Stage 1 : 33KThe first 13K of the stage was on the flat. The ground was uneven but firm and I was feeling fine. In the distance were towering sand dunes that shimmered like silk; they turned out to be the next part of the route and stunning though

of the hill.Don’t just hammer out the miles on roads or pavements. By training off-road on trails or sand, your legs will work harder to keep you moving, and you’ll put less stress on joints. You can even include races on different surfaces in your training

I'd finish but after two days I've revised my thinking: my goal is now simply to finish. Six people dropped out on the first day. I don't want my name added to that list.Tomorrow we face another 38K, with 12K of sand dunes. I'm hoping it

When: April 3Where: BournemouthFirst man: Jon Sharkey 33:06First woman: Rebekah Gardiner 38:46Last finisher: 2:35:52No. of finshers: 1,322Type of race:  RoadRW rating 2011: 92%With golden sands and blue sea to one side, and rows of brightly painted

from the Marathon des Sables.The Race The Marathon des Sables (MdS or Marathon of the Sands) is a seven-day six-stage race held annually across a section of the Sahara desert in southern Morocco. 2011 sees the 26th running of the event that is often

runners to storm the beaches at the fourth staging of this tough and scenic 12K off-road event. The race, all on National Trust-owned land, starts on the sands of the beach and heads towards Brownsea Island before heading up to Agglestome Rock

and runners will be costumed for this ten-mile trail adventure which traverses mud, sand, rocks and hills. Trail shoes are recommended to tackle the tough terrain and there are two water stops en route. Spectators can cheer at the three mile, eight mile

sand, trail and tarmac between the coastal villages of Beadnell and Alnmouth, before being rewarded with their technical finisher T-shirts. The route offers less demanding contours than one might expect from a course that includes both beaches

on nice smooth tarmac, and then do the same on grass or, worse still, long, wet grass or sand, and you may think you've upped your pace by half a minute a mile – the heart rate will be that much higher.So when logging your training heart rates, take care

with Jonas Brandsbjerg edging out Holland’s Aart Stigter by just five seconds.Five kilometres on the beach might sound easier than the previous two runs, but many find themselves surprised as to how challenging day three’s race in the soft sand of Playa Los