Stuart Hutson's Sahara Challenge

And so it starts; London to Ouarzazate

It was a dreary Saturday afternoon at London Heathrow when 21 challengers from Hudson UK and Capgemini UK met, brimming with anticipation and enough powered energy drink to turn a camel into the Energiser bunny, we were introduced to three of the expedition team members from Across the Divide Expeditions. Once our luggage had been checked onto the Royal Air Moroc flight we went though into departures to enjoy our last slice of the 'real world' in the only place you can really do so - the generic, homogenous delight that is Costa Coffee!

After a 3 hour flight we arrived at Casablanca airport and faced a three hour wait for our connecting flight to Ouarzazate. As highly trained athletes we felt that there was only one way to pass the time at the airport. Enter Morocco's domestic malty beverage, Special Flag beer (the Prince's Trust Challenger's choice!).

The team arrived early on Sunday morning in Ouarzazate in the Atlas Mountains where we checked in to our hotel and attempted to catch up on some well needed sleep. At 0900 on Sunday morning the team was up and after a briefing we boarded a raft of mini busses for a 2½ hour drive into the mountains…

Day 1. 16km ride into the mountains.

After the bus ride and a quick lunch we were ready to start our first ride. The first start of the ride took us along the tracks in to the mountains, which was an easy way to start the challenge and a good point to the test the bikes and GPS receivers that we had been issued. The last 8 km took us further into the mountains and was our first chance to see something that none on the team was expecting…snow! Apparently, there were areas of the Atlas Mountains which have not seen snow for 7 years but just for us that record was well and truly put to bed! A few steady climbs later, our team of 5, Alex (55), Mike (24), Hazel (38), Linda (36) and I arrived at our first camp. All of the meals on the challenge were prepared by the local Berber ground team and was traditionally Moroccan. By the time dinner was served the entire team was beginning to appreciate a factor that we had not really

thought about - just how cold it was going to be! Therein, we learnt the ancient Moroccan art of making a fire in the mountains - wood, paper and three water bottles of paraffin. Incidentally, if you have ever wondered why many of the Berber people do not have eye-brows I think we have found the answer!

Day 2. AM. 18km assent on bike - PM. 17km decent on bike

After a cold night and a refreshing morning the team was up and ready for the challenge to begin proper. A breakfast of iced range juice, bread, jam and pancakes was enough to wake the team up and get them ready for the day's event.

The teams were set out at 10 minute intervals and as the snow started to fall, we were off!….
The assent into the mountains would have been hard work in normal weather but the snow and wind made it really tough. The morning's 18km was a continual climb up to the mountain pass and the weather continued to be unforgivable. The climb was uncomfortable for everyone and after some amazing views and 2 ½ hours we reached a snowy mountain pass 800m up from the morning's origin. Lunch was a hasty affair as our arrival onto the pass had sparked a blizzard that snowed with such ferocity that visibility had dropped to under 10m. The perfect conditions to hurtle down a mountain. The 17km ride dropped us down on to a plateau 600m from the pass. To say that the ride was exhilarating would be a gross understatement and some of the views although blurred were awe-inspiring.

There were occasions where the best course of action was to just hold on to the bike and hope it stayed rubber side down and these added to the excitement. Needless to say, the afternoon section of the ride was much quicker than the morning! Arriving at the camp, the snow and rain had managed to soak the canvas tents that we would be sleeping in and they were now serving as much use as an umbrella with holes. As luck would have it 250m from our camp was a small settlement which our Berber ground crew negotiated for us. Given that day three would be a running day it was good to be able to sleep in a dry shelter.

Day 3. AM. 16km run 400m assent. PM. 13km trek (reaching 2400m)

Given the uncertain weather, it was decided that the planned 24km run route would be altered so that it looped back the newly christened 'Hyatt Berber' (Berber Bonus card available on request). The morning started with a 16km 'run'. Where we could run we did but a vast amount of rock climbing and clambering across the sides of gorges was involved. Although the summit was snowy, the assent along the gorges provided some stunning views.

After lunch the time trials for the day ended and one of our Berber ground crew proposed an 'easy' trek back to the 'Hyatt'. For the record, 13km treks after a 16km run cannot be termed 'easy'! The highlight of the day was quite literally at 2400m where we could look out across the Atlas Mountains.

Once we had returned to the 'Hyatt' we enjoyed a hearty meal of goat kebabs followed by a star gazing session. On all of the nights, the sky was so clear and the light pollution so low that nearly any and every star could be seen.

Day 4. AM. 20km ride. PM. 19km ride.

The changes on day 3 had meant that the ride on day 4 had to be extended to ensure that we were back on track for the day 5 finish. We knew it would be difficult but none of us had any idea just how tough it would be. The first section of the ride was quite gentle as we started to come out of the mountains however 5km events started to take a turn for the worse. The team was on a high after being placed 2nd out of 5 teams and we were looking to maintain this position for the duration. 100m after passing one of the teams with a broken bike yours truly was happily gloating; at the foot of a significant clime the dreaded chain decided to break. Mike, a veritable maestro of bike maintenance managed to use his gadgets and fix my broken chain.

Once back on track and after lunch the remaining 19km stretches us all to our boundaries, The Sun had finally broken its way through the clouds and the mountains started to grow. Most of the afternoon challenge involved a grueling cycle up the side of "what felt like" the largest mountain in Morocco, the view from the top were mesmerizing.

Once over the pass of the large mountain top, we endured yet another exhilarating bike ride down into camp, both myself and Mike decided to take thing to the limit by racing down the mountain, both of us are still thankful we managed to stayed on the correct side of the cliff edges on the way down.

Once back at camp, the evening was spent recovering and playing Frisbee with local Berber children.

Day 5. AM. 17km run. PM. 9km run.

Faced with a final 26km run across the flats, we decided to scrape every last bit of remaining energy we had left, to complete the challenge in what we thought as proper championship style. There were a number of steep climbs on the trek but the 17km in the morning was met with very little problem. The greatest challenge of the morning was the climb down 80m into a gorge and the steep climb out the other side.

After lunch we knew we were way ahead off 3 out of 4 of the other teams, at this point we knew we could enjoy the remaining 9km, enjoying the fact that we had nearly completed what would probably be one of the hardest challenge events in the world.

By the time we arrived at the camp, we were greeted by the winning team called the Rats, This awesome team included 2 Triathlon runners and the Irish Ironman champion, The best part was when we were welcomed back to the finish line by Sarah, the Prince's Trust representative, who was on hand with Champagne to celebrate the end of a very hard week.

Is this the way to Ouarzazate?

After a final night of camping (and traditional Berber entertainment) we rode in the back of the support vehicles to the mini buses where we boarded and rode back to Ouarzazate. After an afternoon spent showering, appreciating 'long drops' with seats (I'll leave that one there!) and looking around Ouarzazate the challenge team got together for the gala dinner. At about 0230 we decided all decided that we had consumed enough red wine and it was time to get some sleep before going to the airport. At 0300, we all got up and left of the airport.

After a 6 hour wait in Casablanca we were London bound. The adventure was over and we'd survived!

On behalf of myself, the Hudson Challenge team and the Prince's Trust I would like to say an enormous thank you to everyone who has been kind enough to donate. Without you I would not have been able to undertake what was a truly outstanding experience. The work that the Prince's Trust does makes a colossal difference to the lives of young people and I feel honored to have, with your help, done my part. Needless to say, even though I have completed the challenge, if you could think of anyone who might be generous enough to donate to the Prince's Trust's cause, they can do so at www.justgiving.com/stuarthutson. You can also contact Stuart at Stuart.Hutson@hudson.com

My best regards and heartfelt thanks again,

Stuart Hutson