Marathon des Sables
Encyclopedia
Ultramarathon
An ultramarathon is any sporting event involving running longer than the traditional marathon length of .There are two types of ultramarathon events: those that cover a specified distance, and events that take place during specified time...
, which is the equivalent of six regular marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
s. The longest single stage (2009) is 91 km (56.5 mi) long.
This multiday race is held every year in southern Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, in the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
desert. It is considered the toughest foot
Foot
The foot is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg made up of one or more segments or bones, generally including claws...
race
Racing
A sport race is a competition of speed, against an objective criterion, usually a clock or to a specific point. The competitors in a race try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time...
on Earth. The first event of the Marathon started in 1986.
Facts
- Competitors must carry all personal belongings and food for the entire event in their backpackBackpackA backpack is, in its simplest form, a cloth sack carried on one's back and secured with two straps that go over the shoulders, but there can be exceptions...
. Water and tents are supplied by the organizers. - During the 1994 race, ItalianItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
police officerPolice officerA police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
Mauro ProsperiMauro ProsperiMauro Prosperi is an Italian police officer and modern pentathlete who became famous after becoming lost in the Sahara Desert during an endurance event in 1994....
lost his way during a sand stormSand StormSand Storm is a 1992 action game in which you are shooting an anti-air ballistic weapon. The premise of the game is similar to that of Sabotage. You must defend your home base from planes , Patriot Missiles, and Scuds. If a missile or bomb touches the ground, some of the buildings in the base are...
and wandered lost for more than 9 days, losing over 13 kg (30 lb) of body weightBody weightThe term body weight is used in daily English speech as well as in the contexts of biological and medical sciences to describe the mass of an organism's body. Body weight is measured in kilograms throughout the world, although in some countries it is still measured in pounds or stones and pounds...
. - In 2007, the BBC reported the total cost to participate as being about ₤2565 (US$5000)., two competitors had died during the race.
- For the 2008 Marathon des Sables, the registration fee was €2550 before taxes., Lahcen Ahansal from MoroccoMoroccoMorocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
had won 10 titles, and his brother Mohammed Ahansal 3 titles. - In the 2009 race, there was heavy rain, in the two days before the start of the race, causing the first and last day's stages to be cancelled due to flooding. This had never before occurred during the history of the MdS. To compensate, the 'long stage' was the longest in the race's history at 56 miles.
- The 2011 race saw a new winner take the podium, Rachid Motaboity, Mohamed Ahansal's pupil and fellow countryman, in a time of 20 hours, 58 minutes and 19 seconds. It was the longest yet at 250.7 km.
External links
- Official website of the Marathon Des Sables
- Official website for UK Entrants
- Pictures of the Marathon des Sables from Rob Plijnaar, competitor in 2008
- http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/marathon_of_the_sands/Documentary on the 14th Marathon des Sables by Les GuthmanLes GuthmanLes Guthman is an American film director and producer, who has the distinction of both having produced three of the 20 Top Adventure DVDs of All Time, according to Men’s Journal magazine, and having won the National Academy of Science’s nationwide competition to find the best new idea in science...
]