaster of small inclines and descents follows all the way to the line. It will be a tough day with some steep sections, dunes and the canyon of Rio ICA.

Day 3 starts in Samaca and concludes in Ocucaje 32.7km later. It’s a mixed day of sand, Lunar type landscape, stony terrain and big round shaped dunes. The route climbs just above sea level from the start to around 550m in the first 13km. The remaining 20km stays a move 450m and constantly rolls up and down all the way to the line.

Day 4 starts in Ocucaje and concludes in Barlovento 68.3km later. It’s the long day and the one that often strikes fear in to many of the runners. The first 40km undulates up and down above 400m until the route drops to sea level at around the marathon point before once again climbing back up at 57km to around 63km and then a final drop back to the finish at sea level. It will be a tough day of sand, dunes, hilltops but the incredible Pacific will accompany the runners throughout the day.

Day 5 starts in Barlovento and concludes in Medieta 42.2km later. It is the classic marathon day and all those who finished the long-day will now be smelling the finish line. It’s a day that runs along the coast and arguably may be the most spectacular of the race as the Pacific will always be to the left sending hopefully a breeze off the sea. Beaches, rocks, cliffs, protected archaeological zones, constant up and downs as the route constantly drops to sea-level and climbs back up to around 220m.

Day 6 starts in Medieta and concludes in La Cathedral 19.6km later. Like the day before, it’s another coastal day but easier in regard to elevation gain and terrain: dirt roads, shingles, beaches and small cliffs will conclude the 2017 MDS Peru.

After the conclusion of day 6, runners and staff are transported to Paracas for 2-nights at Double Tree Hotel before flying home on December 6th.

Runners can expect to be surprised, a raw experience, a basic experience and a full immersion in nature deprived of creature comforts. Runners have three simple things to thing about – run, eat and sleep. For 30+ years, MDS has pioneered this return to basics and in 2017 MDS Peru continues and enhances the legacy of Patrick Bauer and the Marathon des Sables.