{"id":13487,"date":"2025-06-12T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scienceinsport.com\/sports-nutrition\/?p=13487"},"modified":"2025-06-12T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T00:00:00","slug":"review-half-marathon-des-sables-peru","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scienceinsport.com\/sports-nutrition\/review-half-marathon-des-sables-peru\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Half Marathon des Sables – Peru"},"content":{"rendered":"

Coming from road running, this is a snapshot of me taking part in my first ultra and stage race.<\/p>\n

In life whilst you may not always be ready, sometimes you have to take an opportunity, and then figure out the steps for the person you intend to grow into on the way.<\/p>\n

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Breaking the Marathon Barrier<\/h3>\n

After completing the six world marathon majors this year in Boston, I had the opportunity to run in the Half Marathon Des Sables (MDS) in Peru. Whilst it\u2019s shorter than the MDS, don\u2019t let it fool you into thinking it\u2019s half the challenge.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s over 100km for a three stage race over four days. Where you camp by the beach over looking the Pacific Ocean in the Ica Desert.<\/p>\n

Bar a daily water allowance, you are entirely self sufficient, each morning before you run, you must carry all your food, and race kit for the full duration.<\/p>\n

Situated in the Ica Desert, it\u2019s a stunning environment to run and camp in, it\u2019s a fully immersive experience for the four days, where you just focus on running.<\/p>\n

This race made me face my own mental barrier of going past 26.2
\nmiles. Like all imagined fears, the reality wasn\u2019t as bad. By keeping my pace much slower than marathon pace, staying fed, hydrated, taking care of my feet, plus running it with friends (Jon and his partner Julia) helped me get past the barrier.<\/p>\n

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Shared experiences are priceless<\/h3>\n

Whilst you can run this on your own, and make some great friends in camp. I believe that running the event with friends is priceless. Everyone has highs and lows. Having people to support you, and visa versa during the whole 4 days, creates a great bond as you cross the line together.<\/p>\n

Running with Jon and Julia, really made this a proper running adventure, and I thank them both as there were lots of laughs and conversations as the miles rolled on.<\/p>\n

It was a real pleasure to meet my ASICS Frontrunner teammate from Sweden Jonas Buud. This guy is seriously rapid but is one of the most humble people I\u2019ve met, he placed third male overall and this was his first half MDS race.<\/p>\n

In the days after the race, I also met the global adventurer Ben Fogle, who\u2019s recently completed Everest, run the full MDS to name a few. Even though he just checked in to the hotel, he was really kind to talk to me for a few minutes. It was an absolutely pleasure as he is someone I admire.<\/p>\n

Additionally I got to meet the second place male overall Roberto Gil, who was staying at the same hotel. Another top guy.<\/p>\n

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Race strategy<\/h3>\n

Adapted from marathon strategy, each day before I started the race I had three key words to get me through the day, from ASICS sports pysch Stuart Halliday.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Patience (10m) \/ (Day 1)<\/p>\n

\u2022 Discipline (10m) \/ (Day 2)<\/p>\n

\u2022 Courage (6.2m) \/ (Day 4)<\/p>\n

For me this experience wasn\u2019t about racing for a finishing place. It was about completing it, to see what the mind and body can do.<\/p>\n

As this was my first ultra, the running strategy was conservative, this helped me finish stronger as the days progressed. This was important as it\u2019s very easy to start too quickly on the first day and struggle for the following days.<\/p>\n

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Find the good in the moment<\/h3>\n

The route in Peru is well sign posted, with lots of support. Each runner has an SOS tag for emergencies. It\u2019s a beautiful but a hard course. There\u2019s so many variations of sand and terrain that you don\u2019t appreciate it all until you run it. There\u2019s so many subtle nuances from soft, fine, course sand all the way to rocks.<\/p>\n

On day two, for the ultra marathon distance, I had my biggest mental challenge, from mile 17 we were running at a higher elevation, and there was a strong headwind for over 10k. It was like the Michael Jackson Earth Song Video, I was waiting for animals\/debris to fly past me!<\/p>\n

It was a difficult moment and I was questioning everything, and doubting myself. I really struggled to break through this. I had to keep my head down\/nose covered from the sand which peppered me.<\/p>\n

After hitting my low, I had to give myself a serious talking to. I reminded myself if you can run the weather of the 2018 Boston Marathon:<\/p>\n

\u2022 32 to 48 MPH wind;<\/p>\n

\u2022 -1.1\u00b0C temperatures;<\/p>\n

\u2022 Driving rain throughout.<\/p>\n

Despite an injury to my knee at halfway, I still achieved a PB. I had to remind myself of that person. In moments like this you have to look to yourself, take responsibility as no one is going to pick you up.<\/p>\n

I left the pity party, stopped walking, and I began to run.<\/p>\n

In these moments it\u2019s easy to look up, and see the horizon flying into every direction and feel like, everything seems out of your reach.<\/p>\n

In these moments, you have to stop thinking about the distant future. It was difficult but, I had to go right back to the basics of putting one foot in front of the other and counting multiple sets of numbers to stay in the moment, focusing on every footstep. Then I\u2019d look up and see the distance I had covered, then I would mentally bank it. Then keep repeating, and moving forward.<\/p>\n

Race tip: To stay in the moment, is to count in multiple sets of 10. Don\u2019t think about the past or the future, with each step aim to do the best you can in that very moment with each step.<\/i><\/p>\n

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Nutrition<\/h3>\n

Race tip: Find the win in each day. Knowing that each day my backpack was getting lighter as my food pack got smaller gave me a mental boost as the days progressed.<\/i><\/p>\n

The race rules require that you bring 2000 kcal of food per day. Whilst this is under my Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) of 2015 kcal per day, pre race I thought it wasn\u2019t enough so I carried more.<\/p>\n

Excluding the two full water bottles, and all my kit for self sufficiency, 2000 kcal of food per day was enough, as the extra fuel is weight to carry and slowed me down.<\/p>\n

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Day 1 nutrition:<\/h3>\n