Ski alpinism: Gélas – Southwest ridge
After the snow fall of last week, I was excited to start a new ski touring season. The snow starts at 2200m so I decided to go at Madone de Fenestre and climb the Gélas (3143 m). The conditions were not so good when I started ; very strong wind and frozen snow. I skied […]
Trail: Vallees Gordolasque – Merveilles
Last weekend Anna and I did a very nice trail in the Valleys of Gordolasque and Merveilles. The trail is only 21km long but it takes place between 1600m and 2700m of altitude and some sections are steep so it should not be underestimated. The views over the numerous lakes, Mercantour peaks and the archaeological […]
4 deserts Sahara Race: the video
Philippe has just finished the video of Sahara Race. Video of Sahara Race (© P. Gatta) Camp during the Sahara Race (© P. Gatta)
Sahara Race, Egypt
The Sahara Race is a 250 km running race which takes place in the Sahara desert, 130 km Southwest of Cairo, Egypt. There are 6-stages in 7 days: almost 4 Marathons in 4 days, then 86 km, a rest day and a final short stage of 2 km. Philippe ranked 6th.
4 deserts Sahara Race: stage five, 87 km, Philippe reports
Firstly, thanks again for all the email support!! Yesterday morning was uncertain because of my right heal and because of the pain in my muscles. I could barely walk out of my tent in the morning. So I was not sure about which strategy to adopt for the race. It was tempting to go fast […]
4 deserts Sahara Race: stage five, 87 km, 6th overall
Note by Anna: I have no news today since last days long race of 87 km didn’t allow for any cyberspace time! But according to the 4 Deserts website’s ranking Philippe is 6th overall after ending the long stage in 12:15 hours. He lost one place compared to the last days, but have one hour […]
4 deserts Sahara Race: stage four, 41 km, still 5th overall!
137 competitors out of 150 took the start today. For me, it started very badly, 50m after the start I couldn’t run because of the huge blister I have on my left heal: 3cm x 2cm, and I have a few other on the toes which haven’t healed during the night. We started with several […]
4 deserts Sahara Race: stage three, 43 km, 7th!
Today was tough, it started well, very nice scenery again in the dune. I joined Olivier and ran with him for a while. Then Jude, another french caught us and we ran the three of us for a while, having 3 Frenchies in the top 6. I made the first half in just 2:30 hours […]
4 deserts Sahara Race: stage two, 42 km, 5th overall!
Thank you all for the support I get through your emails! Keep on sending, they really help me staying focused and pushes me to try my best. As I wrote yesterday, I had a hard time to finish but I recover rather well. The good thing with having lots of food, even though it’s heavy, […]
4 deserts Sahara Race: stage one, 37 km, 6th after first day!
Yesterday night was nice, the camp was beautiful with a view over the lake. The temperature after 5pm is pleasant and the night was fresh without being cold. I put the sleeping bag on top of me but did not go inside. I slept okay even though the sand get packed after a while so […]
4 deserts Sahara Race: leaving for the first camp
All competitors arrived yesterday, we’re around 150 coming from 30+ different countries. This year there are many runners from Asia with a great representation from Taiwan, Japan and Korea. Sahara Race: arriving at camp 1 (© P. Gatta) We had a massive breakfast this morning, enjoying the comfort of a luxury hotel before leaving for […]
4 deserts Sahara Race: Arriving in Cairo
After a 12 hours trip – door to door – I arrived in Cairo for the Sahara race. For once I made it without flight delay and my luggage made it too. “Easy” compared to the runners coming from Asia or America. Unlike an Himalayan expedition, we don’t have to worry much about the weather, […]