selfpossessed

I tried to do the MdS a few years ago but the wait list was too long so I ran a similar race (the 4Desert's Sahara ultra, which is the same format -- 250km, carry all your stuff, multi-stage, etc.) back in 2009 and documented the experience (I was raising money for a charity) on thesahararun.com. The biggest things I learned: 1) take some caffeine, 2) don't listen to audiobooks, 3) watch the weight of your pack, 4) test your food before you go -- I couldn't stomach about half of the calories I'd brought (really wish I had more ramen and peanut butter), 5) test running in your desert shoes, which should be 2 sizes larger than your normal shoes, and 6) listen to your body -- the year after I went a guy died.

Good luck to you! I'll never forget the experience and the people!

I thought it was a great plan too! It just made it hard to zone out and get pumped up. On the 55-mile stage day, I had some caffeine and listened to some jams and it was one of the easiest days!