better in the morning. And of course, it does.I found out that I had a place at the 26th Marathon des Sables just three months earlier. The six-stage, seven-day race, which takes place in southern Morocco every year, might attract runners from all over

At just 17.5K, the final stage of the 26th Marathon des Sables was the shortest by far but still proved to be challenging. It was another hot day - although once the temperature rises above 40C it's hard to differentiate between simply hot

Stage 2: 38KThe sun usually rises here just before 6am but there was no sunrise this morning. We woke to a sandstorm, just what we didn't need to kick off a 38K stage. I'm sharing a tent with Jay Batchen, who has done the race eight or so times: he

female in the Himalaya 100-mile stage race in the Indian Himalayas, and in 2006 I was first lady at the North Pole Marathon. I completed my first Ironman-distance triathlon last year, and hope to run this year's London Marathon the week after I return

Stage 5: 42KToday was the marathon stage of the race. I managed to run the first half - I'd become bored with walking and wanted to test myself, but at the second checkpoint, at the 24K-mark, and with the temperature hovering around 50C, I took a

, Les Franqueses and La Garriga. It’s also popular with elite athletes looking for fast times and this year saw the Beijing Olympic marathon gold medallist Samuel Wanjiru win the 21st staging of the race.Race website: www

tackling a mountain stage of the Tour de France. Race website: www.marvejols-mende.org North Face Ultra Trail du Tour du Mont-Blanc (August)2009 Date: tbcSeven valleys, 71 glaciers, 400 summits: the 166K Tour of Mont Blanc is not for the faint

of sound after crossing the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan in the closing stages of the race. Wear your medal with pride afterwards and New Yorkers will treat you like royalty. The race is held every November.www.nycmarathon.org Reggae Marathon, Jamaica

run a conservative race to pick off runners in the closing stages and finished strongly to win a surprising bronze medal. It was the USA's first Olympic Marathon medal since Joan Benoit Samuelson won gold at the inaugural women's marathon in 1984

at the variety of fancy-dress costumes on display. Dressing up is taken almost as seriously as the wine tasting at this race. A crowd of smurfs – head-to-toe in blue paint – enjoyed their moment in the spotlight when the compere invited them onto a stage in front