Couldn’t sleep last night. Vicki, my uk roommate, says the same. Somewhere between anticipation of getting the race started already and relishing a soft bed and pillow, and knowing that there was a hot shower paces away probably was keeping me naturally caffeinated with thoughts and conversations in my head for several hours. The buzz and anticipation from everyone quite obvious in the breakfast room this morning as we arrived 10 minutes prior to breakfast officially opening. I think there were many participants up even earlier and rewarded by the pile of coffee cups and trash with at least a cup of tea or coffee!  Vicki and I played the flag game this morning trying to identify all of the patches in the room. Gold star to Vicki for nailing Malaysia!

Yesterday was an enjoyable time at a Q and A with a participant by the name of Ash who is starting his 10th time at Atacama.  A very full hour of advice, questions and a lot of humor. Interesting to see so many types of runners approaching this week from differing perspectives — from the achievement of fast speeds to those (like me) focused on enjoying the “ride” and making sure to see the finish line. Stories of staying in the middle of the road while going thru a mine field (true!) to 5k of trudging through water certainly got everyone pumped up for an unusual if not challenging journey ahead. The intensity of the rock flats and the tricky terrain of unevenness, sharp edges (and so on) is probably the most daunting for me right now but stay tuned….(dum dum dum goes the music). Everyday looks to bring its own stories!  Time to sign off from civilization with backpack check ins underway and a 2 hour bus ride ahead of us. #29 signing off…see you from the cyber tent (and hey family – if it’s a really loooong day I may very well miss my shot at the cyber tent in the evening so don’t worry if I miss a daily post!  The race organizers are beyond fantastic and are already looking after us so well. With 109 participants this round if feels so much cozier than the 300+ at Patagonia. Lots of updates promised on the Racing the Planet website daily including finishes for each stage and photos).