TARGET 110504

THE HARDEST RACE IN THE WORLD

Up a sand dune

Only one of a thousand dunes to climb

Welcome to the world of lunatics and masochists – that’s what it says when you visit the “About” page on the official site of Le Marathon des Sables (The Marathon of the Sands).

Across the barren wasteland

Across the barren wasteland

They’re not just saying that. They mean it. The race consists of 243 km (151 mi.)of loose, sandy desert, on foot, over a period of 6 days. That’s 5 and a half normal marathons.

The medic rides along

The judges and medics ride camels

The participants run through the sand, with a backpack on in temperatures of over 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees celcius). The judges and medics, not being lunatics and masochists, wisely ride along on camels.

It's not all sand

It's not all sand...
you also get to run on rocks.

Food and water are rationed and handed out at specific checkpoints, so the runners have to reach them in order to get something to eat or drink. Even still, the food is unprepared, so the runners then have to prepare their own meals - meaning that they have to also carry their own cookstoves and fuel. They also have to carry their tents in order to camp out overnight in the unwelcoming Sahara desert. Extra footware is also very important as the rough terrain can do irreparable damage to their feet. They run on uneven, rocky, stony ground as well as sand dunes. And the rocks which aren't sharp are still very painful to feet which have been running for more than a hundred miles.

Many start

Many begin the race

But numbers dwindle

But their numbers dwindle

And few reach the finish line.

And few of them finish.

Now comes the crazy part, if you’re crazy enough to register for Le Marathon, you’ll need to come up with $5000 to pay the entrance fee, not to mention all the money you have to spend on equipment, traveling and training. They should’ve said that it's the most expensive race, too!

However, the money raised is not for profit. It is for charity. Individual participants can choose their own charities, or give the money to the Facing Africa fund which helps children across Africa to get needed medical supplies and treatments.

FEEDBACK MAP

Feedback map

If you got impressions for which this feedback is insufficient, please take a look at the following web sites for more:

The Facing Africa Sahara Marathon page