Stage 1: Dune Bound

7 hours after the start of the first stage and the sun is setting over the camel hair shaded dunes. All but Connie have arrived back to the bivouac and spirits are good.

WHAT A DAY!

We started at 10am into 10 miles of the steepest dunes in Morocco. The buzz of the chopper and the smell of desert sage filled the air above us and there was a long procession of runners as far as the eye could see. We weren't quite sure whether to curse or praise the beauty around us. The nearly unbroken azure sky stretched endlessly before us, but allowed the sun to beat relentlessly upon our white caps.

The first check point marked the end of the sandy section and then we entered a long flat plain of broken rock. We hop scotched each other before Emeka took off into the horizon. At mile 15 we ran through the ancient ruins of an old Berber fort. There were quite a few sections that resembled Lenape Lane! Finally, we climbed a series of dunes and at the top we could see the finish line waiting for us at the end of 21 miles.