Today will be the longest day of the race and even the quickest runner is not expected to arrive at camp until well after dark. The 70 km course will take the competitors through some very interesting but demanding landscapes, including a long stretch of salt flats and the Valley of the Moon, but the route markers promised that they would be rewarded with some of the most beautiful scenery. Moreover, if they made it to camp within the same day, the next would be a full day of rest. The leaders are quite excited about the prospect of a long rest, but dreaded their later start at 10am. The slower competitors just want to finish the stage before midnight and some are already planning to spend the night at the overnight checkpoint.
Tonight’s camp will be our last and it is set in a valley surrounded by sand dunes with the Andes visible all around us. This site definitely has my vote as the prettiest, especially at sunset and sunrise. We managed to set up camp quite early as we did not have to struggle against the strong wind this time, and there is not much to do except to eat, eat more and again eat. I find I get hungry quite easily in the desert and there is not a day when I haven’t had a second breakfast, much like a hobbit. Luckily I manage to burn plenty of energy by helping out here and there.
The operational side of things is all handled by volunteers, helped by a local team to set up the camps. With today’s long stage we were stretched a bit thin, especially as we had to set up an overnight camp at checkpoint 23 and 2 sweeping teams needed to walk the course. We were stretched even thinner when, after dark, Mary decided that there ought to be someone stationed at a dry waterfall to warn racers of the narrow and treacherous route ahead. Also more people decided to stay overnight at checkpoint 23 and a few more tents needed to be erected. All the personnel and equipment were mobilised as quickly as possible but for people in the dark and cold it could always be quicker.
With only one volunteer available to man the stage finish line, I have to help out. Despite the gusty wind from the hill behind, I was more than happy to have the privilege of welcoming the competitors back to camp after a long hard day (although someone complained that I was quite bossy, as I know I sometimes am). I stayed on until midnight, when the long night was taken over by the second shift. On the way back to the tent, looking up to the Atacama sky that was brightened by millions of stars, I couldn’t help but admire the beauty of this land and realise how blessed we are to be given this great planet to live on.
Time has passed so quickly and we are already in the last 36 hours of the race. Tomorrow will be a well-deserved rest day for some and a pleasant morning stroll into camp for others. It seems that I have written quite a bit today already. I will write about some of the volunteers and competitors tomorrow.
