The Run!

 Well it was an early start with our alarms set for 4.30am and very dark when we emerged from our room. Not only dark, but cold. We'd forgotton that although Luxor would be a fari bit warmer than Cairo, those degrees don't make much difference at these hours. As there would be no place for us to store any belongings during the run we'd have to carry everything with us. We decided against bringing a sweater to wear, so just spent the hour at the start before the race vigorously rubbing our arms and jumping up and down!

 We were wearing our new running shirts that Scotty bought for the occaision. They were brilliant as they were wiki t-shirts (i.e. will take the sweat away from our bodies) which are the best for running in. But Scotty had also managed to arrange for the company to print our names on the back and have the date of the run stiched on the sleve. Cool! As we warm up and stretch we formulate a plan to get all the dates and locations of runs stitched onto the shirt.

We got to the start by taxi, rather than the coach from the official hotel as promised, because although we are staying at the official hotel we didn't book it through the official booking agent. Fussy. We managed to share the taxi with two girls we met at the airport last night who are in the same situation. We told the taxi driver we'd be four hours when we dropped us off. Not paid him yet to make sure that he comes back!

On the start now and we're moving from cold to warm gradually as the sun comes up. We've done our warm up and have both got our music queued up and ready to rock. IndieRunner the Pharonic mix is 1 1/2 hours long and that's our aim to get the 12.5km done in that time.


Just before the starting gun goes Scotty gets a tap on the shoulder. It's a girl who was best friends with Norf's (best man at our wedding) ex-girlfriend, and her boyfriend who now works with Norf. They knew we were going to be here too from our facebook page and are running the full marathon as they are spending a year out in Alexandria learning Arabic. Small world!



Gun goes off! Music is started! Running commences!
We try and get into our pace, not wanting to head off too fast but go steady.
Our race plan is to try and run at pace and then walk only when we get to the water stops. These are evenly placed (according to the map!) every 2.5km. In training we've been running about 1km and then walking 60 seconds, but we're hoping race adrenalin will get us through. If we slow down towards then end, then so be it.

Our pace is good and we make it to the first water stop as planned.
Then on the way to the second we manage to run along with an Egyptian boy and have a conversation in Arabic.
The third stop is just before a small town. Through the town there are some kids on the street that we high five as we pass.
We turn left now and the road is a straight one alongside the canal. This is going to be the tough leg - long and straight and just when you're feeling tired. Scott is feeling it and I keep track of his shadow beside me. I'm feeling it too as I feel myself running flat-footed.
We cross the 10km mark after just over an hour. We feel really good and amazed at ourselves for having kept such a great pace and feeling so good still. But the water stop is still not in sight and we're both needing it, so we both slow to a walk and drink from our bottles. We jog a little then to the water stop which is also the turning point and then walk a while and take on more liquid. This is going to be the last 2.5km and so will be the hardest. We set off again but our legs are feeling tired now, we're flat footed and slowing down. We both know this is the hard bit, but that we must keep going now and that we can keep going.

We take the final turn towards the Temple and away from the course now (those who are doing the half or full marathon will be doing two or four laps of this instead of our one). It's uphill but we make it to the finish line running and at 1 hour 20 minutes.


We're dead pleased to have finished and have completed the run under our estimated time and while feeling good still. There's no question as we warm down that knowing people had sponsored us for the run meant we kept going. There's also no question that despite injury (Scott's ankle has been playing up) we want to run the race again (next year, not another lap right now).

Once we find our taxi driver we set off back to the hotel. We pull up at 10.15am and one thing springs to mind. Second breakfast! We remember that the buffet closes at 10.30am so move as fast as our legs will carry us to the restaurant and indulge a bit. 

Back in our room we shower and change and rest for a while. It's 2pm when we head out again, this time for lunch at one of the hotel's restaurants. As we go out we see the full marathon runners just arriving back.

That night is the Race Gala Dinner which is hosted by the hotel in a set of bedouin tents at the far end of the island (did we not mention the hotel was on its own island?). The food has all been freshly prepared and cooked on open fires and stoves there and is delicious. We eat our full and enjoy an evening with some new friends that we have made over the weekend.