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| Ouarzazate
Morocco - Marathon des Sables (Marathon of the Sands) |
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It could be your ultimate test of endurance or your worst nightmare, or both. The Marathon des Sables is one of the world's most brutal foot racing events--a six-day, 145-mile run through the Sahara Desert in southern Morocco! Who would be crazy enough to sign up for this torture test? Evidently, lots of people. Last year, 683 brave men and women from roughly thirty countries stepped up to the challenge (581 of them actually finished). Competitors in the Marathon have ranged in age from 14 to 76 years old, and have included former gold medal Olympians, polar explorers, executives, scientists, high school students, housewives and a yogi. Participants are required to be totally self-sufficient during the Marathon. They must carry a lightweight backpack with all the clothing, food and supplies they need for the week. Marathon organizers supply the runners with a measly nine liter ration of water for each day. At night, participants sleep on the ground in communal Berber tents. The actual course of the race remains a secret until the day before the Marathon begins. Typically, it takes place in the stunningly-beautiful desert to the east or south of the town of Ouarzazate. This arid terrain offers an ankle-wrenching variety of landscapes, including rocky hills, palm groves, dried mud flats and sand dunes. Daytime temperatures have been known to climb to a scorching 125 degrees and sandstorms are common. Each day of the Marathon is an adventure unto its own, as each of the six "stages" ranges from 20 to 60 kilometers (12 to 37 miles) in length. An extensive road book is given to the competitors before the race begins. Stage Four is considered the most grueling, a double marathon segment which begins long before sunrise. The racing is tightly monitored, with all participants required to check in at numerous "control points" along the way. The Marathon is littered with stories of survival. Take Mauro Prosperi, a police officer from Rome, who got lost in a sandstorm during the 1994 race. He wandered several hundred kilometers off course and survived for the next nine days on boiled urine and dead bats. Mauro lost over 30 pounds during his ordeal but he has returned to Morocco to race two more times. Surprisingly, only one person has died while participating in the Marathon. Everyone will be keeping his eyes on Mohamed and Lachen Ahansal, the twenty-something Moroccan brothers from the nearby desert outpost of Zagora. They have each participated several times in the event. Lachen won first prize in 2000, 1999 and 1997, and Mohamed won first prize in 1998 (and came in second in 2000). And when the race is over, all participants head back to Ouarzazate for an elaborate dinner and awards ceremony. The Marathon was founded in 1986 by a Frenchman named Patrick Bauer. Two years earlier he had taken a 200-mile trek through the Algerian Sahara, and his desire to share this experience evolved into today's race. It costs about US$2,600 to participate in the Marathon des Sables (the winner receives about US$4,500). You'll also need a medical certificate from your physician and results from an EKG test. When you fill out the entry form, pay special attention to the section concerning the "corpse repatriation fee." And during the race, if you become severely dehydrated and require an IV more than once, you'll be disqualified. What are you waiting for? |
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