April 8: Struggling through the sand dunes
By Alex Blodgett, Team U.S. Army Watch

For many of us, today's stage through the sand dunes was a bit easier than expected, as many of us had anticipated six hours plus of climbing and descending monstrous sand hills in 120-degree heat. The heat can be debilitating, as no air circulates when in the valley of these dunes. The first half of the 16-mile leg was pretty difficult as all of it was run in the direct sunlight; during the second half rolling clouds offered welcome reprieve to the intense heat.

Everyone on the team reacted differently to today's elements, with the four of our times ranging from 3:15 to five hours. I felt relatively relaxed, as my strategy was to hold back a bit for tomorrow's 50-mile stretch. Buddy had his best time yet. Chloe did extremely well, but was reduced to tears during a good portion of the leg as a result of her lost toenail. Mary did great as she continues to recover from her dehydration on day 1. Despite now five days of accumulated sweat, dirt, and grime, Mary continues to look as refreshed as the day we first met at the airport. The rest of us are looking very disheveled and a bit thinner.

This would be the only day of the year I was pleased not to be wearing my Polar heart-rate monitor, as I would have probably insisted on air evacuation had I realized how high my HR was. Needless to say, climbing the dunes with a pack on in this heat was extracting a toll on our bodies. Some of the dunes were so imposing, climbing them required using hands to dig in and help four-wheel drive to the top.

Once the dune was crested, the strategy was to lunge down to the bottom. Sand accumulation in the shoes required constant attention and wreaked havoc on our toes as the descention of the hills jammed the feet forward into the shoes and sand.

Today I felt we were really in the Sahara, as the dunes were something out of a National Geographic magazine or the Rat Patrol television show of my youth. We saw camel herds of five to 15 sauntering across the desert with little sense of urgency or interest in 350 people running through their back yard. Occasionally, we would see a carcass at the base of a dune. One looked very similar to my IRS audit officer; but after further reflection, the carcass had better bone structure and I wrote the experience off to wishful thinking and the desert playing tricks on my mind.

As we approached the end of today's leg, we exited the dunes at an oasis with a number of Berber tents scattered about. I couldn't help but be struck by the juxtaposition between us — the runners — and these young children begging for money. A small fraction of what we spend during the course of the year to purchase nutritionally and chemically enhanced products to bring our body-fat content down to a race-ready level would go a long way to put some mass on these emaciated kids.

Weather: The heat is stifling today.

Tip of the day: Don't pour water down your head and back to cool off without first removing your pack. I ended up carrying an extra liter of water that was absorbed by my pack.