to work and back as often as I could with a loaded backpack, and doing back-to-back long runs at the weekend. But none of it really prepared me for the first stage of the 250.7K challenge, and its 13K section of sand dunes. They were the kind

and blisteringly boiling. In a departure from the norm for the Marathon des Sables, the final stage was to finish in the small town of Tazzarine (rather than on a sand dune). The last 2K would take runners through the narrow streets of the town to the finish line

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

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

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