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Marathon des Sables

Annual ultramarathon in Morocco From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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).

Quick Facts Date, Location ...
Marathon des Sables
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Date21 April–1 May 2023
LocationOuarzazate, Morocco
Established1986; 39 years ago (1986)
Official sitemarathondessables.com
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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.

History

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Perspective
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Racers winding their way up a large ridge

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.

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A competitor at Marathon des Sables, Morocco

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]

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

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]

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The camp in which competitors sleep at night

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

More information Edition, Year ...
EditionYearMale winnerNationalityFemale WinnerNationalityNotes
11986Bernard Gaudin FranceChristiane Plumere France
21987Hassan Sebtaoui FranceMarie-Ange Malcuit France
31988Bernard Gaudin FranceAnge Malcuit France
41989Hassan Sebtaoui FranceClaude Battistelli France
51990Hassan Sebtaoui FranceClaire Garnier France
61991Hassan Sebtaoui FranceMonique Frussote France
71992Mohamed Bensalah MoroccoMonique Frussote FranceFirst Moroccan man to win
81993Mohamed Bensalah MoroccoIrina Petrova RussiaFirst Russian woman to win
91994André Derksen RussiaValentina Liakhova RussiaFirst Russian man to win
101995André Derksen RussiaBéatrice Reymann France
111996André Derksen RussiaAnke Molkenthin GermanyFirst German to win
121997Lahcen Ahansal MoroccoRosanna Pellizzari ItalyFirst Italian to win
131998Mohamad Ahansal MoroccoRosanna Pellizzari Italy
141999Lahcen Ahansal MoroccoLisa Smith USAFirst American to win
152000Lahcen Ahansal MoroccoPascale Martin France
162001Lahcen Ahansal MoroccoFranca Fiacconi Italy
172002Lahcen Ahansal MoroccoSimone Kayser LuxembourgFirst Luxembourger to win
182003Lahcen Ahansal MoroccoMagali Juvenal France
192004Lahcen Ahansal MoroccoSimone Kayser Luxembourg
202005Lahcen Ahansal MoroccoSimone Kayser Luxembourg
212006Lahcen Ahansal MoroccoGéraldine Courdesse France
222007Lahcen Ahansal MoroccoLaurence Fricotteaux France
232008Mohamad Ahansal MoroccoTouda Didi MoroccoFirst Moroccan woman to win
242009Mohamad Ahansal MoroccoTouda Didi Morocco
252010Mohamad Ahansal MoroccoMònica Aguilera Viladomiu SpainFirst Spaniard to win
262011Rachid El Morabity MoroccoLaurence Klein France
272012Salameh Al Aqra JordanLaurence Klein France
282013Mohamad Ahansal MoroccoMeghan Hicks USA
292014Rachid El Morabity MoroccoNikki Kimball USA
302015Rachid El Morabity MoroccoElisabet Barnes SwedenFirst Swede to win
312016Rachid El Morabity MoroccoNatalia Sedykh Russia
322017Rachid El Morabity MoroccoElisabet Barnes Sweden
332018Rachid El Morabity MoroccoMagdalena Boulet USA
342019Rachid El Morabity MoroccoRagna Debats NetherlandsFirst Dutchwoman to win
352021Rachid El Morabity MoroccoAziza Raji Morocco
36[12]2022Rachid El Morabity MoroccoAnna Comet Pascua Spain
37[13]2023Mohamed El Morabity MoroccoMaryline Nakache France
382024Rachid El Morabity MoroccoAziza El Amrany Morocco
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Notable participants

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Lahcen Ahansal - dressed in traditional clothing in this image - holds the record for most wins with 10.
  • 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[17] 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.[18]
  • Dima and Lama Hattab, Jordanian twins, were the first female Middle Eastern participants in the race in 2001.
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Rachid El Morabity has won the marathon 9 times.
  • 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.[19][20]
  • Explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes became the oldest Briton to complete the Marathon des Sables in 2015, at age 71.[21] 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.
  • 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.[22]

Incidents

  • During the 2021 marathon, a French runner in his early 50s suffered from cardiac arrest which resulted in his death.[23]

Bibliography

  • Ted Archer:[24] 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.[25] ISBN 978-0224075077
  • Dr Dan Tunstall Pedoe: Marathon Medicine. 2001,[26] page 186.[27] ISBN 978-1853154607.

Notes

External links

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