Marathon Des Sables Kit

The very last mail order item is due to arrive on Monday. Over the last 2 months the Royal Mail van has visited the house nearly every day, I really wish I was joking, I have spent an absolute fortune, and I have a cupboard full of kit I am not taking. When you look at my kit laid out, here is actually nothing there; I take more to work in my laptop bag every day I have to survive for a week.

The all important question: was it worth the money and effort to find things with double uses or am I still going to be feeling like I am carrying a brick? I feel like I have become obsessed with kit, I am sure my housemates would tell me I feel that way, because I have, I spent 2 days this week in a mood because my trainers with Gaiters attached had not arrived when I expected them. I have tried to think about every which way I can shave off a few more grams (I am still looking). I was more excited today about packing my bag than I the excitement I felt as a child at Christmas, believe me, that is a lot of excitement. Yes, I am sad.

Each item has been weighed individually, ticked off against my Marathon Des Sables kit list and a few more items discarded along the way.

The total weight, with food, minus energy products and water = 4.9kg on the scales. Maximum additional weight will be 1kg; maximum weight will be 6kg (minus water). That is 1.5kg lighter than my target weight.

My race kit is sorted, don’t judge, but I will have one top and one pair of compression shorts for the week, my clothing to sleep in will also be suitable for racing should anything go wrong.

A few people have asked if I will be staying in a hotel overnight, or if there will be showers at the camp site, to both, unless I pack these items in my bag, no, most of the event is spent in the middle of the desert, I will be caring everything. For personal hygiene I am allowing myself the luxury of a tooth brush and a Wemmi, a tinny compressed baby dry baby whip.   My pillow will be my porridge and muesli food packs in my sleeping bag case and my sleeping mat doubles as the back support in my rucksack. Just about everything else is compulsory kit.

My food is all freeze dried, it is not at all nice but high cal for the weight and made for this type of event. I am going to sneak in a packet of Jelly babies for the 56mile stage as a special treat at the half way stage.

The theory goes that the Marathon Des Sables  is 70% mental, 30% physical, with no luxuries to keep me going, the one thing I will be taking is a postcard I received in the post this week just to remind me why I signed up to this in the first place.

If I had not had the support I did though my early years of school, it is very unlikely I would have had any GCSE’s or a career, I was a very trying child, hated school and was incredibly disruptive, my parents went though some difficult years with me but their determination to address the cause and not just right me off as an unruly child as others had done meant I did re-engage with learning and changed the course of my life. Early intervention in cases where children have basic literacy problems is vital to re-engage them with education, to give them stability and aspirations. 'Springboard for Children' has and will continue to change lives.

Support these children and give me more reason not to give up by donating: www.justgiving.com/steven-artistMDS