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The last day had a bit of a party atmosphere.  The end was in sight, the injured could see a respite ahead and the fit wanted to finish fast. I joined in the enthusiasm and ran much of the way, despite many miles of soft sand.  At the end we're given a medal, a bottle of water and a kiss from Patrick, the organiser! Then it's over.

 It takes the best part of a day before I start to hear the first "I might do that again"s.  For me, it will be a little longer.

So, for the gear junkies reading this, what worked, and what didn't.

 Backpack: The vast majority use Raidlight backpacks.  I used an Osprey 33 litre pack, which had seemed great in training and was big enough.  However, the back system, designed to allow air to pass across the back, keeping you cooler, seemed to deform and cause a ridge to stick into my back the whole time, creating some bruising which is still here 11 days later. I liked the pack overall, and guess perhaps the pack was the wrong size for my back.

 Shoes - the amazing Likeys (www.likeys.com) are experts in all things desert and ultramarathon related.  They recommended Innov8 320 shoes, and they were perfect.  I'm normally size 10, but the advice for the desert is go bigger, so when your feet swell, or are wrapped in bandages, you can still get your shoes on.  So I used size 11.5 - so big I had to use an extra insole to stop my feet flapping around.  Perhaps it was this extra cushioning that preserved my feet, but I had no blisters or other foot problems at all.  Superb.

 Socks - despite my scepticism I used Injinji toe socks - like gloves, with separate bits for each toe.  They are designed to stop your toes rubbing together and causing blisters.  They were brilliant and entirely comfortable.

Walking Poles – despite this being a running race, I was advised to take lightweight Mountain King walking poles, especially for climbing sand dunes.  They were great, and well worth the 220g weight.

Clothing – modern ultra runners seem fixated on compression clothing.  I took compression shorts and leggings, and a compression top.  After experimentation I found the leggings too hot and the top just too constricting and hot, so I reverted to compression shorts and a loose top.  I use compression leggings a lot in training, but black tight leggings in the desert were just too hot.  They are worn (I don’t know why) by a much higher proportion of women than men.

Hydration – most runners, including me, relied upon Raidlight water bottles on the rucksack chest strap.  Hydration bladders were quite common, but are more awkward to fill quickly and more prone to bacterial growth.  I carried a spare 1.5 litre bottle in my pack at all times, but generally 1.3 litres was enough between the checkpoints – normally 8 miles apart.

Electrolyte – Correct use of electrolyte in your water is vital in the heat.  I took a mixture of Nuun tablets and Elyte drops, which claim to be taste-free.  I found the Nuun much more palatable and overall worth the additional weight.

Food – As with most competitors I relied upon a muesli mix for breakfast, salami, nuts, sweets, and grain bars for during the stage, and freeze-dried meals in the evening.  Having used the same brand in Antarctica, I relied upon the Expedition Foods range, which seemed to be a popular choice.  However, repacking them into lighter bags saved some weight.

Medical – I took a large medical bag, which was mostly untouched by me, but raided enthusiastically by my tent mates.  2^nd Skin, a top of the range blister and wound management product, was highly thought of, and a good supply of stronger anti-inflammatories were useful. A strong fabric medical tape is vital for preventing foot problems and small size Duck tape was excellent for repairs.

Sun – Despite the heat, I had no sun problems at all.  I used the fantastic Riemann P20 sun cream, a once a day application that never fails, even after sweating or swimming.  On my head I used an Injinji desert hat and Bloc sunglasses.  Rather than buy expensive and bulky goggles for the rare times there might be a sand storm, I took my son’s swimming goggles, which admittedly were a conversational point.

Sleeping – It gets really cold at nights – so they said.  Except it didn’t.  I bought a Vango Venom 300 sleeping bag, supposedly comfortable down to 4C.  However, I spent much of the nights on top of it as it was too warm to get in until later in the nights.  The silk liner I had to improve warmth was never used.  For a mat I used a new Thermarest NeoAir, a lightweight air mattress with no foam.  I was worried of the risk of puncture, but it survived well, but can be a little noisy if you roll around a lot at night.  A clever design gives you a different side to sleep on depending if you’re hot or cold.

Power – I took an Ipod, hoping to listen to audio books on the longer, dull sections, and also in the camp at night.  In the event, I didn’t really need it, but I did have problems charging it.  I took a Power Traveller Solar Monkey and Solar nut, but the charge wasn’t enough for even my IPod Nano.  I borrowed a larger Power Monkey which seemed to do the job much better.

All in all my kit was up to the job. I didn’t forget anything that would have been useful, my charging facilities weren’t up to the job, and I took too much clothing for the evenings, expecting it to be colder than it was.  However, much of my advice came from a competitor from last year, when the race suffered from torrential rain and floods, so it’s understandable that I was cautious.

Is the MDS really that tough?  Well it’s like anything.  If you are determined to run throughout, and to get a high finishing position then yes, it’s bloody awful.  If you treat it as something to finish, then to me it seemed quite manageable.  The guys who competed at the top were phenomenal, but the most respect has to be reserved for those who, despite horrible foot injuries, carried on in pain for 7 days, determined to finish, whatever the cost.  I could not do what they did.

I was lucky.  With little training I was entirely reliant on looking after my feet and not getting ill – the two biggest causes of failure.  Physically, the MDS was just what I needed to kick off my serious training – I’ve got 6 months until I have to do this every day for 80 days.  But at least it will be cooler.

Diary