No Subject

Please direct replies to <cmckenna@interport.net>

Here I am in the middle of the Sahara Desert in Morocco typing on a mini
laptop under the  glow of my Photon MicroLight. I'm doing this stupid race
called the Marathon des Sables, or "Marathon of the Sands." It is a 150
mile stage race with about 600 competitors from 25 countries. You can
follow the race online live at http://mds.quokka.com/ . I'm one of the
featured competitors, which is how I have access to this laptop.

We have to carry our food and sleeping gear for the whole 7 day race, and
only get water provided, and it is rationed to about 9 liters a day.  It is
sort of like racing the SoCal section of the PCT with an ultra light pack.
The terain looks a lot like a cross between San Filipe ridge and the Mojave
desert, only there aren't as many plants here.

I've been farily impressed with the pains that race management has been
taking to minimize the impact on the desert. When we have moved on to the
next camp site, the only real trace we leave behind is the tire tracks from
the support and press vehicles. Since this area is regularly scoured by
sand storms, I doubt that any trace of our passage will be evident in a few
weeks.

This email is proof of the efficacy of satelite communication, but the
staff here using Iridium phones have said they are a big disapointment, so
I hope the class of 99 didn't waste any money on them.

It's getting late (about 8:30pm) and I have a marathon to run tomorow, so
I'm gonna sign off now. I look forward to reading about the exploits of the
current class once I get home.

If you want to email me, then send a message to the address above, and put
my name in the subject line.

Brick Robbins
Sahara Desert
Morocco



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