Mauro Prosperi
Encyclopedia
Mauro 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.
Prosperi, a keen endurance runner, took part in the 1994 Marathon des Sables
(Marathon of the Sands) in Morocco
. Part way through the 6-day 233 kilometre event a sandstorm
caused Mauro Prosperi and his cousin James Duchkin to lose his way. He ended up disoriented and ran in the wrong direction, ultimately running several hundred kilometres into Algeria
. After 36 hours he ran out of food and water. He survived by drinking his own urine
and eating bat
s resident in an abandoned mosque
and the occasional snake
found in the desert.
Not wishing to die a long drawn out death, Prosperi attempted to commit suicide
in the mosque by slitting his wrists with a pen knife he had with him. The attempt failed - lack of water had caused Prosperi's blood to thicken and clotted the wound before he died. After nine days alone in the desert he was found by a nomadic family and taken to an Algerian military camp and from there to a hospital. He was 186 miles (299.3 km) off route, and had lost 18 kg in body weight.
His story of survival was later covered in a National Geographic Channel
documentary
entitled Expeditions To The Edge: Sahara Nightmare.
Prosperi later entered the race again in 1998, but was halted by a severely stubbed toe.
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
and modern pentathlete who became famous after becoming lost in the Sahara Desert during an endurance event in 1994.
Prosperi, a keen endurance runner, took part in the 1994 Marathon des Sables
Marathon des Sables
The Marathon des Sables is a six-day, ultramarathon, which is the equivalent of six regular marathons. The longest single stage is long....
(Marathon of the Sands) in 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...
. Part way through the 6-day 233 kilometre event a sandstorm
Dust storm
A dust / sand storm is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Particles are transported by saltation and suspension, causing soil to move from one place and deposition...
caused Mauro Prosperi and his cousin James Duchkin to lose his way. He ended up disoriented and ran in the wrong direction, ultimately running several hundred kilometres into Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
. After 36 hours he ran out of food and water. He survived by drinking his own urine
Urine
Urine is a typically sterile liquid by-product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous by-products, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream...
and eating bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s resident in an abandoned mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
and the occasional snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
found in the desert.
Not wishing to die a long drawn out death, Prosperi attempted to commit suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in the mosque by slitting his wrists with a pen knife he had with him. The attempt failed - lack of water had caused Prosperi's blood to thicken and clotted the wound before he died. After nine days alone in the desert he was found by a nomadic family and taken to an Algerian military camp and from there to a hospital. He was 186 miles (299.3 km) off route, and had lost 18 kg in body weight.
His story of survival was later covered in a National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...
documentary
Television documentary
Documentary television is a genre of television programming that broadcasts documentaries.* Documentary television series, a television series which is made up of documentary episodes....
entitled Expeditions To The Edge: Sahara Nightmare.
Prosperi later entered the race again in 1998, but was halted by a severely stubbed toe.