Listening to Crash Davis

Today we head into the desert. After arriving on Thursday afternoon I've spent most of my time here at the Dusit Thani Lakeview Hotel. A five-star hotel on paper, but a 0-star hotel in practice. Never before have I wanted to get into the desert so fast. The property itself is stunningly beautiful however nothing works, and if I had to guess I'd think that this place was put up as fast and as shabbily as the rest of New Cairo is at the moment.

New Cairo is a section of the city outside of the city. A fresh start as it were for a city originating back to the first Millennium AD. Looking around at the piles of rubble, the unfinished buildings, concrete shells, and expanses of dust and sand it appears that perhaps the developers here have re-adjusted their plan and are actually re-creating the first Millennium AD.

It's not been all bad though. Reconnecting with race friends and the organizers and volunteers is always the best part of these events. When I arrived on Thursday, Samantha Gash jumped out of the pool to hug me, soaking me in the process but it's great to see her here in such great spirits. In the last month she has lost two grandparents and a good friend that she calls aunt. All the while she's studying like crazy for her law exams. Phil Tye from Hong Kong is in great spirits and looking really strong at the moment. A year ago he overcame skin cancer and is now competing for the Grand Slam. A top guy with a big laugh. Dave O'Brien is such a goofy fun loving Irishman that you can't help but want to hang out with the guy. He preaches about healthy living and the power of good nutrition, and at 56 years old it's hard to argue with the guy as he gets ready to take on his fifth desert, and his third time in the Sahara. Oh, and he's also completed over 45 marathons and more than 500 races around the world.

There's no clear favorite in this year's race but I did have a chance to catch up with Danish runner Anders Jensen who is always strong and put together a fantastic 6th place finish in Gobi. Jacob Hastrup, also from Denmark, is an experienced tatooed bulldog who is already a part of the 4Deserts Club and has destroyed races like the Jungle Ultramarathon in Brazil and the Yukon Arctic Challenge. He finished 9th in the Sahara in 2006 and is not only a great competitor but a good laugh as well.

It's great being back in Egypt and in another desert but for some reason this one feels more like work than the others. I don't know if that's because I've done the Sahara before or because I don't feel great about the shape I'm in following my calf tear. Regardless, I'm trying to change my mindset and get into race mode. As Crash Davis in Bull Durham would say "This is fun goddamnit..."