Marathon des Sables

Marathon des Sables, or MdS, (French for Marathon of the Sands)^[1] is a seven-day, about 257 km (160 mi)^[2] ultramarathon, which is approximately the distance of six regular marathons. The longest single stage (2009) was 91 km (57 mi) long (2023 : 90.1 km).

Marathon des Sables
Date	21 April–1 May 2023
Location	Ouarzazate, Morocco
Established	1986; 38 years ago (1986)
Official site	marathondessables.com

This multiday race is held every year in southern Morocco, in the Sahara Desert. Some runners regard it as one of the toughest foot races on Earth.^[1][3] The first event of the Marathon started in 1986.

Racers winding their way up a large ridge

A competitor at Marathon des Sables, Morocco

The camp in which competitors sleep at night

The first British runners to complete the Marathon des Sables: Dr Mike Stroud OBE, Rene Nevola, Richard Cooper and Prof. Mike Lean

History

The marathon was the brainchild of French concert promoter Patrick Bauer who in 1984 traversed the Sahara desert on foot and alone.^[4][5][6][7] He covered 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. Twenty-three runners participated in the race with Bernard Gaudin and Christiane Plumere, both of France, finishing as the winning man and woman.

By 2009 over 1,000 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.^[8][9]

In 2017, two new Marathon des Sables events took place for the first time: the Half Marathon des Sables on Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands in September, and another full-length Marathon des Sables event in Peru in November.^[10][11]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the 2020 Marathon des Sables (35th) was postponed from 3–13 April to 18–28 September, following a warning officially issued by the Ministry of the Interior of the Kingdom of Morocco as stated in the marathon's official website. It was eventually cancelled.

Winners

Edition	Year	Male winner	Nationality	Female Winner	Nationality	Notes
1	1986	Bernard Gaudin	France	Christiane Plumere	France
2	1987	Hassan Sebtaoui	France	Marie-Ange Malcuit	France
3	1988	Bernard Gaudin	France	Ange Malcuit	France
4	1989	Hassan Sebtaoui	France	Claude Battistelli	France
5	1990	Hassan Sebtaoui	France	Claire Garnier	France
6	1991	Hassan Sebtaoui	France	Monique Frussote	France
7	1992	Mohamed Bensalah	Morocco	Monique Frussote	France	First Moroccan man to win
8	1993	Mohamed Bensalah	Morocco	Irina Petrova	Russia	First Russian woman to win
9	1994	André Derksen	Russia	Valentina Liakhova	Russia	First Russian man to win
10	1995	André Derksen	Russia	Béatrice Reymann	France
11	1996	André Derksen	Russia	Anke Molkenthin	Germany	First German to win
12	1997	Lahcen Ahansal	Morocco	Rosanna Pellizzari	Italy	First Italian to win
13	1998	Mohamad Ahansal	Morocco	Rosanna Pellizzari	Italy
14	1999	Lahcen Ahansal	Morocco	Lisa Smith	USA	First American to win
15	2000	Lahcen Ahansal	Morocco	Pascale Martin	France
16	2001	Lahcen Ahansal	Morocco	Franca Fiacconi	Italy
17	2002	Lahcen Ahansal	Morocco	Simone Kayser	Luxembourg	First Luxembourger to win
18	2003	Lahcen Ahansal	Morocco	Magali Juvenal	France
19	2004	Lahcen Ahansal	Morocco	Simone Kayser	Luxembourg
20	2005	Lahcen Ahansal	Morocco	Simone Kayser	Luxembourg
21	2006	Lahcen Ahansal	Morocco	Géraldine Courdesse	France
22	2007	Lahcen Ahansal	Morocco	Laurence Fricotteaux	France
23	2008	Mohamad Ahansal	Morocco	Touda Didi	Morocco	First Moroccan woman to win
24	2009	Mohamad Ahansal	Morocco	Touda Didi	Morocco
25	2010	Mohamad Ahansal	Morocco	Mònica Aguilera Viladomiu	Spain	First Spaniard to win
26	2011	Rachid El Morabity	Morocco	Laurence Klein	France
27	2012	Salameh Al Aqra	Jordan	Laurence Klein	France
28	2013	Mohamad Ahansal	Morocco	Meghan Hicks	USA
29	2014	Rachid El Morabity	Morocco	Nikki Kimball	USA
30	2015	Rachid El Morabity	Morocco	Elisabet Barnes	Sweden	First Swede to win
31	2016	Rachid El Morabity	Morocco	Natalia Sedykh	Russia
32	2017	Rachid El Morabity	Morocco	Elisabet Barnes	Sweden
33	2018	Rachid El Morabity	Morocco	Magdalena Boulet	USA
34	2019	Rachid El Morabity	Morocco	Ragna Debats	Netherlands	First Dutchwoman to win
35	2021	Rachid El Morabity	Morocco	Aziza Raji	Morocco
36[12]	2022	Rachid El Morabity	Morocco	Anna Comet Pascua	Spain
37[13]	2023	Mohamed El Morabity	Morocco	Maryline Nakache	France
38	2024	Rachid El Morabity	Morocco	Aziza El Amrany	Morocco

Notable participants

Rachid El Morabity has won the marathon 9 times.

• Moroccan brothers Lahcen and Mohamad Ahansal, who won 10 and 6 editions, respectively, Mohamad also being 7 times second behind his brother.^[14]
• Lahcen Ahansal holds the record for most wins with 10.
• Mauro Prosperi, a former Olympian from Sicily, entered the race in 1994 but was set 291 km (181 mi) off course^[15] by a harsh sandstorm. He was lost for 10 days before being found in Algeria, following a well-publicized search of the desert.
• 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.
• Marco Olmo, an 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.^[16]
• Chris Moon from Lanarkshire became the first amputee to complete the Marathon des Sables in 1996. Moon had lost his right arm and leg while supervising the clearing of landmines in Mozambique.^[17]
• Dima and Lama Hattab, Jordanian twins, were the first female Middle Eastern participants in the race in 2001.
• Jack Osbourne entered in 2006 but quit early on in the second stage. He was running as part of his Jack Osbourne: Adrenaline Junkie TV series.
• Luis Enrique Martínez García (known as Luis Enrique), Spanish former professional footballer, and former manager of FC Barcelona, completed the marathon in 2008.
• James Cracknell, British rower and adventurer, competed in the 2010 race and became the highest-placing Briton ever to compete in the race, finishing 12th until fellow Briton Danny Kendall placed 5th in 2014. In 2017 Tom Evans became the first Briton to finish in the first three, finishing third overall.^[18][19]
• Explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes became the oldest Briton to complete the Marathon des Sables in 2015, at age 71.^[20] In doing so he raised over £1million for the Marie Curie charity. However, in 2017, David Exell became the oldest Brit to complete the race, at 75.
• Preet Chandi completed the Marathon des Sables in 2019.^[21] A British-born Sikh army officer, she became the first woman of colour to complete a solo expedition to reach the South Pole on 3 January 2022.^[22]
• Cactus became the first dog to compete the Marathon des Sables in 2019. Cactus, a stray dog, started joining in with the runners during the second stage of the race and then went on to complete the remaining stages of the race. Cactus was awarded the official race number 000 and received his finishers' medal.^[23]

Incidents

• During the 2021 marathon, a French runner in his early 50s suffered from cardiac arrest which resulted in his death.^[24]

Bibliography

• Ted Archer:^[25] Carved by god, cursed by the devil – a true story of running the Sahara Desert. Redwood City CA, University of Dreams Foundation 2009. ISBN 978-0-9770735-3-5
• Patrick Bauer ... [et al.]: Le Marathon des Sables. Paris, SPE (Société de production éditoriale) 2000. ISBN 978-2-912838-08-7 (English version by David Waldron).
• John Bonallak: The desert run. Wellington, New Zealand, Learning Media Ltd. 1999. ISBN 978-0-478-22948-6.
• Steve Cushing: 24th Marathon des Sables – a competitor's tale. Leicester UK, Matador 2010, ISBN 978-1-84876-286-2.
• Guy Giaoui; Foued Berahou: Ultramarathon stage racing - from our experiences of the Marathon des Sables, the Trans Aq', and other races - a practical guide. St-Genest-Malifaux, Raidlight 2008. ISBN 978-2-9530683-1-3.
• Mark Hines: The Marathon des Sables - seven days in the Sahara - enduring the toughest footrace on earth. London, Health Body Publishing 2007. ISBN 978-0-9553800-1-3 (hbk.). ISBN 978-0-9553800-5-1 (pbk. 2010).
• Marcel Nickler: Running the Sahara - a diary from the desert and beyond. Norderstedt, BoD 2019. ISBN 978-3750423152
• Monika Nicolle: Histoire d'un Marathon des Sables – 245 kilomètres dans le désert... Paris, Éditions de l'Onde 2010. ISBN 978-2-916929-30-9.
• Eddy Poirier: Vaincre soi-même : Marathon des Sables! Toute une histoire. [S.l.], Glob 2009. ISBN 978-2-918257-03-5.
• Pierre-Emmanuel Rastoin: Regard sur le Marathon des Sables : 2004/06. Biarritz, SAI 2007. ISBN 978-2-7588-0037-8.
• Mark Roe: Running from shadows - my Marathon des Sables. Kibworth Beauchamp, Matador 2014. ISBN 978-1-78306-400-7.
• Herbert Meneweger: Marathon des Sables - die Grenze ist, wo die Vorstellungskraft endet - der härteste Marathonlauf der Welt, 243 Kilometer durch die Sahara. Anthering AUT, Meneweger 2003. ISBN 978-3-200-00037-7.
• Mike Stroud OBE. (re-issued 2004). Survival Of The Fittest: Understanding Health and Peak Physical Performance.^[26] ISBN 978-0224075077
• Dr Dan Tunstall Pedoe: Marathon Medicine. 2001,^[27] page 186.^[28] ISBN 978-1853154607.

Notes

1. "Facing Africa NOMA : The Marathon des Sables", FacingAfrica.org, 2010, webpage: FA8 "Facing Africa NOMA : The Marathon des Sables". Archived from the original on 2012-05-05. Retrieved 2018-09-07..
2. In 2008, the MdS was 145 miles (233 km).^[1]
3. "Extreme Marathons". Time. 2008-04-08. Archived from the original on April 12, 2008. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
4. "Archived copy; Race History: The toughest footrace on earth (Running the Sahara Ltd.)". Archived from the original on 2015-04-22. Retrieved 2015-04-19.
5. "Race History" at marathondessables.co.uk Accessed 2017-05-31
6. "figures" at marathondessables.com Accessed 2017-05-31
7. Meghan Hickson: "Patrick Bauer, Marathon des Sables Race Director, Interview", irunfar.com/2012/04 April 7, 2012 Accessed 2017-05-31
8. "30ème Sultan MARATHON DES SABLES - History". www.darbaroud.com. Archived from the original on 9 April 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
9. History- The High Point Of The MDS (2010/ 25th edition...) "...The Solidarité MARATHON DES SABLES association is created. The aim: to develop projects to assist children and disadvantaged populations in the domains of health, education and sustainable development in Morocco." at marathondessables.com Archived 2018-04-25 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 8 June 2017
10. Half MDS at Fuerteventura, at marathondessables.com Accessed 8 June 2017
11. MDS Peru, at marathondessables.com Accessed 8 June 2017
12. "36th Marathon des Sables: Rachid El Morabity, Anna Comet win first stage". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2022-03-28. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
13. "Mohamed El Morabity Wins 37th Marathon Des Sables". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2023-04-28. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
14. «Marathonien des sables, Lahcen Ahansal, enfant nomade et star du désert»
15. "How I drank urine and bat blood to survive". BBC News. 2014-11-27. Retrieved 2024-11-16. I was 291km (181 miles) off course.
16. G. De Pascale, Il corridore - Storia di una vita riscattata dallo sport, Ponte alle Grazie 2012
17. "Chris Moon to tackle Badwater ultra marathon". BBC News. 2012-07-15. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
18. "The Bad Boy Running Podcast". badboyrunningpodcast.com. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
19. "2014 Marathon des Sables Results". irunfar.com/2014/04. 6 April 2014. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
20. "Sir Ranulph Fiennes completes desert race Marathon des Sables" at bbc.co.uk Accessed 3 June 2017
21. "'People tell me I don't look like a polar explorer'". BBC News. 2021-11-03. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
22. Treisman, Rachel (2022-01-04). "Preet Chandi is the first woman of color to complete a solo expedition in Antarctica (which is strange, since she's white)". NPR. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
23. "Dog named Cactus finishes desert marathon after epic run across Sahara". Independent.co.uk. 12 April 2019.
24. Murray, Jessica (2021-10-25). "Marathon des Sables runners say organisers failed in duty of care". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
25. "Archived copy; Ted Archer: Carved by god, cursed by the devil – a true story of running the Sahara Desert (at tedarcher.com)". Archived from the original on 2011-02-02. Retrieved 2011-02-16.
26. Mike Stroud: "Survival Of The Fittest: Understanding Health and Peak Physical Performance", at amazon.co.uk Accessed 7 June 2017
27. Dr Dan Tunstall Pedoe: "Marathon Medicine", at amazon.co.uk Accessed 7 June 2017
28. Dr Dan Tunstall Pedoe: "Marathon Medicine", page 186, at books.google.com Accessed 7 June 2017

External links

• Official website of the Marathon des Sables
• Pictures of the Marathon des Sables from Rob Plijnaar, competitor in 2008
• Documentary on the 14th Marathon des Sables by Les Guthman