In the morning, I could feel some pain in my legs, and I decided to sleep longer. I reached the starting point at 9:45 and was surprised to find all the participants already on their way to the mountains.

The route of Day 2 passed through the green suburbs of Marbella: Sierra Blanca, Terrazas de Marbela, and Xarblanca. The return way to Las Terrazas del Puerto Deportivo includes the bus station and the old market. I thought I would take a lone walk. However, it was not a good idea as I got lost. Behind me were 4 people from Holland who had the same problem. We did not see the sign to guide us, and we were lost for ca. 45 minutes. At about 10:30, we started anew. The road was really challenging, up the hills. I felt happy that the participants from Holland were also lost, otherwise I would not have met them. We had lots of fun together. We were one team who helped each other through hard times. One hour later, we saw other participants on the road. But they were ahead of us. They said that we had to go to the check point and that it was not far away. Not far away actually meant up the hills and 5 km ahead of us. More hills. When we reached the check point, I felt relieved. 10 km were over, and we were able to rest a little. Up the hill, there was a German Hot Dog Caravan. It was a very nice surprise as we were extremely hungry, and any extra energy was very welcome. After a 10-minute break, we continued our journey. The road went down now. Thank you, Hans, that there were no hills! 2 km later, we arrived at Park of Nagüeles. It was something amazing: Indian statues, a small zoo with different birds and animals, a pool, sports courts, and barbeque places. Most important: SALSA MUSIC! We bought soft drinks and enjoyed our time. On the first day, the weather was sunny, but on the second day, we did not get lucky. It was better to walk without the sun, but suddenly it also started to rain hard. We found a building with a roof that we could use as a shelter. As we could not lose any more time, we continued our journey.

The M4DW event also featured a time schedule. One had to pass 2 control posts. The first control on closed at 12;30. The second one closed at 16:00. One had to return to the finish tent before 17:00. The participants had to pass all check points and finish on time, otherwise they would not have received medals. I certainly wanted one!

After the rain, it was more difficult. The soil in the mountains was slippery and muddy. It took more time than we expected. Every metre was hard. When I saw the second control post, I re-gained my energy. I knew it was only one more hour to go, and we could see the tents on the finish line. I took a look behind and saw that others also started to walk faster. We passed Estación de autobuses de Marbella and entered the Old Town of Marbella. Last kilometres passed quickly, and at 15:30, I reached the finish line along with the Holland team. Good work, guys!

Interesting sights we saw en route:

Paseo de la Alameda
Situated in the southern part of the city, the defence walls were built in the 18th century. It was the first step to link the fortified city directly to the sea.

Casco Historico
The fortress of Marbella was built on top of a Roman village. The narrow streets have remained the same since the Middle Ages. After winning back the city in 1485, the last infrastructural changes were made by adding the Plaza de Los Naranjos and Hospital Bazan.

After 6 hours and more than 23 km, I finally came to the finish line. The road would have been really hard without the support of the Dutch team. I truly appreciate the fact that we had this journey together. Second day done, two days and 40 km to go. More mountains tomorrow!