Advice on preparation:

A long distance rally such as the IndianARC, which takes place in Mountainous or tropical zones, requires impeccable health and imposes substantial physical and psychological stress on every participant. Rugged terrain, potholes, and unexpected conditions are faced daily in the rally. However, preparation for it is usually neglected. It is a true sporting trial, a daily competition against others but also against you. Our role is to make you better aware and help you tackle your physical preparation for the race. Here are some of the recommendations so that you will not leave out those essential factors for the success of your rally.

Physical and psychological health
Do not forget that one does not recover physically during a rally, quite the opposite!!! Endurance must be acquired by taking physical exercise at least two or three times a week for two to three months before the start. A sport practiced regularly and for as long as possible develops endurance – jogging, cycling… (Monitor your pulse; it should not go above 140 per minute when exercising).

Essential before the start

• Dental check-up one month before the start.
• Medical check-up (sight, nails, varicose veins, ENT or skin problems, prescription renewals…)Vaccinations:
• Update basic vaccinations: tetanus, polio, diphtheria.
• Recommended vaccination: hepatitis A (2 injections 6 months apart, typhoid fever
• Specific vaccination: meningococcal meningitis (type A) Hepatitis A is on average 10 to 100 times more common than typhoid fever and 1,000 times more common than cholera
• Have your vaccination card with you.

Do not forget an adequate supply of your regular medication and if you wear spectacles, bring a spare pair.

Fatigue before the start

Proper psychological and physical preparation is absolutely essential for most people and cannot be improvised. Many arrive on the start date in a truly disastrous state of health. They have taken on too much work before their period of absence, they have burnt the mid¬night oil in preparing their vehicles and spent their weekends looking for sponsors, they didn’t have the time to do any sport and, to crown it all, their nerves are on edge because of all the last minute unex¬pected events.
You absolutely must not set off short on sleep!

Fatigue after the start

It is this accumulated fatigue before the start that is the explana¬tion for subsequent mishaps. Driving requires constant attention, intuition, anticipation and fast reflexes. When you are tired, driving becomes clumsy, imprecise and dangerous… Right from the initial stages, there are many dropouts, mainly due to not being clear headed.

Psychological preparation
Manage your stress
Most of the time, rallies take place in groups. Fatigue combined with stress adversely affects relations between participants and can give rise to paranoid tendencies. Once home, these problems are soon for¬gotten but they can spoil things during the race. This is why it is wise to be aware of them and to be well prepared before the start.

Pushing yourself and panic
It will frequently be necessary to plumb the depths of your soul to find the will to continue and excel. Anxiety can raise its head at any time. Fear of open spaces exists just like fear of enclosed spaces, crowds… It can become uncontrollable, a true panic attack. You need to know your own limits before the start. Do not forget that you take your psychological problems with you and facing up to things in the desert can be dramatic.

Dehydration
It can be avoided by preventing diarrhea, drinking regularly and eating salty food. You should therefore fill your water tank as early as possible and drink regularly throughout the day.

What you need to know!
In the tropics, one traveler in two will have some kind of health problem (you need to drink regularly).
One traveler in three will get diarrhea (see first-aid kit).
Malaria prevention is very important (see first-aid kit).
Malaria carrying mosquitoes bite almost exclusively between sunset and sunrise (maximum activity between 10 pm and 4 am). The best way to prevent malaria is to limit the risk of being bitten (mosquito nets, long clothing, and repellents).

Hygiene, food, dehydration
It is essential to remember basic hygiene in order to avoid certain complaints.

• Diarrhea is hardly ever due to chance or bad luck but rather the result of carelessness, thoughtlessness and foolishness created by inadequate or a total lack of sanitary facilities entailing serious disregard for food hygiene rules. Gastroenteritis is practically always contracted by infection and is a transmissible disease.
• Do not share water bottles.
• Hygiene / washing your hands is a minimum requirement before eating.
• Boil, cook, peel… or forget, is a universal maxim.”
• You should not eat or drink:
• Raw fruit or vegetables
• Water or ice (except for mineral water in sealed bottles)
• Fresh milk, eggs, ice cream
• Raw or undercooked meat
• Shellfish, seafood or raw fish.
• To avoid dehydration the only advice is drink… so do it!!!
• In the morning, be sure to have a big breakfast with about half a litre of drink (coffee, tea, fruit juice…)
• During the day, drink regularly and eat “rations” (fruit jelly, peanuts…) specially designed to maintain your body’s water and energy balance.

Prepare a travel first-aid kit

• Plasters and individual hypo-allergenic sterile dressings
• Elastoplast
• Sterile compresses Antiseptic (Chlorhexidine)
• Analgesic, antipyretic ( Paracetamol)
• Anti-diarrhoea (Imodium)
• Intestinal antiseptic (Ercefuryl)
• Eyewash (Dacryoserum)
• Anti-malaria (Savarine or Malarone): one tablet per day starting the day before you arrive in the risk area. Continue taking Savarine for four weeks after leaving the risk area (for Malarone, stop the treatment seven days after you return).