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Marathon des Sables

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2009

Marathon des Sables 10 things no one tells you before you run the Marathon des Sables

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The Marathon des Sables (MdS, Marathon of the Sands, or Sahara Marathon) is a six-day, 251 km (156 mi) ultramarathon, which is approximately the distance of six regular marathons. The longest single stage (2009) is 91 km (57 mi) long.

Contents

This multiday race is held every year in southern Morocco, in the Sahara Desert. It is considered the toughest foot race on Earth. The first event of the Marathon started in 1986.

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History

Marathon des Sables Marathon des Sables 2015 the toughest footrace on earth

The marathon was the brainchild of French concert promoter Patrick Bauer who in 1984 traversed the Sahara desert on foot and alone. He covered the 350 km (214 mi) in 12 days without encountering a single oasis or desert community along the way. Two years later in 1986 the first Marathon des Sables was run. 23 runners participated in the race with Bernard Gaudin and Christiane Plumere (both of France) finishing as the winning man and woman. By 2009 over 1000 runners participated in the event and the Solidarité Marathon des Sables association was created. The aim is to develop projects to assist children and disadvantaged populations in the domains of health, education and sustainable development in Morocco.

Notable participants

Marathon des Sables Marathon Des Sables Race Results Ouarzazate Morocco 472017

  • Moroccan brothers Lahcen and Mohamad Ahansal, who won 10 and 6 editions respectively.
  • Marco Olmo, Italian ultratrail specialist, ran all editions since 1996, with best placement 3rd (achieved three times). At the 2013 edition, Olmo was 64 years old, and he was 47 when he ran his first.
  • Dima and Lama Hattab, Jordanian twins who were the first female Middle Eastern participants in the race.
  • James Cracknell, British rower and adventurer, competed in the 2010 race and became the highest placing Briton to ever compete in the race, finishing 12th until fellow Briton Danny Kendall placed 5th in 2014.
  • In 1994 René Nevola, Mike Stroud, Mike Lean and Richard Cooper became the first British runners to complete the Marathon des Sables. René Nevola was the first Briton to complete the race and finished in 22nd place.
  • Mauro Prosperi, former Olympian from Sicily, entered the race in 1994 but was set 299 km off route by a harsh sand storm. He was lost for ~11 days before being found in Algeria, following a well-publicized search of the desert.
  • In 1999 Carlos Sposito was the first Brazilian to complete the Marathon des Sables.
  • Sir Ranulph Fiennes became the oldest Briton to complete the Marathon des Sables in 2015. In doing so he raised over £1million for Marie Curie.
  • James Matthews, engaged to Pippa Middleton, competed in the marathon in 2008.
  • Gavin Sandford completed two Marathons des Sables in 2016, running the 2011 course alone and then immediately joining the start of the 2016 course, so completing 300 miles on foot in 12 days

    • Marathon des Sables Marathon Des Sables A Killer Race in the Sahara When On Earth

    Marathon des Sables Race Overview Marathon Des Sables

    References

    Marathon des Sables Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA