April 09

MARATHON DES SABLES MOROCCO 2018: EL MORABITY AND SEDYKH LEADERS AFTER STAGE 1 (30k) REPORT, RESULTS AND PHOTOS

Posted by mayayo oxigeno on April 9, 2018 in altra running, marathon des sables 2017, marathon des sables peru, marathon des sables peru 2017, trail running, trail running peru, trail running spain, Ultra Trail, ultra trail 2017, waa ultra | Leave a comment

The start of the MARATHON DES SABLES was given at 9AM (GMT) yesterday April 8th. 977 competitors threw themselves into the 30 kilometres of a first stage opening an amazing 33rd edition. The Marathon des Sables magic as an ultratrail comes not really from the challeng of finishing, since every edition sees home around 90% of the entries, way above the usual 60-70% ratios of truly demanding ultras all over the world. Sables is more about shared camaraderie under the desert skies, a personal experience for all involved, that sure enough does not com cheap to anyboy, neither in terms of the week of endurance involved nor in the highly expensive tag to enter the race.

Our live coverage will b carried out from inside the race by our runner-reporter Alex Fraguela. A veteran ultrarunner based at the Canaries who tested himself at the Half Marathon des Sables Furteventura and finished among top5. alex will now share the race through his yes with us on a daily basis here in english and also at our sister website CARRERASDEMONTANA.COM in spanish.

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MARATHON DES SABLES: STAGE ONE.

Now, it’s no longer a mere dream: the 977 competitors of the 33rd edition of the MARATHON DES SABLES took the start of the mythical race this morning at 9 AM. Indeed, yesterday’s checks delivered 977 “visas” authorising as many men and women to compete. All the favourite runners are present, but a few unknown competitors didn’t make it to the compulsory checks, for various reasons (injury, disease, professional commitment, etc.)… The number almost dropped to 976 on the start line, as a Swiss competitor fell ill yesterday evening and had to be hospitalised during the night, but luckily, he felt better in the morning and was able to join the pack before the start. Cheered on the start line of this first stage of 30 km, the unlucky man was then able to get a taste of the daunting task awaiting his comrades and him over the next days.

STAGE OF THE DAY: STAGE 1
Distance: 30.3 km
Stage start: 9:00 AM
Maximum time: 10 hours
Description: A rather easy stage, with three sections of small dunes to cross
977 competitors on the start line

“It’s awesome – frankly, it’s really…” A few minutes after crossing the finish line, Sabine DE MARNE (D0779-FRA) is unable to finish her sentence. The suspension points illustrate the emotion, amazement and simple joy a child could feel after a great afternoon spent playing with his or her friends. That’s also something that characterises the MARATHON DES SABLES: grown-up kids who are having fun, who are enjoying the pleasure of crossing these desert expanses, fuelled by the desire to know what is hiding behind the dunes, but also behind their tiredness, their exhaustion, and the limits of their own body.

Limits that are reached very early in the extreme desert conditions: “I have blisters under both feet, on the arches. I was forced to walk for 15 km. For now, I’m gonna rest, then I’ll go and see the Docs.” Amadou KONE (D0976-FRA) is not alone in his dire condition: Raphael BERNIGAUD (D0827-FRA), an MDS finisher in 2003, found this first stage “particularly difficult. Very soon, I found myself in a difficult situation, amidst the dunes and the suffocating stretches. I had to slow down more than foreseen.” Besides afflicted competitors, many others have not lost their sense of humour, such as Briton Steven SHIPP (D0608-GBR): “My best moment today? When I saw the finish line from the top of the dunes!” he says jokingly two minutes after crossing the finish line.

In the Elite category, those who have been following attentively the MARATHON DES SABLES will certainly have noticed the strange similarity between the first stages of this year and last year. At the beginning of the race, the Moroccan favourites stayed behind, giving space for expression to Europeans such as Merile ROBERT (D0954-FRA), who led the race for a few kilometres: “I hope to end the race in the Top 10, since last year, I finished 14th.” Then, the talent and physical capabilities of Moroccans Rachid and Mohamed EL MORABITY (D0001 & D0205-MAR) took over, and in the last hectometres, Rachid let his younger brother take the stage win.

In the Women’s category, the race was also a copy-paste of 2017, with imperial Natalia SEDYKH (D0220-RUS) replacing equally imperial Elisabet BARNES, the current title holder. The extremely fit Russian led the female runners, ahead of American Magdalena BOULET (D1019-USA), but the gaps are small: the race is just beginning!

STAGE 1 RANKINGS

Women’s Top 3: 1-Natalia SEDYKH RUS 2:38:47; 2- Magdalena BOULET USA 2:43:09; 3- Bouchra ERIKSEN DEN 2:47:05
Men’s Top 3: 1- Mohamed EL MORABITY TGCC MAR 2:11:30; 2- Rachid EL MORABITY TGCC MAR 2:11:42; 3- Abdelkader EL MOUAZIZ TGCC MAR 2:13:00

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MARATHON DES SABLES 2018 MOROCCO: THE PROGRAM.

This event will once again be held at the Moroccan Sahara, Ouarzazate region, as a desert ultra-trail in food self-sufficiency condition, covering 6 stages, approximately 250 km. The race has attracted more than 20,000 participants since 1986, with over 1,000 competitors expected in 2018

• 6 April: Competitors arrive in Morocco
• 7 April: Inspections day
• 8, 9 and 10 April: First, second and third stages
• 11 and 12 April: Long stage (4th stage)
• 13 April: Marathon stage, last competitive stage
• 14 April: ‘SOLIDARITÉ MARATHON DES SABLES’ stage
• 15 April: Free day
• 16 April: Competitors return to their home countries

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MARATHON DES SABLES INTERNATIONAL: MOROCCO, PERU AND FUERTEVENTURA.

Ever since 2018 Marathon des Sables has now expanded internationally with sister events held at Peru (250km) and Fuerteventura (125k). See below the official video of the Peruvian race at th Ica desert, a unique landscape of sand dunes moving right into the ocean.