At a gruelling 250km, spread over 5 days, The Desert Ultra, held in Namibia, really pushes ultra runners to the limits of their mental and physical capacity. Two VOOM ambassadors, Lauren Gregory and Jon Shield, took on the event this year and we learn more about what it takes, how the event runs and how to fuel and hydrate to run in the desert.
Photo: @trailbearfilms
Why Enter The Desert Ultra?
LG: I did the Marathon Des Sables in 2021 and although it was an incredibly tough week, I fell in love with the Sahara Desert. I surprised myself with the newly found gratitude I formed for the simplicity of desert living, it felt primal and instinctive. I was keen to experience that again but in a different desert. I had heard about how fantastic Beyond the Ultimate are, so I signed up to their Desert Ultra in the Namib Desert, Namibia.
Photo: @trailbearfilms
JS: The Desert Ultra was the last race to win in Beyond the Ultimate's Global Race Series to become the first person to ever win them all, so that was a big draw for me. It was also because I like to race in the most extreme environments! I led from the start to finish winning each stage. I knew I could win barring any issues, so I deliberately managed my pace, took plenty of time in each checkpoint to cool my core temp, employ cooling strategies, fuel, hydrate, and manage anything I needed to. If you get one thing wrong these types of races can bury you in a second so you have to stay focused 100% of the time until the very end.
How did you fuel for the event?
LG: Every stage of the race was based on the same template of one front bottle always had Sparta fuel in it (I’m a big fan of the savoury flavouring) and the other bottle was plain water. I snacked on a combination of the Pocket Rocket bars, alternating between caffeine and non caffeine. At the end of each day and also halfway through the long stage (93km) I enjoyed a Rapid Recovery Shake. I also used nuts and biltong to snack on as I like to have savoury options.
JS: Maintaining energy in these self-sufficient multi stage races is difficult because you can only carry so much in your pack before it becomes too heavy which takes away your speed, on the other hand if you don’t carry enough fuel you just can’t perform. From my experience, you’ll never carry as much as you’d optimally like for performance or as literature suggests, however it is what it is and you have to adapt.
I would start with a Fusion Fuel and split it down into several bottles so I had a steady supply of energy, so roughly 30g carbs and 120 cals per bottle. This would last me an hour typically. I’d carry 2 Fusion Fuel for each day and then typically a couple of electro bars. On the longer stages I’d carry some Real Meal bars which are 600 cals to stave off hunger. Post race I’d use VOOM Recovery to make sure I was ready to go again the next day.
How to Maintain Hydration Whilst Running in the Desert
LG: Electrolytes are key to helping your body to retain the fluid you put into it, otherwise it just gets peed out and not fully absorbed into the body to hydrate at a cellular level. I was drinking over 12 litres per day with electrolytes.
Photo: @trailbearfilms
JS: Managing hydration is crucial. I had trained for the heat with sauna sessions and then sessions in a heat chamber so knew roughly what my body required. I would constantly sip fluids during the race opting to carry a 500ml bottle in my hand to trigger this thought process. At checkpoints I would take plenty of time to rehydrate, often drinking a couple of bottles before leaving.
I would hydrate well as soon as I finished each stage taking onboard electrolytes and continuing to drink until bed, then having a 1l bottle in the tent through the night and on waking. I knew I was starting each stage well hydrated and that this would give me some buffer against the intense heat up to 53 degrees Celsius!
How is The Desert Ultra different from Marathon Des Sables?
LG: They are two very different races and two very different deserts, both with their challenges and neither are at any point forgiving. In terms of the format, both races are fully self supported; your water and tent are provided but nothing else. However, the structure is different between the two races; Beyond the Ultimate Desert Ultra is further over less time at 250 km in 5 days compared with the 235 km over 6 days of MDS.
Desert Ultra does not have a rest day and the longest stage, 93km, is on the final day whereas the MDS long stage is on day four and is followed by a rest day before completing the final marathon-distance stage.
DU is a much smaller field of competitors at 35 versus MDS which can be up to 1000 (672 the year I did it), so it’s a very different vibe. I enjoyed both races and would recommend them, although I have to say that I would encourage more people to do the Desert Ultra.
Photo: @trailbearfilms
Why is Running in the Desert so Difficult?
LG: There is hardly any shade, you’ll be lucky to find a spiky bush to hide under every few kms, so not getting any relief from the searing heat was oppressive. During DU Stage 3 it was 53 degrees Celsius, which is an indescribable heat, so much so that I felt panicked and claustrophobic at times.
I also really missed my children, more so than when I did MDS. We’ve had a tough year so it felt really hard to leave them plus it was my son’s birthday on stage 1 and I couldn’t reach him due to no signal. I had pre recorded a video message which I sent to him prior to being in the desert and also recorded one while I was out there but the ‘mum guilt’ was real on this particular trip!
Photo: @trailbearfilms
JS: The toughest aspect for me was returning to race after a terrible experience at the event in 2023. Last year I turned up feeling unwell from something eaten the night before travelling to our first camp. I raced the first stage feeling very sub par having d & v and got up for stage 2 with almost no ability to run I very quickly collapsed, unable to stand due to the issue and spent a good couple of days in and out of consciousness in a tent, ultimately declining to the point of having to be medically evacuated.
During stage 2 I was reliving all of the parts of it from the previous year, each checkpoint, walking with the Race Director and Medical Team, trying different anti sickness medication and then where I was picked up off the floor! It was great to run beyond that point feeling great.
What was the atmosphere like in the overnight camps?
LG: This is so hard to put into just a few words. The bond that was formed among the group was very special and we became close almost within 48 hours. When you go through something like this, there’s no hiding from your demons and vulnerabilities, it’s pretty raw. There’s a true sense of camaraderie both within camp and on the trails which made it all the harder when someone’s race didn’t go to plan. We really did become a very close family and I have no doubt that some of those friendships will last a lifetime.
Photo: @trailbearfilms
JS: Overnight camps were stunning, great views, different scenery (it’s not your typical desert) and always a good laugh with the competitors and crew. Essentially it’s very basic because there is no trace before or after we arrive. You’re totally remote from any form of civilisation. The local team in Namibia have an old converted military vehicle which was used to transport all that was required during the event, tents, toilets, stoves, shaded area from when runners finish. Hot water was supplied so we could eat our freeze dried food or make a hot drink. Toilets were essentially holes in the ground with a pipe and a toilet seat stuck on it and enclosed by tarp material. We had medics available for anything we couldn’t deal with ourselves in an evening.
What do you eat for evening meals and breakfast during a multi-day desert race?
LG: I used Expedition Foods freeze dried meals which I’ve tried and tested many times before and knew that they worked for me. They taste pretty good and have a high calorie count which is exactly what you need on these type of events. Coffee is my non-negotiable and not much happened in terms of kit prep for the day until I’d had a coffee each morning.
JS: Morning and evening meals for me were freeze dried food packs you could make simply by adding hot water to them and leaving them to soak. Each pack I carried was 800 kcals for each meal apart from opting to carry 2 x 1000 kcal meals for the night before and the breakfast before the long stage.
What to look out for on the Desert Ultra?
LG: One day I disturbed a desert hare as it ran out of a bush… it was massive! I certainly didn’t expect to see a hare in the Namib Desert! There are plenty of critters around; scorpions, spiders etc... which you do see but you’ve just got to be careful about not leaving your things outside of your tent and make sure it’s zipped up properly at night time!
JS: I saw springboks, ostriches, spiders, scorpions as well as tracks of elephants, rhino and giraffe! I didn’t see the desert adapted lions - due to severe drought animals are moving towards the Skeleton Coast (the lions are going and hunting the seals on the beaches)!
Photo: @trailbearfilms
Top 5 Kit Bag Essentials for Desert Ultra
Lauren
- Wemmi Wipes / Pits & Bits for a wipe down and freshen up!
- Zip lock bag to do your washing with (I took two pairs of pants)
- Multivitamins to boost the immune system which can be compromised under tough race conditions.
- Ear plugs - luckily my tent mate Kim wasn't a snorer but there were definitely a couple in camp!
- Dry bag to keep any spare clothes in which also doubles as a pillow to save some weight!
Jon
These are all mandatory items so technically are ALL essential!
- Good footwear
- Socks, plus a change of socks!
- Nutrition
- Clothes that cover as much of the skin as possible whilst keeping you cool.
- Sunscreen
