Post Race email I sent out

Well I made it!! What an unbelievably difficult experience. I now understand better why TIME Magazine has awarded this race the number 2 spot as the worlds hardest endurance race. I was very lucky to finish as I hurt my rt. rotator cuff on the flight down getting my luggage out of the overhead. In the first leg of the race my shoulder went completely out from the constant jarring of my pack on it. Then on the second day my lt. shoulder started to spasm from having to carry all the weight on it. Other than these two injuries I felt and feel great. Overall here is my injury list:

Raging Sinus Infection
Migraines caused from Heat Exhaustion
Heat Exhaustion
Rt. Shoulder hurt from plane ride
Lt Shoulder spasming from having to pick up the slack from the right
Both shoulders bruised from the pack straps
Torn Rt. hip flexor (where you quads connect to your hip) Happened going down a 6 story sand dune and caught my foot on a under sand rock and it was pulled underneath me.
Rt. Ankle sprain
3 Toe Nails with holes drilled in them to release pressure(have sense lost 4 total including my rt. big toe)
14 Blisters ranging from dime size to 1/2 dollar size

As you can see this race takes it toll on you. The hard part is there is no ice and a recovery period. Each night I got in, fixed my feet, ate, got cleaned up, studied the next days course, and went to bed on a very hard and rocky tent floor. Each morning you get up double check your feet, eat, load up your gear and start racing again at 8. Even with as difficult as this race was I am already planning my next one. I loved every minute of this race and will defiantly do better next time (I will be shipping all my gear down ahead of time!!).

I posted all my picture online so you can see a little of what I saw:
http://tinyurl.com/cr55g8

Hopefully soon I will have my GPS tracks as well and will forward those along.

I was going to send off individual emails to each of my sponsors but then I thought others might like what I have to say in regards to your product so here is my recap of my gear for the race:

Rudy Project- Your sunglasses rock!! The whole time I was out your sunglasses preformed beautifully. I especially appreciated them when I was out on the salt flats which are bright white with immense glare and reflection. It was over 100 degrees and extremely bright. Your sunglasses saved my vision. Started the race with my Laser Reds then switched to my Blues. Great lens and they fit my face perfectly.

ExOfficio- I wore your underwear every night when I got back to camp and to sleep in. They are soooo comfortable. I am so glad I packed them. I also wore your shirts on the flight down and back and they are the best. And yes I only took 2 pair and washed then in the field. They worked great!

GleeGum- Your gum was a major hit!! I took all the samples you sent and handed them out and everyone loved them and the back story about the product. Unfortunately I ran out of samples by day 3 and was almost mobbed for my personal stash for the rest of the race. As I have mentioned in the past I ALWAYS run chewing your gum and it really helped me with dehydration during this race. Over the seven days I chewed 35 pieces and each was a little piece of the divine!

Zenergize- As you can imagine I drank ALOT of fluids during this race. Every other refill of my water bottles I dropped one of your tablets in. Other racers where getting sick drinking Nuun so I gave away a whole tube to them. Each and everyone loved the taste and lack of sugar. These endurance races wreck havoc on your stomach and your product was easy to consume and never made us sick.

Pure Sport- I added this product the week before my race and am so glad I did. Pure Sport makes a recovery drink with protein. At the end (and during the long run) of each days run I drank 2 packets of Pure Sport and had no problem (other than the trauma to my shoulder) getting out the next morning. I really do believe that by consuming these drinks I was able to supply my body with the food it needed to rebuild what I broke down that day. When I started the race I weighed 168lbs and had 10% body fat (I had fun before the race trying to get my % of body fat up!!). At the end I weighed 163lbs with 4.5% body fat. Some how I added muscle along the way this week and credit Pure Sport with that.

Luminox Watches- I love my watch!!! Every day I took it off my wrist, attached it to the front of my pack and kept my splits with it. At night I took it off my pack, put it on my wrist again and slept with it on. It gets VERY dark in Atacama and my Luminox always provided a great glow so I knew what time it was. These watches are also very tough. I took a nasty spill coming down a sand dune and hit the front of my pack on a rock. Other than a scratch on the crystal my Luminox survived!! Great watch.

Headsweats- As you can imagine I sweated a TON last week. My hat was awesome. I would take it off and fill it with water and put it back on. This defiantly saved me from cooking my brain. I just finished washing my gear from the race and my hat looks brand new. What a great product. Also I slept in a Headsweat beanie each night. It got down to the mid-30′s out there and my little hat kept me warm every night. I had a chance to sell it on night 2 but turned down the offer. No way in hell will I ever part with either of these hats.

Superfeet- Thank you for saving my ankles!!! My shoes I wore are completely destroyed. The salt flats cut the left sole in two and had to be mended with duct tape. inside my shoes was a stable and supportive platform that kept my bio-mechanics in line and allowed me to complete this race with no injuries to me ankles (other than a sprain from falling off a rock face, or to my knees (even today my knees feel great). I credit this to your soles and am really glad I had them.

Solio- I took two items with me that needed power. My iPod and my Garimn GPS watch. Each uses a internal rechargeable battery. Each was critical for keeping me sane on the course (knowing how fast I am moving and listening to Jimmy Buffet was my personal therapy out in the middle of no where). Your solar charger was the first thing out of my pack every day and kept both my toys well charged. I am glad I had it with me.

National Geographic Maps- Thank you for all the pre-race help. I can’t wait to have you guys help me plan out my next race in Utah.

Guyotdesigns- Josh, your fork/spoon set took a beating out there and held up better than me. Thanks.

And finally SPOT- This was not a piece of gear I added for me personally on this trip. I added it in the hopes that others could follow along with me on the race and feel like they where a part of it with me. After the first day of using it I had a chance to read some of the emails sent to me from family and friends. It was so heart warming to know that the SPOT device worked flawlessly and so many people where following my days race online in near real time. As the days progressed I got more and more emails from all over stating that whole families would get together and watch as each new geo-point came onto the online map. I am so glad I took this device and through it was able to share my race with so many people. It is defiantly going to be part of my race kit from here on out. (Also, It made me feel a little more safe knowing if I really screwed up and hurt my self badly that help was only a button push away. There where a couple of times I got close but thankfully I only had to use it for entertainment purposes only). One more thing, Derek at SPOT, my Mom sends a double thank you for letting her know I was ok every day.

Well thats it. This race is now officially over. Thank you all again for the help, gear, and support over the past few months. If there is anything I can do to help you or you company please do not hesitate to ask. I owe you all a great deal and hope that in the future I can be of service to you as you were to me.

Thank You,

Mike Stemple