A sea of Pirates on the 3.8K swimPre-race, the city was teeming with yellow and stamped with skulls and crossbones. The question ‘who are these pirates?’ was asked in 25 different languages. The roadsweepers, the shopkeepers, the motorbike officials – all had a wave and a cheer f...
, sand and intensity of the MdS, but smart training will get you as close as possible. Nail down a long-term training plan and sign up for an ultra or two (there are a growing number of multi-day stage races on our events listings). For a pre-race multi
to work and back as often as I could with a loaded backpack, and doing back-to-back long runs at the weekend. But none of it really prepared me for the first stage of the 250.7K challenge, and its 13K section of sand dunes. They were the kind
and blisteringly boiling. In a departure from the norm for the Marathon des Sables, the final stage was to finish in the small town of Tazzarine (rather than on a sand dune). The last 2K would take runners through the narrow streets of the town to the finish line
certainly never run a race like this one. It traverses one of the most beautiful bays at low tide, over sand of varying texture, with occasional waves lapping over your laces. The 13 or 14K as the seagull flies will seem more like a half-marathon effort
- made it easier for nearly 1,000 runners to defy some atrocious weather.The first mile took the field along the beach, where the sand was compacted by the rain and therefore relatively easy to run on. Next up was a spell along the promenade, a circuit
Stage 1 : 33KThe first 13K of the stage was on the flat. The ground was uneven but firm and I was feeling fine. In the distance were towering sand dunes that shimmered like silk; they turned out to be the next part of the route and stunning though
I'd finish but after two days I've revised my thinking: my goal is now simply to finish. Six people dropped out on the first day. I don't want my name added to that list.Tomorrow we face another 38K, with 12K of sand dunes. I'm hoping it
When: April 3Where: BournemouthFirst man: Jon Sharkey 33:06First woman: Rebekah Gardiner 38:46Last finisher: 2:35:52No. of finshers: 1,322Type of race: RoadRW rating 2011: 92%With golden sands and blue sea to one side, and rows of brightly painted
from the Marathon des Sables.The Race The Marathon des Sables (MdS or Marathon of the Sands) is a seven-day six-stage race held annually across a section of the Sahara desert in southern Morocco. 2011 sees the 26th running of the event that is often
