[pct-l] OT: And you think we have problems in the desert --

[Ken Powers]

FW: Update from Ted: MDS - Floods Cancel Stage 1This is an email forwarded to me by my son. His friend Ted ran the Marathon de Sable last year and decided to run it again this year. The marathon is 150 miles over a week thru the Saharan Desert in Morocco. Here is a link to the races English website:  http://www.darbaroud.com/index_uk.php


This is Ted's first report on this year's race. 

Subject: MDS - Floods Cancel Stage 1
Date: Sat, 28 Mar 2009 09:11:36 -0700

Just as I sat down to type, I heard more thunder overhead.  It is now hailing!  As I type, there is INTENSE HAIL in the Sahara.  This is unbelievable.
 
The Marathon des Sables was supposed to begin tomorrow morning (Sunday).  Instead, we're holed up in a hotel room outside of Erfoud/Arfoud, Morocco, waiting for the flood waters to subside.  The locals we've talked to have said that this is the biggest Saharan rainstorm they've seen in 20 years, but they are quick to admit that they don't have memories longer than that, so it might as well be the biggest in a century.  It is supposed to be 120 degrees at this time of day; it is probably below 70.
 
I ran through the city streets this morning, and schoolchildren seemed amazed by the rain--either excited or terrified, but definitely affected.
 
I learned this morning that the race Bivouac (camp) flooded last night; a number of the runners arrived before we did, and they said that all tents and equipment are soaked.  Rumor has it that the rain is supposed to stop for the next two days--at which point it is supposed to storm again.
 
At this point, I wonder if the race will even happen at all.  Stage 1 has already been cancelled, and I learned that the race officials have booked another night at the hotel "just in case."  Right now there are two concerns:
 
1) Hypothermia - With desert temperatures dropping to 40-45 degrees at night, it would be impossible to manage if wet.  We all have down sleeping bags, and the tents are made of potato-sack material.  If we were to get flooded at night, I would predict a sizeable medical emergency--in the middle of nowhere.
2) Logistics - Even if the rain stops for good (or the race officials decide that they don't care about prospective medical problems), it is quite possible that the race organization's trucks won't be able to drive through the prescribed Saharan route.  Many valleys and roads have washed out, making a previously flat/navigable valley impossible to traverse by truck.  We might be able to run it, but the water station staff, doctors and staff couldn't follow.  That, for insurance reasons, wouldn't be allowed.
 
At this point, my concern is a combination of #1 and #2 above--that another rainstorm during the race would strand runners in unreachable locations, people would get hypothermia, and medical evacuations would become impossible.  For this reason, the thought has crossed my mind that it might be unwise to race even if the event proceeds.  Many of you have called me crazy, but there is a time when safety becomes a concern even for me.  I NEVER thought that this type of weather was possible here, so a bit of paranoia on my part might be prudent.  I don't know.
 
But, for now we're dry and very much safe in a reasonably nice hotel.  The food is exceptional.
 
Well, who knows what will happen?  I came here for another adventure, and I would say that an unheard of rainstorm in the Sahara Desert certainly qualifies.  Some friends and I have talked about a 150-mile run along national highways back to Ouarzazate as an option, but I'm not sure there would be enough water to make that happen.  
 
You can tell that, despite all of our nerves, we're still itching to run . . .
 
- Ted