Last Updated on April 15, 2023

The Marathon des Sables, known as the “toughest footrace on earth,” will kick off on Friday, April 21 to Monday, May 1 in southern Morocco. The six-day, 250km (156-mile) ultra-marathon takes place in the Sahara Desert and requires competitors to traverse through harsh Saharan terrain, extreme heat, and carry their own supplies.

The race comprises six stages spread over seven days, with checkpoints every five to nine miles. These checkpoints provide fresh water, medical attention, and waste disposal. Although the exact route of the course is undisclosed, the race is marked every 500m, and each runner receives a detailed guidebook of the course.

Official promo footage for the Marathon des Sables 2023.

Competitors must carry their entire food intake, consisting of 21,000-28,000 calories, for seven days. Freeze-dried food is the recommended choice to reduce weight, and they must also carry necessary proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. The race provides 120,000 litres of water at departure, checkpoints, and arrival each day.

With a distance of five and a half regular marathons and equipment on their backs, participants can walk some parts of the course. Runners must mentally prepare for the challenge, as the course is tough and mentally draining. The Sahara’s temperature can reach 50 degrees Celsius, making headwear mandatory. While rare, runners should inspect their gear daily for any wildlife, such as snakes, before starting the course.

Marathon des Sables 2023
Marathon des Sables participants traverse the Sahara desert in Morocco. This year’s edition will take place from April 21st to May 1st.

The Marathon des Sables provides eight-man tents with groundsheets, called Bivouacs, for participants. Runners choose their tent from the reserved space for their registration country.

To register, runners can visit the Marathon des Sables’ official website, with an entry fee of €3,190 for an individual entry and €3,290 per team member for teams. The official website outlines the race requirements, including accepting the rules, meeting deadlines, providing medical certificates, and taking out insurance.

The Marathon des Sables provides a race tracking website to track competitors’ locations through spot tags. The tracking devices ensure that no competitors get lost on the course. The race tracking website link will be available to the public as soon as it is accessible.

Completing the Marathon des Sables requires exceptional physical and mental preparation. The winners’ list is impressive, with Morocco’s Lahcen Ahansal leading the men’s category with ten wins and France’s Laurence Fricotteaux-Klein winning the women’s category thrice. The record time for the race is held by France’s Bernard Gaudin, who completed it in 14:39:44.

As the “toughest footrace on earth” begins next week in southern Morocco, participants and fans can look forward to an exciting and challenging adventure in the Sahara Desert.

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