runningyana

What is the first thing that comes into your mind when you think of a desert run weather-wise? Well, probably heat, dryness, and lots of sunshine. However, this wasn’t the case for this year’s HMDS Fuerteventura edition…

I arrived at the airport in Fuerteventura with some other participants (everyone with their bright and shiny 20l WAA Ultra backpacks) and we were welcomed not only by the lovely HMDS Team but also by pouring rain and strong wind gusts – not something I was expecting and prepared for (I basically packed my suitcase for a beach vacation). At this time I wasn’t bothered too much and I thought this will be just a little “summer rain thing” (how wrong I was).

After checking in at the Play Itas Apart Hotel and getting to know my three other roommates with whom I was sharing a nice hotel apartment with a kitchenette and two bedrooms, I then prepared myself for the mandatory equipment and medical check. There I was given a “Beacon” (GPS tracking device with an SOS button), my two bibs (one for the front and one for the backpack), some goodies from the brand Respire, and the first 3l of water.

Walking back to the room, it was still raining heavily and rumors about race cancellation, distance changes, and other worst-case scenario’s started to make their way along the 800 participants! We were told to get some final information at the evening race briefing, so we waited…

Sunday Evening: The Race Briefing – Good & Bad News

You could see the nervousness on everyone’s face, waiting for the race briefing to start and not knowing what the news will be…

Bad news: the “little” summer rain was a hurricane called “Hermine” passing the Canary Islands. This storm was the first hurricane to hit the Canary Islands in 20 years and it usually never rains on Fuerteventura, so let’s call it a day!

Good news: the race is not canceled and the storm warnings will be down on Tuesday (the race usually would have started on Monday) However, this means a totally new edition of the HMDS Fuerteventura 2022, because the original course got flooded and became impassable! Also, there won’t be a bivouac due to the wet, muddy and flooded ground. Of course, I felt a bit down as I was so excited about the whole “self-sufficient experience” with the camping, cooking, and no shower for four days. But I was also relieved that the race is not canceled completely. Now, I called it the “luxury” version as we could sleep in our comfy hotel bed and have running water.

As mentioned before, the race would have originally started on a Monday but due to circumstances, it got postponed to Tuesday. This meant we were running all three stages back to back with no rest day in between. With this “additional” day off, my roommates and I took advantage of the in-house sports program (we went to a yoga class and to the gym) at the hotel and used the time to reorganize and repack our equipment (for this new edition we only needed to carry the safety equipment and the food of the day with us).

Stage 1 – 62 km

This is the first ever HMDS edition where the race starts with the longest stage (if chosen the 62 km). After breakfast, we had a one-hour bus transfer to the race start and we basically started to run as soon as we hopped off the bus and crossed the timing mats on the ground.

It was a hot and windy morning after the storm. The first 20 kilometers were along a steep coastline cliff with amazing views. The kilometers flew by and I barely noticed the first checkpoint after 13 km where I quickly refilled my water bottles and continued running. Soon the landscape changed into a more desert-like environment with more sandy underground, dried canyon trails, and more elevation. I started to walk the uphills and run the flats and downhills to save some energy. I felt good and enjoyed the views and little chats with other participants along the route.

The checkpoints were spread every 10 to 13 kilometers which were in my opinion perfectly fine as we carried around 1.5l of water with us. At every checkpoint was a medical team asking if we are alright, and our timing chip got scanned. Some checkpoints had cut-off times but these were very generously timed, so no stress at all.

At kilometer 42 we could choose between the HMDS middle or long distance – I chose the full 62 km as I was good in time and felt strong! But let me tell you these last kilometers were intense…

The last 20 kilometers had most of the elevation of the entire stage. The first ascent felt good, but the other two mountains were more or less a “crawling-up” and I could feel the tiredness in my legs. Due to the heat, I’ve lost lots of salt in my sweat, my calves started to cramp up and I got dizzy – who said it’s going to be easy, huh? At the next checkpoint, I got to one of the medics who gave me some salty cold vegetable broth – literally the BEST thing at that moment (in retrospect a little gross though) but it worked miracles for the cramping and dizziness.

To keep me going for the last 10 k or so I made up a little game in my head – I started counting in my mind and alternated between running and walking to the route markers, which were set up every 50 to 100 meters. Making up some little games, listening to music, or sometimes even talking to myself (haha I hope no one ever hears me 🤣) works when things get tough for me.

After 8 hours and 41 minutes I crossed the finish line of the first HMDS Stage! I called it a day and we were taken back to the camp (aka hotel) via bus transfer.

Stage 2 – 13 km

The day of stage two started pretty smooth – I got in quite a good amount of sleep and my body felt surprisingly fit after the long stage (just a painful sunburn and two black toenails 😅). The race start was planned for 1 p.m in the afternoon so we had half a day off to recover and relax. My roommates and I decided to prepare our freeze-dried food and sit by the sea to have a little bit of a bivouac feeling.

Stage 2 was basically an “uphill quickie” and a home run at the same time: 13 kilometers with 600 m of elevation, with the start and finish in front of the hotel. The first two Kilometers were along the beach on the black sand before starting the technical and steep ascents and descents of the surrounding mountains. I just love those technical and narrow single trails, combined with a bit of climbing, stunning views, and lots of concentration to not fall off the cliff. I was totally in my zone and passed by many other girls on the downhill and last stretch along the beach to the finish line.

After showering, eating, and having a little recover time one of my roommates and I went back to the finish line to cheer the last runners in.

Stage 3 – 23 km

Woke up pretty shattered, with sore muscles, and painful feet because of my black toenails and two blisters which I self-treated the night before (was maybe not the best idea to cut them open with my little Swiss army knife). I know this is not ideal, but I took two painkillers (paracetamol only!) to “survive” the last stage…

After breakfast, we had again a 45-minute bus drive to the start which was located at a very beautiful long and white sanded beach. This area was also nature conservation, so the first thing we were told: do not to pee the in that area 🤣! It was again a “rolling” start and as soon as I had my stuff sorted I started my watch and ran over the timing mats on the ground. The painkillers did their job and I just told myself to keep running, which I did for almost the entire 23 km and 500+ meters of elevation.

This stage was on 100% sand and sand dunes and I absolutely enjoyed it! Yes, it was exhausting but I was passing so many participants on my way which motivated me, even more, to push through (despite the pain in my feet). The course was again along the coast so we had stunning views, lots of sunshine, and a strong ocean brise.

I could hear the finish line before I even saw it! People were shouting “only 400 meters left” and I could hear the cheering, clapping, and music from far away until I reached a little mountaintop. Now I could spot the finish, which was down by the sea at the Hotel “La Pared”. I gave it all I got, passed some more runners, and crossed the last finish line after 2:46:59 very HAPPY and PROUD!

Thank you very much HMDS and WAA who sponsored and equipped me for this amazing adventure. Also a big thank you to Tactical FoodPack who supplied me with enough “energy” in form of their delicious and 100% natural freeze-dried meals and snacks.

This was definitely not the last HMDS and I definitely will come back to run one of the other destinations for sure! If you want to learn more about the concept, dates, and information about this race, then check out their website

I hope you enjoyed this little race recap! All the information in this blog post is summarized to keep it short and sweet 😉. If you have any questions about the HMDS race or want to learn more about it, then do not hesitate to reach out to me on my Instagram (@rinning.yana) or via the contact form.