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

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!

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!

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

Drop Me A Line

For any of you that are so inclined, I believe you will be able to shoot me an email in the field during the race!  There should eventually be a link on www.MarathonDesSables.com that lists all competitors names and race numbers.  Look for a link that reads "écrire aux concurrents/write to competitors". Messages are usually sent by clicking on the competitors name (Garth Reader) and/or race number (1097).   When you send a message, it is also suggest that you list my name and race number in the "SUBJECT" of the note, if it does not automatically appear when clicking on the provided link.  Please, do NOT send attachments or photos of any kind as those will go directly to a SPAM folder and I'll never see your note.  If you happen to pull up the site with French text you can switch to the English version by clicking on the British/US flag on the top right side of the home page.  

Also please look at the "Medias" section for videos, etc.

Looking forward to hearing from you all!

Final Packing List

Departure is near and I have come close to finalizing  gear selections.  Here is what I am planning on living with for a week in the desert!  I will also have some additional/spare equipment with me to augment at the start of self sufficiency or to change out on a whim (well, a calculated whim).  Total kit weight without water and estimated race provided equipment (flare, etc.) is approximately 18.7 lbs which is unfortunately heavier than I had hoped.  Some luxuries may be discarded at the start or along the way depending on the situation.

Item	Comments	Weight (oz)	Brand
Administrative
ID/credit cards/etc		2.0
200 euros equiv.	req emergency funds	0.5
Passport		0.8
Medical		-
ECG/EKG		-
Equipment
Pack		24.0	Raidlight Evolution 2
Sleeping Bag		16.0	Western Mountaineering Highlight
Pad		8.0	Thermarest Z lite Sol sm - cut down or Thermarest Neo air Xlite small
Water Bottles		12.0	Raidlight with holders (2 ea @750 ml)
Headlamp/batteries		3.1	Petzl Tekka XP 2 with lithium batteries
Lithium Batteries	4 spares	0.8	Energizer AAA
Safety pins	One large and eight small	0.2
Compass		1.0	Silva basic
Lighter *	Small - get in country	0.5
Knife *	includes scissors	0.8	Leatherman "Style"
AB ointment		0.5	0.5 oz tube
Venom pump		1.1	Sawyer Extractor and one tip.  Dump the case
Mirror		0.9	US Star Flash small
Whistle	Built into pack and headlamp	-
Survival sheet		1.9	Space brand small
Flare	provided by AOI	11.0	estimated weight
Salt Tablets	provided by AOI	2.0	Bring SaltSticks or Ecaps
Light Sticks	provided by AOI	-	weight included in flare
Stove/windscreen		0.9	Esbit Titanium Wing plus DIY windscreen
Stove fuel	Order for delivery to race	4.0	Esbit: 6-8 tablets
Spork		0.3	Sea to Summit Alpha lite
Cup		1.9	MSR Titan Titanium
AL foil		0.2
First Aid/Medications	Band-Aids, gauze pad, suture strips, alcohol wipes, vitamins, Alive, Cipro, Imonium, Sudafed, Tylanol, Benadryl, Cough drops, etc.	2.0
Blister kit	Kensio Tex Gold tape (6yds), silk tape, needles/hyodermic, Tinc of bensoin ampoles (6 ea), alcohol wipes.	2.0
Sunscreen		0.7
Lip balm		0.4	Badwater brand
EZ towels	10 each	0.9	Compressed wipes
TP	1/2 roll with tube removed	1.7
Hand Sanitizer	1 oz bottle	1.3
Cord	3 feet very light bungie cord	0.1
Zip Ties	4 small ones	0.1
Duct Tape	Small roll 2"x50"	0.7
Ear plugs	2 pairs	0.1
Wisps toothbrushes (6)		0.6	-
Q-tips (12)		0.2	-
Camera/extra battery/extra card		8.2	Nikon coolpix
pen/notebook		1.9	Moleskin 3.5 x 5.25, 64 pages and inka pen
soap	small piece	0.2
Sportslick		0.9
Sew kit	needels/thread	0.1
Tenacius Repair tape	2x2 inch	0.1
Garmin Forerunner 101
Clothing
Shorts, compression	1 extra pair, 2 total	5.6	CWX
Shirt, race		-	2XU Tech Speed X Run Top
Shirt, long sleeve		5.1	Early Winters Soltex or Fitz
Buff		1.4
Goggles		1.7	Pugs brand
Hat		-	Salomon XA+, white
Socks	3 extra pair, 4 total	2.5	2 each Injinji and Wrightsocks -thin models
Heleium II Jacket		5.7
Slides/flip flops	Velcro slides for adjusting to swollen feet	5.2	Kmart Athletck Mahina slides with soles ground down
Running shoes		-	Cabrakan 3's with bungie laces
Gaiters		2.0	DIY
Comprsn shin sleeves		1.0
Cooling sleeves		1.0
Food
Food		152.0
Totals		299.8	oz
		18.7	lb
		8.5	kg