Greg's Atacama Challenge
Update
04 Oct 2022
Well that was bloody tough! The first couple of stages were hard but 'enjoyable' however the 15 river crossings on stage 2 softened my feet and led to some pretty nasty blisters in the sand on stage 3 and meant an end to running so it was all walking/limping from then on. A wicked sand storm late on stage 3 meant we were all evacuated and many people couldn't finish that stage. Stage 4 was relatively straightforward but I was in some serious foot pain by then. And then the long march of 70km really tested me, particularly after a killer sand dune climb where I went into a pretty dark place and was almost pulled from the race by the doctors. Some electrolytes and a can of coke somehow got me through the next 25km and I finished the stage around 11.30pm with Aly waiting for me at the finish line. Then a relatively easy 8km final stage the next morning with a medal, beer and pizza as the reward for what was undoubtedly the toughest week of my life.
I really want to thank everyone for your best wishes, kind words, and generous support ... I honestly would not have got to the finish line without it. And we cracked the $10k target for What Ability which is amazing and will help fund some amazing experiences for people living with disability. As a nice parallel - there was a blind guy and an amputee who also finished the race - truly inspirational!
Update
24 Sep 2022
Just 1 day to go before heading to camp for the start of the run. San Pedro is buzzing with crazy runners from around the world, it makes it all feel quite normal!
I'll be offline for the duration of the race but you can follow my progress here https://www.racingtheplanet.com/atacamacrossing/live
Thanks so much to everyone for your support, it means so much to me and will help me with motivation to get to the finish line.
Update
19 Sep 2022
I made it to San Pedro de Atacama yesterday and have started exploring the terrain. Absolutely spectacular location for an ultra-marathon. 7 days to go!
Update
11 Sep 2022
Final equipment check before packing the bag ready for my flight to Chile this Friday. Managed to get a week of food, clothes and safety gear comfortably in my running bag with a total weight of around 7.5kg.
The training has gone pretty well, with a 125km week behind me and a couple of long tough trail runs in recent weeks ... now it's time to ease off a bit and get myself acclimatized for high altitude and mentally prepared for some long days ahead!
DONATIONS75
Anonymous
Tue, 4 Oct 2022
$ 100
$ 100
Botha Botha
Fri, 30 Sep 2022
$ 50
Amazing effort and very inspirational Greg!
Amazing effort and very inspirational Greg!
$ 50
Ken Morton
Thu, 29 Sep 2022
$ 150
Good luck Greg. This is a hard core challenge!
Good luck Greg. This is a hard core challenge!
$ 150
Richard Betts
Wed, 28 Sep 2022
$ 150
Well done Greg - this is an amazing achievement
Well done Greg - this is an amazing achievement
$ 150
