About the Marathon Des Sables

In March/April 2007 I will be running the Marathon de Sables which takes place in the Sahara Desert and is commonly referred to as the toughest foot race on earth. It is a 7 day event whereby competitors run in excess of 40C heat, across 150 miles of the Sahara Desert. The course itself consists of varying terrain including sand dunes, rocky areas and lake beds, all typical of the Sahara Desert. The marathon is split into 6 stages the longest being a 50 mile stretch where competitors are allowed 2 days to complete it.

If this wasn't enough to end it all for most people, all competitors have to carry their equipment to survive the trip including clothing, sleeping bag, food and drink and a snake venom extractor, just in case an extra competitor is met along the way. The weight of the equipment that I will be carrying totals around 15kgs.

Why I'm running the Marathon des Sables

My reasons for competing in this gruelling event are that I have run many marathons including the last 5 London Marathons and have raised money for charity in all of them. I am not getting any younger and the training for these events takes its toll on your body, so I thought this would be a great experience for me to make this my ultimate endurance challenge while I still can and to raise as much money as I can for Cancer Research; a charity that I feel is a worthy cause.

The Marathon de Sables was founded by a Frenchman, Patrick Bauer, in 1986. In its first year it drew only 23 competitors but now attract in excess of 700 from approximately 30 countries across 6 continents. Old and young men and women, experienced runners and those who have never run a marathon before, all sign themselves up the gruelling soul-searching mission. Many do so for the experience whilst for others the motivation lies in the desire to raise money for their chosen charities.

The majority of participants do finish the race but occasionally people have got lost along the way. In 1994 with sandstorms raging, an Italian Olympic Gold Medallist went missing and after a massive rescue effort was found 9 days later and 44 pounds lighter, in Western Algeria.

Links

• www.saharamarathon.co.uk - More information about the MdS (you could run it too!)
• www.darbaroud.com - The organizers of the MdS
• www.bestofmorocco.co.uk - Tailor-made trips to Morocco (marathon not compulsory)