Friday, October 25, 2013

2014 MDS'ers!

Welcome to my MDS blog.  Hopefully you will find the information contained herein to be of benefit to your attempt.  If you have any questions please comment.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

After Action Revew #2 - What Did Work

Many things worked out well for this event.  I attribute this to detailed planning, testing and defining my requirements up front.  With the exception of my sand goggles I used everything in my kit.  I had nothing extra (except meds) and had no real material needs beyond what I carried.  Below are some highlights and explanations.

Raidlight pack - New bite valve water bottles on shoulder straps worked well.  Pack volume was sufficient.  Front pack for food, camera, road book, etc. worked out nice.  Also allowed for carrying extra water bottle.

Mizuno Cabrakan 3 shoes - Provided excellent protection and support.  Too bad they are extinct in the US.  Velcro sew job was good too.  Many have transitioned to Hoka One One shoes due to cushioning and larger soles.

My gaiters - These were, in a word AWESOME! No failures, no sand, no problems!  Many with off the shelf models were experiencing holes in the toes during the second stage due to rocks.  The material these were made of was no match for the environment.  My ripstop nylon held up to the most brutal use.  Too bad there is a limited market or I would be in business.  I was identifiable on the web cam from a distance because of their unique colors and design.

Jocked up and ready to go for the day!

Esbit wing stove, DIY windscreen and MSR Titanium cup (400 ml) - This system was just right in size and at a minimum weight.  It was nice to have a hot cup of coffee and a hot breakfast.  Many others had kettles and stoves weighing three times as much and taking up four times the space.  I was able to get through the event on one box of fuel tablets.

Stove, wind screen and cup in action

Thermorest Neo-air pad - While comfortable and no punctures, I would consider going without a pad or just a small piece in the future.

Garmin Forerunner 101 and lithium batteries - This was nice to track my pace and distances to the next CP.  Lithium batteries lasted very long.  Battery indicator never went below full but I switched them out twice.  Saw one other person there with the same model.  This prevented me from having to carry a solar charger or go without.  If you were into saving weight I would just go with the wrist watch.

Buff - This should be compulsory item (almost everyone carries one).  I used it for neck cooling/sun protection, eye shades at night, stocking cap, dew rag, etc.  All the children along the route and especially at the end covet this multifunctional piece of cloth.

Hat with cape - Salomon brand, XA+ model.  Nice extra shade on the neck.  White of course (along with 900 others).

Zoot cooling sleeves, white - I got this on a whim at the last minute and boy was I glad I did.  These are a must!  While they become quite soiled over the week they do offer a cooling effect and can be doused with water to help out.  I saw too many competitors with second degree sunburns on their arms.

The well equipped MDS'er: Buff, gaiters, hat, Garmin, Zoot sleeves, etc.

Slim Jim's - These little protein sticks kept me going.  Mild and regular were both acceptable.  Many of my tent mates were envious.  I could do a commercial for them and they could sponsor me in the future.

Kensio Tex Gold Tape, silk tape, tincture of benzoin and hypodermic needle - Worked quite well for preventative taping and blister draining.

Hand Sanitizer - 1 oz was quite enough and worked well for foot cleaning/prep prior to blister surgery (follow up with antibacterial ointment).

Zip lock bags - Both zip loc brand for light duty/throw away (food repackaging, road book protection) and Aloksak brand for heavy duty use (passport, first aid, tape kit).  You never have enough of these.

Leatherman style knife - this was perfect in size and scissors were great for taping.

Taping up, note scissors at bottom center

Calorie count/food - 2,900 kcals a day was enough.  I could have dropped to around 2,800 kcal/day but that would have been on the edge.  I made it out with 400 spare calories (one pro bar).  I didn't appear to lose any weight however my metabolism was out of whack for two weeks after my return - I wanted to eat everything in sight!  Food selections were OK.  Enjoyed the custard dessert and disliked the Muesli and porridge options.

Support from my wife Lisa - What can I say, she was there over the months of preparation and she was there at the end.  Even slipped me a beer for the trip back to Ouarzazate!  Thanks honey!

What a support crew!

Which would you choose?

Monday, April 29, 2013

After Action Review #1 - What didn't work

This is the first review of my participation in the 2013 MDS.  I am specifically covering what did not go so well during the event.  Fortunately these were only minor in nature and I was able to carry on quite well.  I will also post soon the numerous thing that did go well for me.  Both contain lessons learned and should be of interest to the community in general.


Listen Up!

1. Not quite enough TP - The lack of enough "desert dollars" could have been a disaster.  Fortunately it was only an inconvenience since spare was available from those abandoning in my tent.  In the future I would bring almost an entire roll.

2. Not enough protein in diet - The lack of sufficient protein for me especially during breakfast was a hindrance.  I wound up getting hungry and approaching a bonked state earlier during the day than I had anticipated.  Slim Jims saved me in this regard and I began to eat my ration of these along with my breakfast to get me through the stages.


Slim Jim Full Meal Deal Breakfast

3. Broken critical equipment- Specifically sunglasses.  Mine failed upon arrival at the bivouac.  Fortunately, I had brought a spare pair with me and had access to them.

4. On-the-move food selection less than optimal - Bars while high in calories were difficult to consume.  Hammer cranberry bars were ok.  Almonds were not as palatable while exerting but OK to snack on in camp.  I would include some dried fruit (apricots) in the future.


End of Stage 4 - I am SO Hungry!



5. Lower back taping - While I never had issues with pack rubbing during training, the day after day insults along with the heat give me a case of road rash on my lower back.  I would advise taping this area as a preventative measure in the future.  Some also taped their shoulder regions.

6. Improper shoe tension - Or should I say I didn't tie my shoes properly on Stage 2 and got some toe blisters. I was overly concerned about shoes being too tight and lost sight of going to the other extreme.




Foot Maintenance - Twice a day minimum!

Next up some things that went well!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Back In Town

Well, after two days of traveling we are back in Los Alamos.  We are adjusting to the jet lag and catching  up on all the unpacking, laundry and work related issues.  Over the next weeks I hope to post some After Action Reviews relating to my MDS participation.  Hopefully you will continue to follow this blog and see what I learned from my experience!

Friday, April 12, 2013

I MADE IT!!!!!!!!!

Stage 5/42 km/marathon stage.

It is over! I have finished.

Unsure of my placing because results are not up yet. Made it in in about 5:15. That should put me under 31 hrs I think.  Very hot again today. Feet OK but my lower back is a mess from my pack and the heat. Very, very happy and satisfied as to what I have accomplished.

Looks like Megan Hicks has wrapped up the women's with the dropping out of the top French women yesterday.  One of our top women may have dropped today also.  I had to walk her into the first check point.  We  will get fed tonight and the awards are in about an hour.  Tomorrow there is a short liaison stage (7 km) into town and then a five hour bus ride (nap). 

Thank you all for the support, well wishes, and interest!

The Long Day!

Stage 4/75 km.

This was the long stage. I did very well out there yesterday, came in around 11:35. This moved me  up about 30 places in the standings.

There was about 15-20km of dunes. It was HOT. In the dune fields it was somewhere between 52-55C (125-130F). Little to no wind. I sStayed cooler by pouring a little water over my sleeves every  couple of kilometers. People are still coming in and have been out for more than 24 hrs.  The cut off is 36 hrs.  My blisters are manageable and the food is holding out. I will eat my green chile sometime today (it is a rest day).

We have one more race stage (29 miles) tomorrow then a short liaison stage the day after.  Have to say this is an adventure and am glad I am doing it.  Hope all is going well with everyone following these posts. Thank you for all the emails.

Time to go hydrate and eat!

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Stage Three is Done

Stage 3/38 km.
24 have dropped/1001 still in. It turns out that two of my tent mates are among those that have fallen out and one more I am not sure about.  Today we will loose some more. Cool and cloudy to start. I made good time to begin with but temperatures climbed and there was no wind across the dry lake beds.  Even though I had to walk a lot through the sand I still finished the stage in under 5 hrs. I will need to recover for the very long stage tomorrow. 

 My feet are OK, and I ate breakfast later in the morning and that helped me during the day as well. However I will need more protein in the mornings so I will enjoy my Slim Jims!

I appreciate all the pages of emails I am getting, helps lift the spirits!  I'm almost half way ,I need to get through tomorrow.  Hope to be under 14 hours if at all possible but there are 15km of dunes.  I am shifting to survival mode.  Doing OK.  Scenery is beautiful!

Monday, April 8, 2013

Stage Two in the Rear View Mirror!

Stage 2: 30km lots of walking today. Many jebels that we went up/down/up/down/ect. Pace was much slower for everyone.

Hydration went well but I am trying to get my food timing down, still behind the curve. I have enough but just not eating soon enough. Unfortunately picked up three toe blisters today, sooner than I had hoped. The downhills did me in on them. Will tape everything tonight. Went slower today so I will most likely drop in the standings, not that I'm racing or anything. Lots of people suffered today with the steep hills.

We were scrambling and climbing for miles. No shade anywhere. Many gaiter failures due to the rocks (now I know why they call it More-rock-o). Mine are holding up great, thanks mom! The rest of my gear is working out well. Pack is getting lighter by the day. I appreciate all the emails I received last night. Thanks to everyone for taking time out to follow this. I am doing well and will get another night sleep tonight if not too windy! 
Miss you all!

Sunday, April 7, 2013

HI All -

Lisa here from Belgium-

Have not heard from Garth yet, but info gleaned from the MdS website suggests that he had a good day - he finished in 4:34:30   131 place overall, 123 in the mens, and 15 in his division (Men 50-59). With over 1000 runners, he is doing rather well!  Hope he is able to get an email out to Dirk so we can get something from him posted up here soon!  Remember you can send him an email at the camp!

http://www.marathondessables.com/fr/messagerie/ecrire-a-un-concurrent.html

Runner # 1097

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

The Starting Line Draws Nearer!

After about 18 hours of travel (of which only five were in the air), I finally made it from Paris to Quarzazate, which is affectionately known by its three letter airline code: OZZ. 

The first stop was in Madrid.  It is a very nice, large and underutilized airport. I saw most of it as I had several hours to kill during my layover.  From Madrid we flew to Casablanca, which was surrounded by beautiful vast green fields.  It was really a nice sight on the approach.  The most painful part of the trip was listening to the safety briefing in three languages!

My only hassle on the flight was having to retrieve and recheck my bag in Casablanca.  Security didn’t much care for my bag full of freeze-dried food, and it took several minutes to explain what it was for and where I was going.  In the end Morocco’s finest chalked it up to a crazy guy and let me pass.

The flight from Casablanca to OZZ was about 90% MDS’ers, and the winner from last year was seated directly behind me.  At least I can say I beat him off the plane!  When we landed, the transfer to the hotel went smoothly; but it was rather obvious that this wasn’t the full-service Marriott in Paris, but very much the other end of the spectrum.  

Oh well, in two days there will be even less luxuries!

Sunday, March 31, 2013

A Week to Go!

Things are moving along on their own now.  Lisa and I have made it over to Paris for some time together before the race.  Hopefully it will not be as cold in Morocco as here: 30 degrees F this am.  Went to the coolest running store I have seen - Boutique Marathon.  Lots of high end stuff including all sort of things for the MDS,  The guy helping was excited when he found out about me participating.  Picked up some new RaidLight water bottles and a pair of Mizuno Cabrakan 4's (you ca't get these in the States).

Me at L'Arc de Triomphe
Two more days in Paris, two in Ouarzazate and then two in the bivouac before the race start.  Just need to get there with my gear and arrive healthy!  Tent assignments are up (mine is #60, with a selection of US and Canadians).  Below is a picture of my kit, looks like everything will fit but slightly on the heavy side.  Some things will be repacked in Morocco.

The Kit

Friday, March 29, 2013

Update on Communications to/from the Field

The race website has posted a "Timing" update regarding tracking competitors and sending emails to them.  Everything is about the same as outlined in earlier posts but just to be sure please go to the following link for the most current and accurate information.

This update is coming from the Albuquerque airport where we are now boarding for the flight to Paris.  I am on my way!

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Thank You All!

As I prepare to depart this Friday, I would like to express my gratitude to all who have supported my endeavor and those of you who are following this journey.  I would also like to especially thank the following for their financial support:

Greg Buntain, Matt Helm, Laura Cox, Julie VanCamp, Todd Reynolds, Safford Hazen, Quinton Wallace, Mike Neely, Claire Reader, Julia Reader, Dirk and Molly Reader, David Kovel, Carla Kirby, Jeff Stoddard, Bill and Aryn Mitchell, Tom and Janice Reader, Mark Dorion/Sugarlove's Ultra Vista, James and Karen Leach, and the Girrens/Stover family

Please continue to follow my progress on the official MDS web site (www.darbaroud.com) and through my field posts which will hopefully be uploaded to this blog.  My bib number is 1097.

I would also like to especially thank my lovely wife Lisa and the rest of my family for all their tolerance and emotional support.  This formed the basis of my preparations and I am sure the thought of them will carry me through some tough times.

Thank you all again.  I'm looking forward to the adventure!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Other Links and Blogs

In case you are interested there will be coverage of the race not only on the MDS website but others will be blogging their experiences and views, just like you will hopefully see here.

Ultra runner Meghan Hicks will be posting daily media updates on www.irunfar.com.  Megan recently had an article on last year's MDS published in Trail Runner.

Lisa Smith-Batchen of Badwater and MDS fame will post daily thoughts on the race on her blog: http://lisasmithbatchen.blogspot.com/

Check these out!

Final Food Listing


Below is the final food list for my MDS attempt.  Much has been previously posted on this subject but I wanted to put out a summary type document.  Calorie count is about 50% above the minimum required.

We will see how this works out!



























Kcals per serving


























Day 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Stage 1 2 3 4 4 5 6

Stations (estimates) 2 3 3 6 0 3 0

Bottles H20 (1.5 liters each) 3 4 4 7 to 9 ? 4 1











Expedition Foods Scrambled Eggs, Potatoes and Peppers 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 828








Hot Cereal Start with Mango 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 532








Custard with Mixed Berries 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 532








Mountain House Breakfast Skillet* 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 680








Porridge with Sultans 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 806








Fruity Muesli with Milk Powder 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 814








Starbucks via 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 0


























Stinger Waffle 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 160








Gels (various) 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 100








Bars (various) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 290








Slim Jim (2 oz) 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 320








Almonds (2 oz) 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 340








Gu Recovery 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 250








Gu Tabs 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0








Salt Sticks 10 10 10 10 5 10 5 0








Ginger Tablets 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0


























Expeditoin Foods Sweet and Sour Chicken with Rice 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 804








Expedition Foods Asian Noodles and Beef 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 805








Chicken Korma with Rice 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 807








Expedition Foods Macarroni and Cheese 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 800








Spaghetti Bolognese 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 808








Expedition Foods Custard with Apples 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 541












































Running Calories 1460 1460 1460 1460 790 1460 450









Non-running Calories 1632 1337 1339 1480 2151 1622 0



























Total 3092 2797 2799 2940 2941 3082 450 18101


























Avg/day (less day 7)






2942








* Not counted in total weight






153oz/9.58lb

























Spare Food for Bivouac


































Backpackers Pantry Santa Fe Rice with Chicken 1















Mountain House Breakfast Skillet 1















Coffee 4