250km Journey Across the Sahara Desert on Crutches

Ray and Vlada's Final MDS Race Update - DAY 7/ Finalni zpravy ze zavodu MDS - DEN 7

2010-04-11T13:52:00.000-07:00

We are happy to report that we have successfully completed the 25th anniversary - 250K Marathon des Sables! :) It was an amazing experience for Vlada running the course as well as for Raymund supporting Vlada and his friends throughout the week. With an incredible atmosphere and excitenement in the air, Saturday was the final stage, a half marathon throught some of the toughest sand dunes the race had to offer. Most people just went for it full throttle and ran the entire course, regardless of the pain, blisters, and exhaustion. Vlada, J and M, or the Three Musketeers as Raymund dubbed them earlier, finished in just little over 2 hours. Over the course of the race Vlada moved from last place after Day 1 to around 540th place out of over 1000 runners. Raymund has been overwhelmed and uplifted by the support of the runners and the race crew for having attempted the marathon and for staying on to cheer on the runners. Raymund has had many requests to have his picture taken with his fellow runners and the race staff, which has been a lot of fun.

Thanks again to everyone for your support of our race and fundraising project, and for following us throughout the week. We will have pictures posted as soon as we can. For both of us, this has been a life changing experience in ways that we are yet to fully comprehend.

Congrats, Bravo, Chapeau, Gratulujeme to all of the MDS runners!

R&V

PS: Omlouvame se, ze neprekladame tuto finalni zpravu do cestiny )nejsou sily). Dik!

Day 6

2010-04-09T14:26:00.001-07:00

Vlada never thought that he would ever say `Thank God we only ran a marathon today.` This MDS course has been one of the toughest they have organized in honor of its 25th anniversary. It sure has felt like it and many veteran runners contest to it. The weather conditions have been more favorable than in the past-no sand storms or freezing temperatures at night. Today the temperature stayed in the high 30sC & Vlada was able to run most of the marathon stage with J&M. Tomorrow is the final stage-a half marathon thru the toughest sand dunes yet according to our veteran group leader, Jay. The Paris Opera is performing for us tonight in the middle of the desert with the sand dunes as the back drop. Ray rode the dunes in a sand buggy and will post his extreme ride video on our website later. Keep your fingers crossed for us tomorrow. everyone remains in good spirits. Cheers, R&V

Vlada si nikdy nemyslel, ze by rekl `Diky Bohu, ze jsme dnes bezeli jen marathon.` Veterani zavodu nam rikaji, ze tento rocnik zavodu je jeden z nejarocnejsich ktery kdy usporadali. A opravdu nam to tak pripada. Klimaticke podminky az doposud byly velice priznive-zadne pustni boure a ani mrazive nocni teploty, Dnesni teplota se pohybovala jen pod hranici 40C a tak Vlada s J&M mohl bezet prevaznou cast dnesni marathonske etapy. Zitra jiz mame finalni etapu- pul marathon prez extremne narocne pisecne duny, podle naseho veteranskeho vedouciho skupiny, Jayje. Ray mel dens prilezitost projet se pousti a dunami na pisecne buggyne a prida video jeho extremni jizdy na nase stranky pozdeji. Dnes vecer nam v Sahare zahraje parizsky operetni orchestr s kulisami pisecnych dun v pozadi. Drzte nam palce zitra! nazdravi, R&V

Raymundo & Vlada - MDS Race Update - Day Six/Novinky ze zavodu MDS - sesty den

2010-04-09T14:25:00.001-07:00

Vlada si nikdy nemyslel, ze by rekl `Diky Bohu, ze jsme dnes bezeli jen marathon.` Veterani zavodu nam rikaji, ze tento rocnik zavodu je jeden z nejarocnejsich ktery kdy usporadali. A opravdu nam to tak pripada. Klimaticke podminky az doposud byly velice priznive-zadne pustni boure a ani mrazive nocni teploty, Dnesni teplota se pohybovala jen pod hranici 40C a tak Vlada s J&M mohl bezet prevaznou cast dnesni marathonske etapy. Zitra jiz mame finalni etapu- pul marathon prez extremne narocne pisecne duny, podle naseho veteranskeho vedouciho skupiny, Jayje. Ray mel dens prilezitost projet se pousti a dunami na pisecne buggyne a prida video jeho extremni jizdy na nase stranky pozdeji. Dnes vecer nam v Sahare zahraje parizsky operetni orchestr s kulisami pisecnych dun v pozadi. Drzte nam palce zitra! nazdravi, R&V

Official Race Photo of Ray!

2010-04-09T06:59:00.001-07:00

Hi All,

I hope you have been enjoying the updates from Ray and Vlada. My name is Kim Echols, I'm helping them while they are off doing adventurous things by updating their blog and sending out updates. I found this photo of Ray on the race website and thought I'd pass it along!

Kim

Day 4 & 5

2010-04-09T06:04:00.000-07:00

The Marathon des Sables isn`t called the toughest foot race on Earth for nothing. The 82km stage was excruciating for Vlada and his friends J & M. This stage had everything-52+C weather, steep mountains, sand dunes, rocky terrain, sweltering dry salt lake beds, and three sections of the stage were completed at night, using compasses,glow sticks, and a laser beam to guide us through the dunes. Only the top 50 or so competitors were able to run the entire course. VJ&M completed this stage in under 20hrs, arriving at 5 Thu morning to hear Ray ask yet again `What took you guys so long?` Vlada`s legs almost gave up but the boys pulled him thru in the last 9km. The rest of the day was spent in recovery, to get ready for tomorrow`s full marathon. Thank you for sending support messages to us and please check the race site darbaroud.com for race videos and live updates. There is also a small report on Ray at TV5Monde.com. See you tomorrow. R & V

Marathon des Sables neni nazyvan nejtezsim bezeckym zavodem na svete jen tak pro nic za nic. Posledni 82km etapa byla pro Vladu, J a M obzvlaste obtizna. Zahrnovala vsechno - teplotu presahujici 52 stupnu C, strme hory, pisecne duny, skaliste plostiny, rozsahla vyschla jezera, a tri casti ktere se bezeli v noci s kompasy, sviticimy diodami, a leserovym paprskem ktery urcioval smer skrz pisecne duny. Jen zhruba 50 nejlepsich zavodniku bylo schopno bezet celoulou etapu. Vlada, J, a M dokoncily celou trasu do 20 hodin a dorazily do tabora v 5 rano, kde se jich Ray jiz tradicne zeptal `Proc vam to zase tak dlouho trvalo?` Vladovi skoro odesli nohy pri poslednich 9km, ale kluci ho podrzeli a dotlacili do finishe. Dnesek byl straven rehabilitaci a pripravou na zitrejsi marathon. Dekujeme moc za zpravy ktere nam posilate a podivejte se na videa a reportaze na oficialnich strankach zavodu darbaroud.com. Na strankach stanice TV5Monde.com take najdete malou reportaz o Rayovi. Zitra nashle, R &V

Raymundo & Vlada - MDS Race Update - Day Four & Five/Novinky ze zavodu MDS - ctvrty den

2010-04-09T06:01:00.000-07:00

Marathon des Sables neni nazyvan nejtezsim bezeckym zavodem na svete jen tak pro nic za nic. Posledni 82km etapa byla pro Vladu, J a M obzvlaste obtizna. Zahrnovala vsechno - teplotu presahujici 52 stupnu C, strme hory, pisecne duny, skaliste plostiny, rozsahla vyschla jezera, a tri casti ktere se bezeli v noci s kompasy, sviticimy diodami, a leserovym paprskem ktery urcioval smer skrz pisecne duny. Jen zhruba 50 nejlepsich zavodniku bylo schopno bezet celoulou etapu. Vlada, J, a M dokoncily celou trasu do 20 hodin a dorazily do tabora v 5 rano, kde se jich Ray jiz tradicne zeptal `Proc vam to zase tak dlouho trvalo?` Vladovi skoro odesli nohy pri poslednich 9km, ale kluci ho podrzeli a dotlacili do finishe. Dnesek byl straven rehabilitaci a pripravou na zitrejsi marathon. Dekujeme moc za zpravy ktere nam posilate a podivejte se na videa a reportaze na oficialnich strankach zavodu darbaroud.com. Na strankach stanice TV5Monde.com take najdete malou reportaz o Rayovi. Zitra nashle, R &V

Day 3

2010-04-07T08:07:00.000-07:00

Today was HOT (48C/115F)! Stage 3 was 40km across flat plains of dry salt beds & wide open plateaus.Our friends & supporters felt Ray could have completed this stage. Still it was tough as more people dropped out. Vlada has teamed up with 2 tentmates Mike (NZL) & John (AUS), pushing each other thru the course. Ray waited at the finish line in the sun for hours to cheer on V, M & J-& gave them all a hard time for taking so long to complete the stage. We took a photo at the finish as a team. Vlada is now pooped but has the night to get ready for tomorrow's 82.2km which can be done nonstop or in two days. He & the guys are aiming for nonstop. On another note, we met Malika from Handicap International-France, who expressed her gratitude on behalf of HI-France for our fundraising efforts. She told Ray not to be discouraged that he couldn't continue the race as his effort to try counts more than his result. Pls check the official race site 4 current photos, vids, & articles. Thx, R&V

Dnes bylo horko (42C). Etapa 3 vedla prez vyschla solna pole a nekonecne ploche planiny. Trasa byla narocna. Trebaze mnoho zavodniku odstoupilo, vetsina nasich znamych a fandu verilo ze Ray by dnesni etapu dokoncil. Vlada se dal do tymu s dvemi spolubydlicimi ze stanu, Mikem (NZE) & Johnem (AUS) aby si pomahali tlacit dopredu. Ray cekal nekolik hodin v paru slunce na V, M & J u cilove pasky aby jim fandil pri finishi - a po dokonceni si z nich delal spasy ze se s tou etapu loudali. Za cilovou paskou jsme se vsichni vyfotili jako tym. Vlada je znavem a ma noc na pripravu na 82.2km etapu zitra. Vlada, John & Mike ji zkusi nonstop:). Mimochodem, take jsme potkali zastupkyni Handicap International-France, jedne z nasich partnerskych neziskovek, ktera nam vyjadrila vdek za nasi financni sbirku. Taktez Rayovi sdelila, ze jeho snaha ucastnit se zavodu znamena mnohem vice nez jeho vysledek. Prosim, shlednete soucasne fota, videa, a clanky na oficielnich strankach zavodu. Dik, Ray & Vlada

Raymundo & Vlada - MDS Race Update - Day Three/Novinky ze zavodu MDS - treti den

2010-04-07T08:03:00.001-07:00

Dnes bylo horko (42C). Etapa 3 vedla prez vyschla solna pole a nekonecne ploche planiny. Trasa byla narocna. Trebaze mnoho zavodniku odstoupilo, vetsina nasich znamych a fandu verilo ze Ray by dnesni etapu dokoncil. Vlada se dal do tymu s dvemi spolubydlicimi ze stanu, Mikem (NZE) & Johnem (AUS) aby si pomahali tlacit dopredu. Ray cekal nekolik hodin v paru slunce na V, M & J u cilove pasky aby jim fandil pri finishi - a po dokonceni si z nich delal spasy ze se s tou etapu loudali. Za cilovou paskou jsme se vsichni vyfotili jako tym. Vlada je znavem a ma noc na pripravu na 82.2km etapu zitra. Vlada, John & Mike ji zkusi nonstop:). Mimochodem, take jsme potkali zastupkyni Handicap International-France, jedne z nasich partnerskych neziskovek, ktera nam vyjadrila vdek za nasi financni sbirku. Taktez Rayovi sdelila, ze jeho snaha ucastnit se zavodu znamena mnohem vice nez jeho vysledek. Prosim, shlednete soucasne fota, videa, a clanky na oficielnich strankach zavodu. Dik, Ray & Vlada

Raymundo & Vlada - MDS Race Update - Day Two/Novinky ze zavodu MDS - druhy den

2010-04-06T13:49:00.001-07:00

Zdravime z pouste, Stravili jsem prvni dva dny aklimatizovanim se na horko a pisek v poustnim beduinskem kempu. Prvni den zavodu byl velice horky a narocny. Po 4-5 hodinach pochodu pousti se organizatori rozhodli nas tym zastavit kvuli nesplneni casosoveho limitu dosazeni kontrolni stanice a udajne obtiznosti terenu, ktera by zabranila Rayovi pokracovat. Ac je Ray velice zklamany, dal zavodu vse co mohl a je v dobre nalade. Dnes rano organizatori rozhodli, ze Vlada bude moci bezet dale za nas tym. Ray zustane v tabore s nasimy novymi kamarady/dkami a bude fandit u kazdeho finishe. Den 2 byl pro Vladu extreme horky a narocny s presuny prez uplate pohori a nekonecne pisecne duny. Vlada momentalne nabira energiji na Etapu 3 zitra. Dekujeme moc za vasi podporu nas a naseho projektu,. Zitra se budeme hlasit s novymy zpravamy o Vladovem behu a progresu. Ray & V

Day 2

2010-04-06T13:19:00.000-07:00

Hi from the desert. We spent 2 days acclimating to the heat & sand in a bedouin camp in the middle of the Sahara. Day 1 was hot & tough & we trekked thru the desert more than 4 hrs. The organizers made R & V stop due to time limit rules & said the terrain would get tougher even though Ray wanted to complete the stage. He's very discouraged, but he tried his best & is going to stay with Vlada & his new friends to cheer them on. This morning the organizers decided to let Vlada continue the race for our team and our nonprofits, with a time penalty. Everyone has been inspired & supportive of Ray who remains in good spirits despite the premature end of his attempt to cross the Sahara on crutches. It's now day 2 of the race & Vlada completed an extremely tough stage crossing steep mountains & long dunes, now recovering for more of the same on stage 3 tomorrow. We will be back tomorrow with more updates on Vlada's progess. Thank you all again for your support of us and our project. R&V

Zdravime z pouste, Stravili jsem prvni dva dny aklimatizovanim se na horko a pisek v poustnim beduinskem kempu. Prvni den zavodu byl velice horky a narocny. Po 4-5 hodinach pochodu pousti se organizatori rozhodli nas tym zastavit kvuli nesplneni casosoveho limitu dosazeni kontrolni stanice a udajne obtiznosti terenu, ktera by zabranila Rayovi pokracovat. Ac je Ray velice zklamany, dal zavodu vse co mohl a je v dobre nalade. Dnes rano organizatori rozhodli, ze Vlada bude moci bezet dale za nas tym. Ray zustane v tabore s nasimy novymi kamarady/dkami a bude fandit u kazdeho finishe. Den 2 byl pro Vladu extreme horky a narocny s presuny prez uplate pohori a nekonecne pisecne duny. Vlada momentalne nabira energiji na Etapu 3 zitra. Dekujeme moc za vasi podporu nas a naseho projektu,. Zitra se budeme hlasit s novymy zpravamy o Vladovem behu a progresu. Ray & V

Arriving in Ouarzazate 2/ Pokračovaní příjezdu do Ouarzazate

2010-04-01T16:28:00.000-07:00

Arriving in Ouarzazate

2010-04-01T15:58:00.000-07:00

Our Randevouz at the Casablanca Airport Today

2010-03-31T17:04:00.000-07:00

Reporting from Casablanca

2010-03-31T16:03:00.000-07:00

Raymundo & Vlada are reporting from Casablanca sound and safe. Raymundo arrived with all of his equiopment intact. However, Vlada wasn't as fortunate as his checked baggage is still travelling around the world with some of our gear e.g. Vlada's food and Raymundo's new crutch tips that he forgot and Vlada bought for him. But that's has not deterred our enthusiasm for our trip to the desert. Early in the morning tomorrow,we are off to Ourzazate...

We are off to Africa!!!!

2010-03-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

Please check back for more updates very soon!!!. Raymundo is already in Casablanca and Vlada is meeting him there tomorrow. Stay tuned and thank you for your support!
- Vlada & Raymundo

Some of our crucial gear...

2010-02-25T19:13:00.000-08:00

So, this is some of our crucial gear - ultra light backpack (Nathan), comfy and light trail running shoes with no Gore-Tex (Sportiva), and the desert running gaiters (shipped all the way from France to prevent the unforgiving sand from tearing the skin apart). Then, there is a lengthy list of additional essential gear and supplies - the common denominator for everything is "ultra light and ultra compact," because simply, we have to be self-sufficient in the desert for 6 days!!! :) Let us not forget to mention the specially designed "snowshoe" tips for Ray's crutches to help him walk over the sand dunes and prevent him from sinking...

An Overview of Our Race Week

2010-01-16T21:51:00.000-08:00

ITINERARY
Friday, 2 April / 8-10am - Buses depart for first bivouac from Ouarzazate, Morocco (you MUST be in Ouarzazate by 8am). Box lunch and hot dinner provided by race organization. First night in tents.

Saturday, 3 April / All day - Administrative/Medical Check-in (times will be posted at the bivouac). Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner provided by race organizers. Supplies ordered on Darbaroud.com can be picked up at bivouac (fuel, Buffs, etc.); Satellite phone cards can be purchased. Pre-race briefing before dinner. Second night in tents.

Sunday, 4 April - Saturday, 10 April / Race Days. Self-sufficiency begins (actually after dinner on 3 April). Typical daily start time is 9am, except for the long stage when the top 50 men and top 5 women start at noon (the rest of the field usually starts at 9am).

Saturday, 10 April / FINISH LINE - There may be changes this year, but typically the race finishes in a small village. After crossing the finish line everyone receives a finisher's medal, a box lunch and a bus ticket with a departure time. The buses will bring us back to Ouarzazate and drop us at the hotels* (which are arranged by the race organizers and included in the entry fee). Dinner is provided at the hotel.

Sunday, 11 April / Flare return; T-shirt distribution; Awards Ceremony - Breakfast at the hotel (included); flare return and t-shirts distributed at the main race hotel (signs will be posted in our hotel with exact location and times); MDS Boutique will be open for us to purchase race souvenirs; lunch on our own; Awards ceremony; Dinner (at our hotel).

Monday, 12 April / Departures - Most people depart Ouarzazate on Monday.

We are 2 of 68 Competitors from USA

2010-01-11T15:59:00.000-08:00

There are 68 competitors from USA and approximately 700 competitors worldwide participating in the 2010 Marathon des Sables.

We are: 634 ACEVEDO Raymund USA; 677 MARTINOVSKY Vladimir CZE

To note :
- 16 woman
- 52 men
- Age of youngest competitor : 22
- Age of oldest competitor : 72

9 Nationalities on the US Team:
Australia, Canada, Greece, Great Britain, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Czech Republic (YEY:) and USA

For more info visit: http://www.darbaroud.com/detail.php?pub=256&langue=en

January 10, 2010 - we have 3 months to go!!!!

2010-01-09T23:08:00.000-08:00

This is our first week of three crazy and hectic preparation months in San Francisco and Washington DC that will result in something extraordinary!!! A tremendous amount of work and training still lays ahead of us, but we are ready and excited!!!!