19
Apr
Harrogate man completes brutal seven-day Saharan race
This article is free to read. Help support independent local journalism at the Stray Ferret by subscribing for as little as 14p per day. You can do so here.
A Harrogate man has completed a seven-day ultramarathon across the Sahara Desert which could have killed him.
Charlie Parish, from the Leeds Road area, embarked on the 39th Marathon des Sables on Sunday, April 6.
The brutal 250-kilometre race is split into six stages across seven days and takes competitors across the southern Moroccan Sahara.
The Sahara Desert is one of the hottest places on earth and can reach temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius.
The race is based on self-sufficiency – competitors must bring all their own food and drink and are penalised for receiving medical aid.
Heat stroke is a real risk. There have been numerous medical emergencies during previous years’ races, and three people have died during the challenge – the most recent in 2021.
Despite the risks, Charlie finished the race impressively.
With an overall time of 35 hours, 15 minutes and 27 seconds, he came 158th of 847 competitors – inside the top 19%. Of the 184 British competitors, he came 32nd – inside the top 18%.
Charlie Parish with his well-earned finisher's medal.
The Stray Ferret previously spoke to Charlie during his training. Despite having done many long-distance running events, he told us it would be the hardest physical and mental challenge he had ever attempted.
On his arrival back into the UK, Charlie told the Stray Ferret how it felt to have completed it:
It feels pretty good. I’m not sure it’s fully sunk in yet.
I’ve been reflecting on it since. What you didn’t get told about was the scenery, but that’s probably what’s going to stick with me the longest. It was a beautiful experience.
It wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be, but that’s probably because I trained for this more than I had done for anything prior. Probably to almost silly levels. But I think it paid dividends.
Charlie said the scenery was one of the best things about the experience.
During Charlie’s training, he travelled to Leeds Beckett University to use their heat acclimation room, where they can artificially create extreme temperatures. He trained there the week before the event in heats of around 42 degrees.
Despite the preparation, this year’s runners were fortunate with the weather. The highest temperature reached between April 6-13 was 36 degrees. Of course, this is still hot but is much less dangerous than running in 50-degree temperatures.
Charlie told us that "as sadistic as it sounds, I was quite disappointed", as he went into the race intrigued to see how his body would react to the extreme conditions.
He told us what he was glad about preparing for:
I think the tape that I brought proved to be invaluable. I taped my shoulders every morning so my bag wouldn’t rub and did the same with my toes. I didn’t blister once, which I’m very glad about.
The one thing we all wished we had brought, though, was an inflatable sleeping mat. We all brought thin ones to avoid carrying extra weight but most of the time we were sleeping on rocky surfaces. I had very bruised hips by the end of it.
Charlie had to carry all of his possessions with him in a backpack during the race.
He used tape on his shoulders and toes to prevent blistering.
The runner told us that despite the perilous conditions, the hardest part of the experience was the time in camp.
Participants sheltered in Berber tents, large open-sided tents that provide shade from the sun.
This left them vulnerable to sandstorms though, which he said were regular throughout the week.
He told us about the toughest aspects of the event:
One of the hardest parts was sleeping and camp life. We got hammered with sandstorms and wind, which meant we got a lack of sleep.
We then had to get up, eat and get ready, including taping all my shoulders and feet, in about 30 minutes to an hour to be ready to run at about 6am. It was additional stress that we didn’t really need.
Running on soft sand was also really hard. You feel like you’re putting so much more effort in to run, but not getting anywhere. It got really demoralising.
A couple of the stages ended with four kilometres of sand dunes, which was just soul-destroying. You think you’ve done quite well, then you end up effectively walking the last part of the race.
Although he hated running up the massive sand dunes, Charlie said coming down them was one of the best parts of the whole experience.
One of the biggest issues of an ultramarathon in such extreme conditions is the mental challenges.
Long-distance running is mentally tiring as it is, but in conditions that your body should not be exerting itself in, significant mental fortitude is needed.
Charlie told us how he navigated the mental challenges of such a demanding event:
I think having to be as dedicated with training as I was really built a resilience in me. All those days that I didn’t want to train but had to really helped.
The good thing for me was being able to focus on racing and being able to push myself through the stages. Instead of thinking ‘how am I going to complete this’ I was thinking ‘can I catch up the guy in front of me’. I’m very proud of how it went.
Runners assemble in the early morning light to start one of the race stages.
Charlie said that one person had to be rushed to hospital after heat stroke had turned into a real stroke. At the end of the event, though, the runners were told that he was fine.
The runner is proud to have completed the event but says he will probably not do it again. He said that he feels like he has “ticked the box” and wants to move on to the next thing.
He will be doing the Leeds Marathon in May, and the Montane Spine Race, a non-stop 268-mile event along the Pennine Way, has been added to his list.
Perilous challenges do not seem to phase Charlie, as he told us he would love to row the Atlantic, or attempt to run from Land's End to John O’Groats.
Whatever is next for Charlie Parish, it's certain to be adrenaline-fuelled.
0