Former Badger rower completes amazing trek across the Sahara
November 07, 2008 | Women's Rowing
Susan Jones, a May 2008 Wisconsin graduate and former Badger rower, spent her past week battling the elements and her own mind and body in a grueling 250-kilometer (about 155 miles), six-stage race across the Sahara Desert.
As one of the races in the 4 Deserts racing series , the Sahara Race began on Oct. 26. It is one of a series that includes the Gobi March in China, the Atacama Crossing in Chile and the Last Desert in Antarctica. They are billed as the driest, hottest, windiest and coldest places on Earth.
Jones, along with her sister Barbara and friend Amber Langley, who made up the team 'Memento Vivere,' completed the seven-day race this past Sunday in memory of Langley's sister Emily, who passed away at 23 to Friedrick's Ataxia. Emily's heartbreaking story is attached in a PDF below. The team, competing to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association's research efforts, the umbrella organization researching Friedrick's Ataxia, finished the race in 61 hours, 52 minutes and one second.
The race was split into six stages. The three women completed all of these stages together to finish in a collective 125th place of the 143 competitors who cross the finish line. The team finished the first 35-kilometer stage in six hours, 48 minutes and 36 seconds. This stage, dubbed the 'Hamada Trail,' consisted of huge white rock formations that required careful navigation and proved to be a challenging start to the race
The second stage, a 41.8-kilometer stretch through the White Desert, took team Memento Vivere eight hours, one minute and 44 seconds to complete. While racing through the sandy and stony terrain, Jones and her teammates experienced some of the most beautiful rock formations, many resembling animals, in the White Desert.
The team then moved on to the 'Sandy Field,' a 37-kilometer stage through the Sahara Desert. The women crossed the soft sand to arrive at the 'paradise camp' at the finish in nine hours, three minutes and 20 seconds.
The fourth stage, which was 37 kilometers and is named the 'Spring to Nowhere, ' boasted a beautiful mini oasis for a change of scenery. The oasis, complete with lush trees and spring water, traveled through the Qarawin dunes to an endless flat plateau with a lunar-like landscape. Memento Vivere trekked through stage four in nine hours, 10 minutes and 29 seconds.
Finally, the women reached the fifth, and longest, phase, which took a whopping 28 hours, nine minutes and 56 seconds for the group to complete. Stage five, the 'Black Desert March,' spanned a lengthy 92.6 kilometers, about 57.5 miles, across the plateau to its drop off, where competitors encountered an authentic village at the start of the Black Desert.
Jones and her teammates rounded out the race in the sixth stage in 37 minutes and 56 seconds. The last stage, 'Footsteps to Giza Pyramids,' is a 10-kilometer final stretch through the ancient city of Giza to the finish line at the bases of the Giza Pyramids, one of the wonders of the world.
Check out Susan and her teammates' unbelievable experiences, like battling subungal hematomas, strained IT bands and Achilles tendons, and ripped-off toenails while racing through the Sahara, and singing despite it all, at pid=MjIz&blog=9"> --> Memento Vivere's blog .
Catch a sportid=119&storyid=15630%20%29.%20%20%20UP%20NEXT%20Wisconsin%20%281-6-1,%201-4-1%20WCHA%29%20plays%20at%20the%20Kohl%20Center%20for%20the%20second%20time%20this%20season%20when%20Michigan%20Tech%20%282-4-0,%201-3-0%20WCHA%29%20visits%20for%20games%20on%20Friday%20and%20Saturday.%20Friday%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99s%20game%20will%20not%20be%20televised,%20but%20for%20those%20not%20in%20attendance,%20you%20can%20catch%20a%20free%20video%20stream%20on%20UWBadgers.com.%20Saturday%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99s%20contest%20can%20be%20seen%20live%20on%20WISC-TV%20in%20Madison%20and%20throughout%20the%20state%20on%20tape-delay%20at%2010:30%20p.m.,%20on%20Wisconsin%20Public%20Television.%20%20%20Both%20games%20can%20be%20heard%20live%20on%20the%20radio%20on%20WIBA-AM%201310%20in%20Madison,%20on%20the%20Badger%20Radio%20Network%20%28%20http://uwbadgers.com/sport_news/mhky/headlines/story.html'sportid=119&storyid=15226%20%29%20%28check%20your%20local%20listings%29%20and%20on%20the%20internet%20at%20Yahoo.com%20%28%20http://sports.yahoo.com/top/collegebroadcast/teams/wbg'sport=mch%20%29%20for%20a%20fee.%20%20%20P.B.%20BLOGS%20Wisconsin%20television%20play-by-play%20announcer%20Paul%20Braun%20is%20back%20again%20for%20this%20week%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99s%20installment%20of%20his%20blog%20at%20UWBadgers.com%20%28%20http://uwbadgers.com/blogs/default.aspx'postid=1614%20%29.%20This%20week,%20P.B.%20shares%20an%20old%20story%20about%20when%20Michigan%20Tech%20came%20to%20Madison%20for%20a%20playoff%20series%20at%20Hartmeyer%20Arena.%20%20%20HEAT-ING%20UP%20Former%20Badger%20forward%20Dany%20Heatley%20is%20heating%20up,%20with%20goals%20in%20each%20of%20his%20last%20five%20games%20%28%20http://senators.nhl.com/team/app'gameNumber=185&gameType=2&page=Recap&season=20082009&service=page%20%29.%20His%20goal-scoring%20bonanza%20has%20the%20Ottawa%20Senators%20on%20a%20five-game%20unbeaten%20streak.%20%20%20ARTICLES%20AND%20STUFF%20Wisconsin%20State%20Journal%20%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%93%20The%20power%20of%20philosophy%20%28%20http://www.badgerbeat.com/news/article/id/313291%20%29%20The%20Capital%20Times%20%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%93%20Wisconsinites%20dot%20college%20hockey%20landscape%20in%20growing%20numbers%20%28%20http://www.badgerbeat.com/news/article/id/313310%20%29%20Wisconsin%20State%20Journal%20%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%93%20Connelly%20saves%20%28%20http://www.badgerbeat.com/news/article/id/313226%20%29%20The%20Capital%20Times%20%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%93%20UW%20not%20red-faced%20over%20blue-line%20turnovers%20%28%20http://www.badgerbeat.com/news/article/id/313167%20%29%20The%20Capital%20Times%20%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%93%20Debuts%20coming%20for%20Bardis,%20Hickey%20%28%20http://www.badgerbeat.com/blog/blog/id/313242%20%29%20The%20Capital%20Times%20%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%93%20Good%20times%20for%20Ford%20%28%20http://www.badgerbeat.com/blog/blog/id/313208%20%29%20USCHO.com%20%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%93%20This%20week%20in%20the%20WCHA%20%28%20http://www.uscho.com/news/college-hockey/id,16013/ThisWeekintheWCHANov62008.html%20%29%20Insidecollegehockey.com%20%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%93%20WCHA%20Notebook%20%28%20http://insidecollegehockey.com/inch/category/wcha/%20%29%20Daily%20Mining%20Gazette%20%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%93%20Huskies%20begin%20tough%20stretch%20%28%20http://www.mininggazette.com/page/content.detail/id/502523.html'nav=5009%20%29%20%20%20%20%20%28%20https://lists.wisc.edu/%20%29%20%20YOUR%20INPUT%20Is%20there%20something%20you%20want%20to%20see%20on%20UWBadgers.com'%20Do%20you%20have%20a%20pressing%20question%20regarding%20the%20men%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99s%20hockey%20program%20that%20needs%20to%20be%20answered'%20Have%20your%20voice%20heard%20simply%20by%20replying%20to%20this%20email%20or%20sending%20one%20to%20badgermenshockeyinsider@athletics.wisc.edu.%20A%20member%20of%20the%20UW%20Athletic%20Communications%20staff%20will%20get%20back%20to%20you%20and%20who%20knows,%20maybe%20your%20idea%20or%20question%20will%20make%20it%20to%20the%20official%20Web%20site%20of%20the%20Wisconsin%20Badgers.%20UWBadgers.com%20%28%20https://lists.wisc.edu/t/6413839/12050308/139085/0/'u=aHR0cDovL3d3dy51d2JhZGdlcnMuY29tLw%3d%3d&x=c828ea27%20%29-%20Your%2024/7%20Source%20for%20Badger%20Athletics%20%20%28mobile%20site%20UWBadgers.com/mobile%20%28%20https://lists.wisc.edu/t/6413839/12050308/162106/0/'u=aHR0cDovL3d3dy51d2JhZGdlcnMuY29tL21vYmlsZS8%3d&x=ae4f9afa%20%29%29%20%20---You%20are%20currently%20subscribed%20to%20%%list.name%%%20as:%20%%emailaddr%%%20%28%20mailto:%25%25emailaddr%25%25%20%29.%20To%20unsubscribe,%20please%20send%20an%20email%20to%20mbbinsider@athletics.wisc.edu%20requesting%20to%20be%20removed%20from%20the%20list.%20%20%20%28%20http://www.replayphotos.com/wisconsinphotostore/hockey-m-pictures/_MHK___0001024.cfm%20%29%20%20%28%20https://lists.wisc.edu/t/6404635/12980258/139085/0/'u=aHR0cDovL3d3dy51d2JhZGdlcnMuY29tLw%3d%3d&x=da8a5284%20%29"> --> video of team Memento Vivere walking and talking during the race courtesy the Sahara Desert staff. Jones and her teammates are featured about 2:20 into the clip.
Photos of competitors during and after the race can be found at the 4 Deserts web site.
Before Susan left for Africa, she talked with UWBadgers.com. To view the video, mid=2441"> --> click here .
Read the original story run on sportid=137&storyid=14863"> --> UWBadgers.com here .
