Review of Running the Sahara
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Joy Swanepoel
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Review of Running the Sahara
[Following is a volunteer review of "Running the Sahara" by Marcel Nickler.]
Running the Sahara is an incredible adventure of running the Marathon des Sables, written by Marcel Nickler. It is his story of how he was inspired by Tobias Shearing who ran the Lausanne Marathon with him and recounted his own experience of running the Marathon des Sables. Such a long marathon in such severe conditions as in the Moroccon Sahara Desert, is both a mental and physical challenge, which needs the most meticulous planning. Marcel tells how he researched the best way to train for such a marathon, and set up a systematic plan to prepare himself. He describes how he got through the "Herr Hammerman", or "hitting the wall" experience, which every serious long distance runner goes through. He describes various marathons he has run in and the way his family stood by him. As he got older he wanted to do one more meaningful Marathon and his wife, who knew how interested he had been in the Marathon des Sables, which is a grueling 7 day run through the Sahara Desert, suggested that he run it. At age 57 he enrolled and he describes the experience very vividly in this book, Running the Sahara. He takes us through the desert with him and let's us see it through his eyes. He tells of the difficulty of the sandy dunes and the hard, flat, dry riverbeds and rocky places he had to run through, and the relief of getting to the night's bivouac where they could rest.
The auther gives beautiful descriptions of where he has travelled, and the marathons he ran before he could run in the desert. He has travelled world wide and run in numerous marathons and ultramarathons and he describes the scenery, as well as the hard work it takes, so well that you could almost be there with him. Although his experience of running in the Marathon des Sables is in chronological order, he inserts chapters of previous races he has run or other thoughts and experiences he has had. As he writes of his running he lets you into his mind and tells what he was thinking at the time. I found this very interesting because he had worked out a way to think of the desert and it's beauty, or some other place or experience from his past and how it had affected him, to lift himself above the harshness and pain he was experiencing. He points out that without meticulous, detailed planning he would never have gotten through this ultramarathon. In all his running career his wife and daughters supported him. They gave him the encouragement he needed and were always backing him up even though they were not able to travel to the marathons with him.
At the end of the book he gives a list of each item he took with him in his backpack. Each item of food was marked with what it was and when it was for. He kept a note of the exact weight of each item and made sure he never took a gram more than he needed. He also includes photos of various stages of the race, showing the starting point, the checkpoint along the way, the runners in the desert and more. Marcel has a lot of advice for aspiring runners as well as those with other goals in life. Basically any achievable goal needs to be well thought through and planned for it to be successful.
I found no negative aspects in this book. I would rate it a 4 out of 4 stars . This book has been well edited.
I would recommend this book to aspiring runners as well as those who are already runners, as it has some very good information and advice. It would also be helpful to those who have apparently unreachable goals in their lives. And of course the armchair marathon runner who likes the highs of running without the effort.
******
Running the Sahara
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Running the Sahara is an incredible adventure of running the Marathon des Sables, written by Marcel Nickler. It is his story of how he was inspired by Tobias Shearing who ran the Lausanne Marathon with him and recounted his own experience of running the Marathon des Sables. Such a long marathon in such severe conditions as in the Moroccon Sahara Desert, is both a mental and physical challenge, which needs the most meticulous planning. Marcel tells how he researched the best way to train for such a marathon, and set up a systematic plan to prepare himself. He describes how he got through the "Herr Hammerman", or "hitting the wall" experience, which every serious long distance runner goes through. He describes various marathons he has run in and the way his family stood by him. As he got older he wanted to do one more meaningful Marathon and his wife, who knew how interested he had been in the Marathon des Sables, which is a grueling 7 day run through the Sahara Desert, suggested that he run it. At age 57 he enrolled and he describes the experience very vividly in this book, Running the Sahara. He takes us through the desert with him and let's us see it through his eyes. He tells of the difficulty of the sandy dunes and the hard, flat, dry riverbeds and rocky places he had to run through, and the relief of getting to the night's bivouac where they could rest.
The auther gives beautiful descriptions of where he has travelled, and the marathons he ran before he could run in the desert. He has travelled world wide and run in numerous marathons and ultramarathons and he describes the scenery, as well as the hard work it takes, so well that you could almost be there with him. Although his experience of running in the Marathon des Sables is in chronological order, he inserts chapters of previous races he has run or other thoughts and experiences he has had. As he writes of his running he lets you into his mind and tells what he was thinking at the time. I found this very interesting because he had worked out a way to think of the desert and it's beauty, or some other place or experience from his past and how it had affected him, to lift himself above the harshness and pain he was experiencing. He points out that without meticulous, detailed planning he would never have gotten through this ultramarathon. In all his running career his wife and daughters supported him. They gave him the encouragement he needed and were always backing him up even though they were not able to travel to the marathons with him.
At the end of the book he gives a list of each item he took with him in his backpack. Each item of food was marked with what it was and when it was for. He kept a note of the exact weight of each item and made sure he never took a gram more than he needed. He also includes photos of various stages of the race, showing the starting point, the checkpoint along the way, the runners in the desert and more. Marcel has a lot of advice for aspiring runners as well as those with other goals in life. Basically any achievable goal needs to be well thought through and planned for it to be successful.
I found no negative aspects in this book. I would rate it a 4 out of 4 stars . This book has been well edited.
I would recommend this book to aspiring runners as well as those who are already runners, as it has some very good information and advice. It would also be helpful to those who have apparently unreachable goals in their lives. And of course the armchair marathon runner who likes the highs of running without the effort.
******
Running the Sahara
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: One Jesus, One Way by The Proving Jesus Group
