FINISHED!

Sorry! I sent an email when I finished, but I think I wrote the address wrong. The final stage was great - classic marathon at 42.2k. It was really good terrain, with dunes, flats, steep climbs and decsents and an final 3k flat run to the bivouac to finish. Anton and I ran togehter again and finished flying the Aussie flag (well, Aussie flag sarong anyway) which was really great. I think I ended up in the top half of the field and about 28th in the womens, which is very exciting!!! Thanks to everyone for the emails - they have really been great, if delayed in receiving them. They really spurred me on and were extremely encouraging. Sorry for the generic updates, but we were limited for characters as well. To answer a few questions quickly - no, it was not too hot, the sleeping mat did NOT get cut from the pack list, I hardly have any blisters, my tent mates were great, I had running buddies the WHOLE time (and a few comments on my ability to talk incessently while I run :)). We are not back in OZZ, showered and about to go to dinner. It was really nice to wash the dirt off and a) use a toilet, and b) not worry about how much paper I am using when I go to the toilet! I finished yesterday a bit before 3pm, and then spent the next 4 hours cheering in everyone from our 'team' - the Aussies, US, NZ etc. It was great to see some of the guys finish with injuries and SMASHED feet. I have too many stories to tell now (you see people do the most amazing things here - both good and bad) so will write a better report when I get time. The good news is that Mohammed Ahnsal WON, and my best friend Samir finished stongly yesterday for a 5th place :) We told him that whatever he did he needed to beat the American Mike, and it took him until the last day to do it. Thank you again for all your support both before and after the race!

Ineke - strong to the end

Ineke hasn't been able to email yet but she finished the last marathon 42km stage no problems, looking at the results. Her position at the finish is 364 out of the 806 who started. Her overall time was 35hours40'38, carrying a back pack with all her food and bedding, pretty amazing! Today she'll be enjoying the big social event after the finish. Hope to hear from her soon.

Stage 3 - 91km‏

Hello!  I survived the long stage - longest in the history of MdS at 91k.
I had a new running buddy today Anton (another Aussie), self christened 'Team Plod'.
Our goal was constant forward motion.
We went straight through all the checkpoints - I never sat down the whole time.

We finished just after 3am this morning with our time squeezing under the 18hr mark.
VERY HAPPY! It is now 3pm and there are still about 200 runners out there.

I am feeling well - no stomach troubles or anything, and only a couple of blisters,
so should still be able to go alright tomorrow.
Stage 4 is going to be the marathon stage (42k) and then we finish.
The last stage has had to be abandoned.
I got my emails before the long stage - thanks so much to you all for sending them,
it really makes a big difference.
ine xxx

Update from Byron

The results have just been posted and Ineke is flying! She's finished the third, and longest ever stage in the race's history, - 91 kms!! The results show that she has moved up over 100 positions and has completed the stage in 17 hours 52 minutes. Her placing is now 25th woman overall and 1st Australian woman. Her average speed for the almost 28 hours running in total so far is 5.09kms an hour.

Although her aim was just to finish she's exceeding all expectations. We're looking forward to her next post and hope she has pulled up well.

Day two

Hello again! Had another fab day today :) The stage was about 35km, mostly flat with some dunes. I am still blister free and feeling strong when I finished today. I ran with Caroline again for most of the day. We picked up another couple of Aussies for about 12km and then I went ahead for the last 5k or so. I am walking fine - not stiff and sore yet. Maybe tomorrow! The day was not too hot, although it got hotter towards the end of the day. It is definately an advantage coming out of our summer - if only it was as hot as usual it would make quite a big difference I think!Last night was so cold! We were all freezing in our tents. It was windy and very difficult to sleep. Tonight I will be wearing just about EVERYTHING to try and keep warm. It is hard when nobody has packed for the cold. Long stage tomorrow, so probably no update. Thats all for the moment. ine x