Hola!

I made it. After six months of training, endless kilometres and more gear checklists than I care to admit, I’m finally here in Atacama, Chile. In just three days, I’ll be standing at the start line of a 250km multi-stage, self-supported ultramarathon—my first ever ultra and something I simultaneously can’t wait for and can’t believe I signed up for.

Stepping off the plane, the heat hit me first—dry, relentless, like the desert itself was testing me before I even laced up my shoes. The landscape is surreal, otherworldly. Apparently NASA test their Mars rovers here... Jagged rock formations stretch into the horizon, the ground cracked and sun-bleached, and the air so dry I feel like I’m turning into dust just breathing it in. This is where I’ll be pushing my body and mind to their absolute limits.

I’d love to say I feel completely ready, but the truth? I have no idea. Six months of training, countless long runs, back-to-back days of exhaustion, testing gear, testing food, testing my patience—was it enough? Did I train hard enough? Did I pack the right things? Did I remember to pack everything? My brain is running its own ultramarathon of doubts and questions.

But then there’s the other side of me—the part that knows I’ve put in the work. The part that reminds me I’ve run in the rain, the cold, the heat. That I’ve woken up before sunrise, legs sore from the day before, and still gone out for another run. That I’ve carried my pack for hours, getting used to the weight I’ll be hauling through this unforgiving landscape. The part of me that says, You’re here. You did the work. Now, just go do what you came here to do.

For now, it’s time to settle in, do one last gear check (or three), and soak in this moment. The calm before the storm. The excitement before the first step. In three days, the adventure begins.

This isn't a race against my fellow competitors or a PB for me at least, it's a place to mingle with amazing people, make new friends suffering in togetherness as well as a test of my resilience and mental fortitude. My aim is just to finish without significant injury before cut-off and with a smile on my dial.

Let’s do this!