A huge congratulations to Josie Adams, who is an ambassador for the charity Paramonte that we work very closely with, and had a spectacular performance in the inaugural MARATHON DES SABLES (MDS) PERU ultra between the 26th November and 6th December 2017. Josie was first female Brit home, finishing 6th from the females (overall position 49th from 222 finishers).
The MDS replicates the original race: approximately 250 km divided into 6 stages, completed at free pace in self-sufficiency conditions in a desert environment and with the support of an organising team. The event took place in the South American Ica desert, 300 km south of Lima, which is one of the world’s driest regions, with huge dunes and sandy plateaux between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes cordillera.
Prior to Josie leaving, she was exercising in our environmental chamber in the conditions to be expected in the race and discussing with members of the Environmental Extremes Lab about some last minute thoughts for preparation. Josie was filmed in the lead up to the race (including while at the University of Brighton) and during the race and so we are looking forward to seeing the video footage when it is complete.
Josie is already planning her next ultra – The Coastal Challenge in Costa Rica – in February 2018. We will again be supporting her as she prepares for the race, but our students will also benefit from a Q&A session with her in the Spring of next year.
Well done Josie!