Vancouver ultra-marathoner Pushpa Chandra has been running in the Sahara for 15 hours straight. She has another eight hours to go, at least, to reach the end of the longest, toughest stage of the Marathon Des Sables.
Right now, the 59-year-old doctor is 55 kilometres into the 86.2-km fourth stage, known both as a runner’s “holy grail” and “nemesis.” The long stage began at 8:30 a.m. local time in Morocco and will end 35 hours later, the deadline to reach the end of the route that covers stony terrains, dunes, djebels, and features a few big trees.
Covering desert terrain at roughly four km/h, Chandra is well over halfway and will meet the cut-off time. She is in the last quarter of the field, still in the desert while the leaders are already back at camp, popping blisters and rehydrating.
The grandmother has run ultra-marathons on every continent and is raising money for Plan International, a charity that supports education and gender equity. As of this writing, she is only $7 away from meeting her $1,000 fundraising goal. Support her cause here.
Follow the live tracking of the race through the final stage.
Chandra is no. 709.
Race organizers say this long stage may bring optical illusions.
“Today’s sky is hazy, but this is not enough to soften the sun’s glare, which sometimes plays with or get on the (optic) nerves to create deceptive mirages,” report organizers.
The advice to completing this stage is to do it by “dividing up the course, drinking, swallowing salt tablets, over and over again, until the finish line.”
Statistically, completing these nearly 90 km in time means finishing the entire Marathon Des Sables. Already, nearly 300 participants have dropped out, leaving 1,131 to start the race. What will that number be for stage five?
One Soudanese runner said in a news release, “My muscles are not aching, but my feet are destroyed.”
A competitor from Australia added, “My biggest problem? My backpack is too heavy, so my back and shoulders are more tired than my legs.”
I have requested photos of Chandra and will post them here.
