In late-October of 2021, I travelled to Namibia to run the 7-day Namib Desert race, part of the Racing the Planet 4 Desert Series. I ran a similar race back in 2015, the Grand to Grand Ultra, where we ran through the desert for 7 days from the Grand Canyon in Arizona to the Grand Staircase in Utah – while carrying all our food and other supplies for the week on our backs. I learned a lot in that first race which I couldn’t wait to apply to this one. With a group of 30 other runners from around the world, I’d run 250 km through sand dunes, canyons, and moon-like landscapes in the deserts of Namibia. We’d battle extreme heat and high winds. All the while, we’d be carrying up to 18 pounds of supplies. At night, we’d sit around the fire, we’d share stories, we’d learn about other countries and cultures, and would forge new friendships. This is the story of my adventure. Arriving in Namibia After some 30 hours of travelling from Vancouver via Frankfurt, I finally arrived in the Namibian capital of Windhoek. Namibia was in fact a German colony during the 1890’s up until the First World War, and Windhoek was a major German settlement. I started by driving about 15km south of the city to what’s called the Heroe’s Acre. The site is dedicated to the Namibian people’s struggle for independence. There, you can see depicted the various struggles Namibians have faced throughout history, starting with the oppression under German rule, their struggle for liberation in the 1960’s from South African occupation, and their finally achieving independence in 1990. The site was completed fairly recently in 2002 for the annual heroes day; and I thought it would be a fitting place to start my journey in Namibia. I then spent the day exploring Windhoek by foot to take in some other monuments to Namibia’s struggle for independence. My Journey to the Coast The following day, I began my journey west towards the ocean and to the town of Swakopmund near where the race would begin. The roads in Namibia are quite good and renting your own vehicle really is the best way to see the country. There’s not much in the way of public transportation, but driving is considered to be really safe. In fact, they say the most dangerous part is just how fast some people drive because the roads are in such good shape, and you shouldn’t drive at night since animals will often sit on the asphalt for its warmth. A typical backroad in Namibia. Well-graded but a little bumpy in a Sedan. I arrived at my next destination after about a 4 hour drive, in a small mining town called Uis in the southern Damara region. There is a fairly big tin mine nearby that I’m told recently resumed operations after being closed for a few years. Uis is typically used more as a rest stop for travellers than as a destination in itself, but I’d decided to base myself there for a couple of days in order to explore some nearby sites. My fairly luxurious ‘safari’ tent at the Brandberg Rest Camp in Uis. I brought a small tent with me so was originally considering doing some tenting at one is the community camp grounds, but decided instead to rent one of the available ‘luxury tents’ instead for an extra $10 (about $35 per night in total) at Brandberg Rest Camp. Ancient rock art near Brandberg Mountain. I got out early the following morning to explore some ancient rock art at a site called the White Lady at the foot of Branberg Mountain which is Namibia’s highest at 2,573 m, a short drive away. I then spent the afternoon exploring some nearby sand dunes in order to shake out the legs and to test out my gear one last time. Testing out my gear in a nearby sand dune above Uis. The next day I once again hit the road to continue on to the coast. My first stop was the Cape Cross Seal Reserve, home to one of the largest colonies of Cape fur seals in the world. At times, individuals can number over 200,000, and the stench is unbelievable! The Cape Cross Seal Reserve Then it was on to Swakopmund, a popular coastal resort town where the race was being staged. I’d have two days to spend there getting organized before joining the rest of the group in order to travel to camp. Arriving at Camp We hopped on a bus for camp a full two days before the Namib Desert Race was set to begin, giving us a full day for the group to self-isolate as we awaited the results of our latest PCR tests. I began to get acquainted with the other 30 runners, in between the pre-race briefing and mandatory gear checks. Pre-race briefing from Race Director Samantha Fanshawe. We’d learn that the course would have to be modified due to the high winds which can lead to dangerous sand storms. It meant we’d be missing out on the large sand dunes near the coast, starting further inland instead. This is just the nature of events like this, whether in the mountains or the desert. Stage 1 I woke up at 6am the morning of the first stage, giving me time to repack my 18 pounds of gear and supplies, and to have breakfast before the day’s course briefing and race start at 8am. This is a ritual I’d repeat for the next 5 stages of the race. The first stage was mostly flat and fast. I ran fairly conservatively in order to get a feel for the terrain, for the heat, and for my pack, finishing in 4th place. This would unfortunately set me back close to 45 minutes from the podium right from the start, but there was lots of racing left over the coming days. After finishing the first stage of the Namib Desert...
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