Mr Blue Sky - ELO

The sun shines bright...

There will be plenty of Marathon des Sables blogs hitting your screens over the next few days. Some will be full race reports in minute detail. Some sorry messages, from those that didn’t make it to the finish line. And some will try to help you comprehend what the World’s Toughest Footrace is like.

So in advance of the ‘MDS Blogjam’, I thought I’d try and explain why I keep coming back and why the MDS is in my DNA.

 

With over 1000 Runner’s the sheer magnitude of the race is overwhelming. The amount of thought and energy that’s been expended just to get to the start line, let alone the expense is mind-boggling. Yet no-one ever says they didn’t get value for money.

 

And it’s that value and it’s worth that really got me thinking. After shaving every last bit of kit down to make a 7.1 kgs at the start line (as pack weight is imperative) - I decided to take something with me that was priceless to me and yet worthless for the race. One of my treasured possessions, bought for 3/4 in old money (17p) when I was five years old from a toy shop in Stratford-upon-Avon. As you can see it’s been well loved and It’s not worth anything. 

 

Except to me. It’s about 56 years old and if it was in mint condition would be worth a couple of hundred pounds but it was worth so much more during the race as when things got tough it was there in my pocket to remind me that even when things get broken, they still have a purpose. And just like my battered Corgi 226 Mini Minor - I’ve survived and as I head home my thoughts are that ‘value’ in life isn’t about what and object is worth, it’s what it means.

1,156 Marathons - 271 Ultras - 9 GWR - 16 Marathon des Sables