Dream...Struggle...Victory...cont.

I can’t tell you how many times I repeated that experience, in the long “Namibian miles” to CP4, but the pain increased each time as the soft soled Asics failed to absorb the impact, how I cursed my failure to bring the Montrail Hard Rock shoes that had served me so well in the past. Each time I felt the skin tear under the blister, and the hot seepage as the fluid filled the new section of damaged skin. It did however wake me up pretty sharpish, all of a sudden I was paying sharp attention to where I placed my feet.
I rested my hands on my knees once more, and bent over to absorb the burning pain emanating from my bladder and now the searing sting of pain from the damaged tissue in my feet, as a sweep of headlights came from behind. I stood as a 4x4 crested the rise behind me and dropped down towards me, Kobus was pushing up the line to CP4, placing additional luminous Glowsticks along the route. They were using posts that they had used for a previous off road Cycle race, and I half imagined how good it would be to jump on a bike like the ones depicted on the signs. The Glowsticks worked though, as tiredness kicks in it is easy to stray off course, and they were few and far between but always a welcome sight. I drank deep from my water bottle and stood with my head down to protect my night vision from the headlights.
“Are you ok Andy?” he asked, as he drew level with me and stopped, stoked his pipe and fired it up.
“Yeah I’m fine Kobus, foot sore and tired but I’m pushing on, thanks for asking.”
“You Brits, man, you are tough,” he smiled, and I accepted the compliment with a smile back, the respect was mutual. He knew I was digging deep, and I knew he was lifting me with encouragement. I waived and he selected a gear and rumbled off, offering me a good long look at the terrain that lay ahead with the full beam of the headlights. Faan passed me too not long after, and then again, as he shuttled another load back along the route toward CP4, typical I thought you don’t see anyone for hours, and then you see them all at once. They were always a welcome sight though, I had to admit.

In the onshore breeze I caught the smell of the ocean and the distant rumble of breakers crashing on to the famous Skeleton Coast shoreline, was clearly audible in the night time silence and I wondered if that meant that all the little "guy geckos" had smiles on their faces!
"No barking tonight then boys" I said to myself out load, and laughed! It’s funny how the slightest thought can amuse you when you’re knackered.
I’m getting close now I thought, and what seemed like an eternity passed before I realized that the headlights ahead had stopped and the brake lights were off.
"He’s stopped" I said out loud, and faintly I could see other shapes moving in the periphery of the light. CP4 was close, and after a while longer, as I covered the last few hundred yards there were claps and welcomes from the assembled crew.

Amy was first on hand to check I was ok, Steve was close behind. Chris had been pulled from the race with heat exhaustion earlier in the day, and Amy had transferred him to CP4 where he was now resting in a tent with an IV drip to aid his recovery, this was the staging point for the last push onto CP5 and the finish. I have to say I enjoyed everyone’s company, and just as Steve and Faan were setting of for CP5, I decided that I was stiffening up and had better move out too.
continued below...