Sandy Marathon in Morocco - the hardest endurance test

The sandy marathon Sultan Marathon des Sables is held in the desert of Morocco for the 31st time. This year, the number of people who want to go through the hot sand of the Sahara has exceeded one thousand. The distance that participants must overcome is 256 kilometers. The competition takes place in 5 stages and lasts 6 days.

This desert marathon is recognized as the most extreme of all. During the competition, athletes are provided only with a tent and 9 liters of water daily, and they have to carry all other equipment and food themselves.

The initiator of the first such event was Patrick Bowers in 1986. It all started a few years earlier, in 1984, when the 28-year-old Bowers decided to walk a 350-kilometer stretch of uninhabited Sahara, where there are no oases, ponds or villages. He took a 35 kg backpack with him and hit the road, following the route he had set up in 12 days. Then it came to him the idea to arrange such a marathon in the desert.

The competition became an annual event, and each time more and more people want to take part in it. Both beginners and experienced runners can test their strength and endurance in a sand marathon.

This year 130 volunteers and 450 support staff participated in the organization of the race. Of the vehicles, 120 all-terrain vehicles, a Cessna aircraft, and two helicopters were on standby. The health of the marathon runners was monitored by a team of 57 medical workers.

120 tons of water, 3 hundreds of Berber tents and tents, 6,000 packs with painkillers, 19,000 packs, over 6 kilometers of Elastoplast patch and another 2,700 packs of Compeed brand patch were purchased for the contestants.

The winner in the marathon was a resident of Morocco, Rashid El Morabiti, whose result was 21 hours 1 minute 21 seconds.

The Russians also took part in the race. Natalya Sedykh became the winner among women, and in the overall standings her result took 11th place. Natalia reached the finish line in 24 hours 45 minutes 26 seconds. Her victory was the first among the Russians participating in the desert marathon in the 21st century.