Stage 2. Check point two – river bed to crater entrance

This was the section of our journey when the Namib desert became a cauldron. We learned later that all the competitors found their race plans shredded and their bodies drained as temperatures soared to an unbelievable 46 degrees.
The scenery was starkly stunning but the give of the gravel river bed began to burn our calf muscles and eat into our mental reserves. This section seemed endless and our pre-race briefing began to pay dividends as we took a break in the shade of a solitary thorn tree to escape the merciless heat for just a few minutes.
Though it was unspoken the task ahead seemed impossible and I began to question in my own mind whether we had trained hard enough for this unbelievable environment.
It seemed the other racers had streamed ahead and we felt daunted and alone by what lay before us.
On and on we trekked and trekked, our search switched between good ground and the route ahead. In this race going the wrong way could prove fatal. When you train hard together you get a sense of how far you travel in a certain time.
This was to prove a friend and enemy. We sensed we were closing on check point two and ahead of us we spotted a shape on a mountain side we were sure was a tent. Heads down for an hour long speed march only to discover the shape was a rock. It was a major morale sapper. We still had two kilometres to go.
But we made it, and this stop proved to be our biggest lift of the race as we caught up with four of the other runners and were relayed information that everyone, including the ultra specialists, were finding this task tough to handle.
Clean socks, drinks and handfuls of raisins improved our mood, as did the feeling that we were not completely alone.