Barefoot Runner Aims to Make History in 250km Moroccan Desert Marathon

To be the first participant to complete the 250 km barefoot, a feat never accomplished since the creation of this race 35 years ago. This is the goal that Loury Lag is aiming for. "Being barefoot is a sensation I really enjoy. Every day, I’m barefoot. It’s a lifestyle I appreciate," he confides to CNEWS. Runners will have to be self-sufficient in food. "The marathon is very regulated in terms of food. We have to take 2,000 calories per day. It’s mandatory," says the Biarrot.

He says he has prepared for a long time and is confident: "I created a specific training. I ran on sand, asphalt, rocky paths... I mainly tried to prepare my foot as best as possible to have as few problems as possible on site. Even if I know that on site there will necessarily be physically difficult moments. But I’ll fix that with strap!"

Loury Lag loves adventure. In 2018, he became the first man to cross the Vatnajökul, one of the largest glaciers in Europe located in Iceland, in total autonomy and without assistance in twelve days. "My life path, it’s atypical, I made myself by discovering life in a rather brutal way, in many different fields. Now, my spearhead remains to discover areas, to live experiences and to learn for myself," says the one who sold his ecological house construction company six years ago.

This extreme explorer is a regular in Morocco. "I’ve done a lot of humanitarian work in Morocco, in schools in particular. I love the Sahara, it’s a universe I respect a lot, there’s a lot of serenity. [...] Morocco is a country I particularly like. I normally go there two or three times a year to carry out humanitarian adventures with my children or cross deserts because I’ve already done it," he says.