P20 PASSES SAHARA TEST FOR THE THIRD YEAR RUNNING!
THE 15th MARATHON DES SABLES
9th - 15th April 2000, Southern Moroccan Sahara
Every year for the last 15 years, intrepid athletes from all over the world have tackled this, the ultimate endurance test - running some 220 kilometres in a six day event across the Sahara Desert. The route takes them through arduous sand dunes, across foot-breaking stony terrain and over strength-sapping mountains while exposing them to the scorching sun and asking them to perform in temperatures of around 50ºC. As if this was not enough, runners are expected to carry their own water and food supplies!

Since 1986, many, many hundreds of competitors (aged 16 to 76 years) have taken part in the Marathon des Sables (The Sand Marathon) - and this year saw a record 680 athletes (including 71 women) representing 29 different nations.

Many of the UK runners used P20 Once-a-Day Sunfilter during the event - here are just a few of their comments - read on to learn more about how P20 performed in the Sahara.

Rosie’s Second Saharan Adventure

Keyline Brands Ltd (the UK distributors of P20 Sunfilter) were delighted to sponsor Rosie Swale in the Marathon des Sables 2000. Rosie Swale also ran in the 1997 Marathon des Sables and has competed in marathons all over the world.

This is what Rosie herself said about this year’s Marathon des Sables:

"It was the longest ever Marathon des Sables .. also, it was the hardest race I’ve ever run. A record 110 competitors had to drop out - temperatures soared to 55ºC - there were constant sandstorms and squalls and we negotiated a total of 278 enormous sand dunes. But with all these problems it was good to know that I (and many of the other UK runners) did not have to worry about sunburn because we were using P20. You could tell those people who didn’t use P20 by their red raw legs. I’m so glad I carried and used P20. It certainly looked after me. Never was a medal so hard won - I’m proud to have completed the grueling Marathon des Sables for the second time but P20 earned the medal too! P20 should be compulsory for all desert runners! It literally made all the difference."

Would you like to know more about training for such an event? Please scroll down for Rosie’s informative article on her training regime!

The verdict from the British runners …..

It was very exciting that (for the third year running) so many British athletes offered to try P20 Once-a-Day Sunfilter during the Marathon des Sables 2000 - as this would really put P20 to the test. A sunfilter that needs only be applied once a day, comes in a small lightweight bottle and provides a protection factor of SPF 20 sounds perfect for such an event- but would it stand up to this extraordinary trial?
Judge for yourself. Here are just a few of their comments about P20:

"Protection couldn’t be faulted … very easy to use … a great product for the Marathon des Sables and other sports where it is inconvenient to keep applying lotion."
Douglas McNeil of Fakenham

"P20, in my opinion, is the best on the market … I was very happy with the protection"
Steve North of Wakefield

"Excellent protection - much better than expected. Temperatures reach 130ºF and I was still fully protected and did not get sun burnt … I will use it in an English summer - especially on my face as it did not irritate my usually sensitive skin …"
Beverley Eastwood of Leeds

"P20 was much better than my usual sun cream. A liquid is better absorbed, gives better coverage - and it only needs to be applied once a day … it was particularly suitable for the conditions we encountered because it was NOT sticky."
Monique Graham of Leeds

"Your product did not fail at all in the seven days I spent in the Sahara Desert while running and sweating in temperatures up to and over 50ºC. I can and will honestly and without reservation be happy to recommend P20 to anyone who is worried about sunburn … I cannot recommend P20 enough."
Ian M Gray of Elsworth

"Excellent, not having to reapply or worry about it throughout the day - was great! One small bottle lasted for seven days! No burning. Good tan!"
Nikalas Cook of London

"Very good - no burning at all - and easy to use. Definitely worked for me. No burning in pretty severe conditions and strong sun."
Paul Norris of Silchester

"I’ll definitely use it again - so much more convenient and less fuss"
Mary Howarth of Sheffield

 Would you like to try a FREE SAMPLE SACHET OF P20?
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Three years of P20 in the Sahara

Over the last three years, more than 100 positive testimonials for P20 have been received from people who have tried P20 during the Marathon des Sables. A selection are given below.

If P20 receives such amazing endorsements in the Saharan sun, just imagine how perfect it must be for use on sunshine holidays, on the ski slopes, sailing, walking, gardening - indeed for any outdoor activity when you just want to get on with the fun and not have to keep worrying about applying sun lotion.

• Riemann P20 Once-a-Day Sunfilter is a well tried and tested product to protect from sunburn while allowing a gentle, slow golden tan. It is a unique product as it only needs to be applied once a day - 90 minutes before exposure to the sun. (Easy-to-follow instructions are provided with each bottle.) Click on PRODUCT APPLICATIONS to see the full instructions.

• Compared to the price of conventional sun products, P20 is remarkably good value - just one handy 100ml bottle is usually enough for one person for one application per day for one week.

• The recommended retail prices for P20 are: 100ml £11.95; 200ml £21.95

• P20 is available from chemists, department stores and airport shops nationwide; if you have trouble finding P20, your chemist can usually obtain it for you within 48 hours - or click on STOCKISTS to find your local supplier.

Three years in the Marathon des Sables:
P20 Sunfilter - in the runners' own words...

"Perfect, light, easy to use, effective, not messy. ... I used P20 throughout the event and was delighted" Dominic Croft

"I am amazed by your product - this puts it to the ultimate test ... thank you"  Kenwynne Barber

"The most fantastic product I’ve ever tried. I’ve got very fair Scottish skin and didn’t believe it could possibly last all day, but it did. I went brown for the first time in my life ... I can’t express how good it was" Louise Post, BBC Radio Sport

"P20 Sunfilter worked a treat ... easy to apply ... the 100ml was ample for the week and cut down the bulk and weight I was carrying." Jim Groark

ROSIE’S TRAINING FOR THE
"TOUGHEST FOOT RACE ON EARTH"

As the remarkable Rosie Swale prepared to tackle the Marathon des Sables yet again, we interrupted her training to ask what drives her to want to run 220km in 50ºC across the Sahara Desert?

Rosie Swale is an extraordinary person by anyone’s standards. She has travelled extensively, competed in marathons all over the world, sailed around-the-world, crossed the Atlantic single-handed, explored South America, been deported twice from Libya, has been on a husky safari in Lapland and, just last year, she undertook a solo run across Iceland.

And now, at the age of 53, she has run the Marathon des Sables once again.  But why does she want to put herself through all the long months of training, the preparations and arrangements - and the hardships of the event itself for a second time? What does it take to be a long-distance athlete in the harsh environment of the Sahara?

The ultimate endurance test

Rosie Swale relishes the challenge of pushing her mind and her body to the limit and she is drawn to the wilderness of the desert. "I fell in love with the Sahara desert," she says, "its mixture of great beauty and harshness has cast a spell over me. The training is hard but it is also part of the magic of the whole adventure. It is not for nothing that the race is known as seven days of heaven and hell."

"Getting ready for the Marathon des Sables is a mixture of being tough on your body and kind to it; a mixture of determination - and of kidding yourself along. I am also well motivated because, like most of the British runners, I am competing in the event for charity. My chosen charity is Facing Africa. You can push yourself to the limit if you are adequately prepared - the right footwear, a comfortable rucksack, diet and the right sun protection" says Rosie.

A typical training day for Rosie

Like many marathon runners, Rosie tends to do her longest training runs on Sundays - we followed her through a typical day’s training in Pembrokeshire when she was aiming to run 28 miles…

06:00:
A cold, dark, windy, winter morning - very different from the conditions Rosie faced in the Sahara in April but she says, "this is all part of the challenge". Rosie puts out her clothes to warm up and then heads for the bathroom: "I tell myself I’m lucky to have as much water as I want to wash myself as this certainly is not the case in the desert."  Rosie applies her P20 Once-a-Day Sunfilter at least 90 minutes before exposure to the sun. "I’ll need P20 today - no matter what the weather is like," she says, "as I’m going to be outside for many hours."

Breakfast is a bowl of cereal sprinkled with pumpkin seeds (for iron) and raisins. Rosie also drinks half a pint of Turbo Pulse energy drink and prepares some to take with her, "enough fluids when training are vital". Training for a marathon - especially one as tough as this - requires careful attention to diet. Rosie and her nutritionist (an expert in the dietary requirements of athletes) have worked out a specially balanced diet for a female athlete of Rosie’s age. She follows a similar "grazing" regime (a little and often) as many other great athletes.

After breakfast, Rosie then dresses in her Saucony leggings and puts plenty of thin layers of clothing on her top. "So that I can peel some of them off when I get too hot on the run. There is no point in sweating a lot to get ready for the Sahara. In our British climate too much sweat just leads to chill."

07:45 - the first run - 14 miles unloaded:
Rosie sets off - jogging gently at first to warm up and then meets up with a group of local club runners who are in training for The London Marathon. She runs 14 miles with them and she does this without her rucksack.

11:00 - the second run - 14 miles with a 10kg rucksack:
The weather has changed: it is now sunny if cold for Rosie’s second run of the day. She’s pleased she put on the P20 Sunfilter as even winter sunshine can burn and age the skin. For this run along the beautiful Pembrokeshire coastal path, Rosie is carrying a loaded rucksack weighing 10kg (approximately the same weight as carrying ten bags of sugar). It takes Rosie about 2.5 hours to run the 14 miles with a loaded rucksack.

13:30 - Rosie makes it home
and does a series of stretching exercises to prevent her from seizing up. Then she takes a relaxing hot bath and spends the rest of the day relaxing.

The rest of the week…
Rosie follows the Runner’s World sub-four hour standard marathon training schedule. A typical week two months ahead of the marathon would follow this routine:

• Monday: rest

• Tuesday: warm up followed by alternating two minute runs - six fast and six slow.

• Wednesday: warm up then 30 minutes of gentle running

• Thursday: warm up and a steady six mile run

• Friday: rest

• Saturday: warm up followed by a timed three-mile run and one mile of jogging.

Rosie always makes sure she "warms down" after a training session to avoid chills and strains. In addition to this routine, Rosie sometimes also enjoys an evening jog with her loaded rucksack over the beach or dunes near her home.

Rosie’s kit
Packing for the Marathon des Sables is almost as challenging as the physical training. The runners have to carry all their own food, clothes, sleeping and survival kit for the entire week. Water is very strictly rationed to 9 litres a day - and that is for drinking, cooking and washing. The athletes have to drink between 6 and 7 litres of water a day. Water is handed out in 1.5 and 3 litre measures at checkpoints during each stage of the race.

Rosie tries to keep the rucksack weight down to 9kg and has to be very strict to make sure she doesn’t carry any non-essential items. Deciding what is needed and what can be discarded is quite difficult but Rosie’s essential kit list includes:

• P20 Once-a-Day Sunfilter - 100ml bottle
  (small and lightweight but sufficient for an entire week in the Saharan sun)

• Saucony Kyotee running shoes - large enough to allow for feet swelling in the heat

• Enough pairs of lightweight socks to allow a fresh new pair every day (rather than using valuable water to wash socks)

• Light weight sleeping bag and bubble wrap (instead of a sleeping mat)

• Food rations: The race organisers insist that every athlete has at least 2000 calories per day and advise that they should eat up to 4000. Rosie’s food has to be balanced to provide 15% protein, 30% fats and 55% carbohydrates - all correctly salted and containing the essential vitamins. Rosie says, "It is a battle to plan the food to meet these requirements - and to fit it all into the rucksack"

• Head torch - for the 50 mile night time run

• Compass

• Camping stove, a lighter and a lightweight saucepan

• Anti-snake venom pump

• Safety flares

• Personal wash kit (including a cut down toothbrush), footcare products, first aid kit and clothing.