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!

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