Moroccan Runner Tackles 2,500 km Ultra-Marathon from France to Morocco

On Friday, June 21, Abder, who runs at 6.5-7km/h, ran 1300 of the 2500 km separating Auxerre from Bzou. This is a half-marathon, a real challenge that the Auxerre runner has set himself.

As the team reached Venta del Moro, a municipality in the Province of Valencia, this Friday, Michel Naudot, the runner’s faithful companion, indicates that Abder is tired. "There are endless stretches without seeing anyone, 20 km straight lines: you have to imagine running a half-marathon where you can see the finish line," he confides to the news site lyonne.fr.

Praising the civic-mindedness of the Spaniards, he notes the intense heat that prevails and does not spare the runner. "It’s very hot, 30°C, and not a tree: we’re in the sun all day long," says Michel Naudot, who notes that "the Spanish drivers are really extraordinary. They all move away by 1.50 meters. Not a single one honked," he rejoiced.

In this daring journey, if Michel Naudot’s bicycle has nevertheless punctured "at least seven times" due to the cacti, Abder El Badaoui, for his part, has suffered from his back. The only relief for the Auxerre runner and his team, who remain perfectly on schedule from the start of their journey: their camper van that escorts them and waits for them every 10 km to replenish them with water, in particular. It is also "the same vehicle that serves as a dormitory for the team members when they fail to find a campsite or hotel on their way," notes the same source.