MdS 2009: Stage 2 (36k)

Stage 2 went well for me, the Dreamchasers, & Meghan. My effort was slightly reduced today – by necessity & design. I started without any major complaint & finished the same way. However, I felt I went right at threshold yesterday & have the long stage tomorrow. Still cool, but slightly hotter & windy.

Today’s stage was slightly longer at 22-23 miles. I ran 3:35 to place 28th – an improvement over 35th yesterday. The first 15k included many dunette. From CP1, we had many flat miles & some slight hills, where I held ground. CP2 was followed by 7-8k of straight flat – my weakness, but I maintained effort at 170 bpm & caught a few. We closed the day with a small dunes section were I may up more ground.

Dreamchasers dropped to 3d team – just 2 minutes back of Euro team. Wardian = 5 & Ted = 20.

Meghan was 3d overall woman today & is 2d total.

Looking forward to the long day & hopefully more hills & dunes. I have become one with the sand.

Related articles:

1. MdS 2009: Stage 1 (33k) I received an education in dunes today. Completed Dunes 101, 102, & am cramming hard for my 201 final tomorrow. When the difference between running fast or slow in a...
2. 2009 MdS: Stage 3 (56 miles) As noted earlier, this MdS is unique in that we have not been made aware of future stages in advance. In the evening after Stage 2 we were told that...
3. MdS 2009: Stage 4 and Overall Results Wish I could have posted results earlier, but I missed a small window to post in camp after the Stage 4 results were posted and have been tied up since...

Filed under Bryon, Races · Tagged with Marathon des Sables

Bryon Powell is the Editor-in-Chief of iRunFar.com, which he founded five years ago. Also the author of Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons and a contributing editor at Trail Runner magazine, he's quickly approaching 10 years as an ultrarunner and 20 years as a trail runner. These days he calls Park City, Utah and its trails home.
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