Press release at 15h
Stage 4
: Maharch/Jebel El Mraïer
Distance
: 57 km – 5 check-points
Thursday 12 April 2006
Temperature : 33°C at 12h
Hygrometry : 19 % at 12h
607 competitors
at the start of this stage
Number of retirements during this stage
: 24
Total retirements so far: 147
PROVISIONAL
STAGE RANKINGS
Men
1. Salameh Al Aqra (D164, Jordan)
4h53m25’’
2. Lahcen Ahansal (1, Morocco) at
03m18’’
3. Lhoucine Akhdar (369 Morocco) at
25m14
4. Samir Akhdar (20 Morocco) at
27m59’’
5. Lionel Eveno (150 France) à 37m37’’
Women
1. Géraldine Courdesses (153,
France) 07h31m43’’
2. Lorena Di Vito (728, Italy) at
06m22’’
3. Luisa Balsamo (715, Italy) at 50m27
4. Alessia Bertolino (714, Italy) at
55m27’’
5. Emiko Maeda (747, Japon) at 1h13m31’’
PROVISIONAL
GENERAL RANKINGS
Men
1. Lahcen Ahansal (1, Morocco) 13H14m25’’
2. Salameh Al Aqra (D164, Jordan) at
23m00’’
3. Abderrahmane Maliki (12 Morocco)
at 48m03’’
4. Mohamad Ahansal (2, Morocco) at
1h06m23’’
5. Lhoucine Akhdar (369 France) at
1h25m02’’
6. Samir Akhdar (20 Morocco) at
1h40m49’’
Women
1. Geraldine Couderesses (153, France)
20h50m15’’
2. Lorena Di Vito (728, Italy) at
49m24’’
3. Alessia Bertolini (714, Italy) at
1h17m35’’
4. Touda Didi (3, Maroc) at 2h43m47
Teams
1. Team Lorans Salomon (D184,185,186,
France) average time 17h11m54’’
2. Comanav 1 (D 1,2,3,745, Morocco)
at 08m14’’
3. Legendre Bretagne 1 (D351,352,353,354
France) at 25m53’’
The long stage of the Marathon des
sables, reduced by 15kms, proved to
be less savage than the preceding stages.
24 competitors pulled out during this,
far fewer than during the first 3 days.
Jordanian Salameh Al Aqra created a
surprise by beating the favourite Lahcen
Ahansal by 3 minutes, having led the
race all the way. Frenchwoman Géraldine
Courdesses (153) confirmed her status
as the revelation of this edition of
MDS. In winning this stage she’s
consolidated her position in the general
rankings and barring accidents should
carry off the women’s title.
The two Italians Alessia Bertolino
(714) and Lorena Di Vito (728) followed
her at a distance throughout. Note
that Touda Didi (3 Morocco) slipped
well back, arriving in pain 2 hours
43 minutes behind the imperial Géraldine.
While the leaders finished the stage
before sunset, the vast majority of
the competitors were out walking on
the Saharan pistes at night. As luck
would have it, there was a full moon
to keep them company, and which gave
a poetic touch to the stage. There
were surrealist scenes at the last
two check-points (open all night) :
improbable encounters such as only
MDS can provide. Debates about the
meaning of life, shared moments of
strong emotion, discussions between
people with nbo common language….
The night stage brings it all to the
fore.
Just before midday Annette Herdman
(553, GB), aged 56, was the last competitor
to cross the finish line after 25 hours
and 14 minutes on the course. True
to tradition, hundreds of the other
runners were there to cheer her in
and recognise her achievement. “My
kids will kill me, she says, “I
really didn’t expect to see all
those people. It was an amazing welcome.
Worth being last for »
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