Marathon of the Sands

Articles

• 65-Year-Old Moroccan Ultra-Marathoner Bikes 8,000 km from Casablanca to Mecca
  1 July 2019, by Bladi.net

  The double winner of the Ultra-marathon Cup has taken on a new challenge. At 65 years old, Karim Mosta has started to cross, since April, 12 countries, thus covering the 8,000 km separating Casablanca from Mecca.
  This new challenge of Karim Mosta seems, for many observers, completely crazy: to cover 8,000 km by bike, in four months, crossing 12 countries! This is the challenge that this specialist in long solo efforts around the world has set himself, who sees the support and (…)

• Iconic Marathon des Sables Returns to Morocco After Two-Year Hiatus
  22 September 2021, by Armel

  After two years of absence due to the health situation, the 35th edition of the Marathon des Sables will be organized from October 1 to 11.
  The announcement was made on Tuesday by the race director, Patrick Bauer, during a press conference. This edition will see the participation of 750 competitors representing 41 nationalities and divided into 5 stages in addition to a solidarity stage over a distance of 250 km which will take place in the South of Morocco.
  Discussing the involvement (…)

• Barefoot Runner Aims to Make History in 250km Moroccan Desert Marathon
  3 October 2021, by Sylvanus

  Loury Lag, 35, is one of the participants in the 35th edition of the Marathon des Sables (a 250 km trail) taking place from October 1 to October 11 in the Moroccan desert. The extreme explorer intends to achieve an unprecedented feat.
  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 (…)

• Moroccan Runners Dominate 2021 Marathon des Sables in Sahara Desert
  9 October 2021, by Armel

  After several postponements due to Covid-19, the 2021 Marathon des Sables was successfully held this week. This is the famous extreme event that takes place in the Sahara desert where athletes cross sand dunes and stony plains in an arid climate, sometimes under a strong midday heat.
  This year’s edition saw the triumph of two Moroccans: Rachid El Morabity among the men and Aziza Raji, on the women’s side, reports the MAP, adding that in total, 351 participants took the start of the 5th (…)

• Endurance Runner Conquers Sahara in Grueling Marathon des Sables at 51
  23 October 2021, by Ginette

  The Marathon des Sables is a famous race that takes place in the middle of the Sahara desert. It welcomes hundreds of participants from around the world each year. "I’m a running addict. In general, I run 10 to 15 km three times a week," says Nathalie Ortéga, who had participated in the race in 2019 and had put in a very good performance. This year again, she proved that she was indeed a "warrior" of marathons.
  At 51, this French woman, a medical delegate by profession, set herself the (…)

• 16-Year-Old French Girl to Tackle Grueling Marathon des Sables in Morocco
  7 February 2023, by Ginette

  The 37th edition of the Marathon des Sables to be held in Morocco from April 21 to May 1 will record the participation of Lys Girard-Fialon. A 16-year-old French girl who has decided to follow in her father’s footsteps.
  Lys Girard-Fialon is in the first year of high school in Toulouse. Passionate about sports and music, the young girl is impatient to participate in the next edition of the Marathon des Sables. She discovered sports with her parents who loved to take her hiking, skiing and (…)

• Moroccan Runner Mohamed El Morabity Clinches First Marathon des Sables Victory
  28 April 2023, by Said

  Mohamed El Morabity won the 37th edition of the Marathon des Sables on Friday. The fifth stage of the race, connecting Jdaid to Korsi Dyal Zayed over a distance of 42.2 km, saw the runner cover the distance in 3 hours 18 minutes and 34 seconds.
  El Morabity was closely followed by Aziz Yachou, who finished the race in 3 hours 23 minutes and 37 seconds, while Frenchman Vasilii Korytkin took third place with a time of 3 hours 35 minutes and 55 seconds.
  In an interview with MAP, Mohamed El (…)

• Stray Dog Finishes 52nd in Morocco’s Grueling Marathon des Sables
  14 April 2019, by Amine

  Cactus just finished 52nd in the provisional ranking of the 34th edition of the Marathon des Sables. It should be noted that Cactus is a dog living in Erfoud and who has just been baptized as such.
  An abandoned dog has just become an internet celebrity after finishing 52nd in the provisional ranking of the Marathon des Sables which has just closed its curtain in southern Morocco.
  And to come back down to earth a bit, Cactus was hanging around, when he saw the Marathon participants pass (…)

• Participant Dies of Cardiac Arrest During Grueling Sahara Desert Marathon
  5 October 2021, by Ginette

  One of the participants in the 35th edition of the Marathon des sables died on Monday afternoon following a cardiac arrest in the dunes of Merzouga. Close to fifty years old, nothing suggested such a tragedy, as he had met all the medical requirements prior to the race.
  The man had even successfully completed the first stage. After his discomfort, he was taken care of by two other competing doctors, who triggered his beacon’s SOS button and began the cardiac massage protocol, before the (…)

• British Teen Aims to Become Youngest to Complete Sahara’s Marathon des Sables, Raising Funds for MS
  5 March 2022, by Sylvanus

  Raff Jackson, a 16-year-old British teenager, is taking on the crazy challenge of completing the 36th edition of the Marathon des Sables, which will take place from March 25 to April 4, 2022 in the Sahara desert, to become the youngest in his country to achieve this feat. He intends to raise £20,000 to support the Fight Multiple Sclerosis (MS) program.
  Raff wants to follow in the footsteps of his father Ted Jackson, a veteran of the Marathon des Sables, who managed to raise more than (…)