Finally have internet in Libya. Updates on the race. PDF Print E-mail


Saturday, February 28, 2009
Sahara Desert, Libya

From Aid station 4 around 100 kilometers or 62.5 miles.....I decided it was time to crank things up and catch Isabella and Bob.....At that point they were a few hours ahead of me but catching them was not out of the question......inspired by my fellow runners I kept pushing....this pic is of a Tuareg runner who finished this race without a GPS or proper shoes.....

Yes, he is walking barefoot through the desert
JB would spend the next two days on his own cultural safari.......as he either ran or worked his way from aid station to aid station with his new Tuareg friends...these guys made it possible for us to film this race.
Strolling in to Aid Station 4 with Joseph and our cokes I was feeling pretty good......but things got even better when I spotted JB....who was having lunch with the Tuaregs who he had met.
A few miles in to the hike from Check Point 3 to 4, I met Joseph, who is from Eastern Europe and frequently runs across countries for fun (no kidding!) He took one look at me and laughed hysterically 

JB had a very cold night in the desert and arrived at Check Point 3 looking like this....

Which one is worse...me or him? Now imagine we are the last place in the race and somehow we have to catch Bob and Isabella and get the footage.
I arrived at the next Checkpoint 3 the very last place in the race. The Aid Station was a wreck of runners needing medical assistance. When the doctor asked if I needed help, my reply was “Yeah, fix my camera!” It was busted from falling down a rock face on the night hike.

I learned that Bob and Isabella were only an hour ahead. So I bolted out of the Aid Station without checking out but with a coffee (nescafe in plastic cup) in hand just as the sun was rising over the Anacama mountains. Looking across the mountains and Sahara mile after mile of mesmerizing sand dunes was one of those panoramic sites one never forgets. Though I felt good then I hit the wall running down the dunes. The lack of sleep, plus taking video and pics all suddenly hit me and I collapsed under a rock face (no damages). 

Woke up a little bewildered just as another runner who was in bad shape was passing. Though I’d only slept 45 minutes, I'd lost track of time and was distressed when he said that we would never make it to the cut off in time. 

This is how I looked....
JB and I were so far behind the Libyan Tourist Police followed us through the night to the Check Point 2. Every now and then they would flash their lights and say allah (not sure about spelling) which means faster in Arabic. It did not work and our slow plod continued. This picture is of our first night in the desert with these guys behind us.

A few hours after this shot was taking JB and I decided it was best to go our seperate ways. We wanted to capture this race from two different perseptives and agreed that it was better for him to get as much footage as possible and catch rides between check points. I also needed to start booking it if I was going to make it to Bob and Isabella.

Thus, I found myself on an all night trek through the Sahara desert. The stars were my company and I have never felt more alive as I was totally dependent on my own navigation skills. (Scary since I can get lost walking to the mail box and at the start of the race I did not even know how to turn my GPS on.) 

And the guys who had at first scared us became our friends. With or with our the police I have felt totally safe in Libya. These guys rock!
We took tons of footage and thought our lives were over when the Libyan tourist police zoomed up behind us with blaring lights – but they were just cheering us on and followed us to the next Check Point!

We made it to Check Point 2 at the very back of the pack. Shortly after leaving the check point we passed some of the rock paintings and intrigued European Tourist who were on a desert safari. They had come to see the paintings and were shocked to see two Americans in running clothes, with video equipment, standing in front of the prehistoric rock art. Two of their Tuareg guides had never met Americans before either but seemed thrilled to see us.


We ran through canyons.....and we got lots of footage as the other runners got further and further ahead
You like this.
While most people are worried about staying on course during the race JB is actually in the nomadic houses.....This photo was taking by JB Benna with Journey Films as was the nomadic house pic before...
We are side tracked by nomadic houses like this.
The race begins but JB and I are quickly side tracked.
These guys are part of the team too. Our Tuareg and Libyan friends have brought so much to this experience. Through this experience we have absorbed others perspectives and shared so much of our own culture. Many of the Tuareg and Libyan people we met had never met Americans before us.
These guys are amazing! Each one of them has brought so much to this experience. This was us at the start of the race last Tuesday. At that time we had no idea what to expect but knew that we were going to finish. Notice JB's camera. Yes, he did lug that through the desert. You like this.

 

Posted by Rebecca Byerly at 2/28/2009 5:05 PM | Add Comment