Stage
n°6 : ERG CHEBBI/MERZOUGA – 11,7 km
Communiqué n°8 : 31/03/07 at 13h
Number of participants at start of this stage:
727
Terrain : 4.3 Km of slightly stony plateau, 1.1km
crossing of wadi, 6.3km crossing of erg Chebbi,
finish line at MERZOUGA.
Température : 37° at 12 H
Hygrometry : 15% at 12h
CP (check-points) : 0
Warm and sunny, light winds
STAGE RANKINGS:
Men :
1- Mohamad AHANSAL (MOR D 3) 50’48’’
2- Lahcen AHANSAL (MOR D1) 53’05’’
3- Aziz EL AKAD (MOR D26) 54’14’’
4- Mustapha AIT AMAR (MOR-D4) 56’49’’
5- Samir AKHDAR (MOR D2) 58’04’’
Women :
1- Touda DIDI (MOR-D6) 1h 10’33’’
2- Laurence FRICOTTEAUX (FR-D347) 1h 10’33’’
3- Anna SUTTON (GB-D546) 1h13’56’’
PROVISIONAL
GENERAL RANKINGS
Men
1. Lahcen AHANSAL (MAR D1) en 17h25
2. Mohamed AHANSAL (MAR D 3) en 17h37
3. Aziz EL AKAD (MAR D26) en 17h59
Women
1. Laurence FRICOTTEAUX (FR-D347) en 23H28’
2. Touda DIDI (MAR-D6) en 23h50’
3. Véronique Matur (FR D229) en 26h36’
After an enchanting sunset at the foot of the
Merzouga dunes, and concert given by a counter-tenor
and sextet from the Opéra de Paris here
on the bivouac, 727 competitors set off on the
final stage of the 22nd MARATHON DES SABLES.
By way of warm-up they had a demonstration of
the New Zealand Haka, beautifully demonstrated
by 5 Kiwi competitors. A real boost for this
last stage!
The stage involved crossing the dunes of erg
Chebbi, known more commonly as the Merzouga dunes.
They’re the highest in Morocco. The leading
runners set off at a rapid pace, eager to get
back home. Some dream of a cool beer, others
a pizza and all, no doubt, of a good old shower.
Mohamad AHANSAL is first over the finish line,
just at the exit of the dunes. He ran the 11.7
Km in just 50’48 ‘’ and comes
in brandishing a card with the number 53 in homage
to Bernard Julé (D53). He’s followed
by brother Lahcen who secures his 10th MDS victory… earning
the title « Prince of the Desert ».
Aziz EL AKAD (MOR), the revelation of this edition,
comes in third.
On the women’s side, Didi TOUDA (MOR-D6)
and Laurence FRICOTTEAUX (FR-D347) cross the
finish line hand in hand, the Moroccan draped
in the national flag. Anna SUTTON (GB D546) puts
in a great performance and takes 3rd place. Little
change in the general rankings however : Laurence
FRICOTTEAUX wins the women’s race, an extraordinary
achievement for her first ever MDS.
The competitors cross the finish line steadily
over a period of 3 and a half hours. The atmosphere
is ecstatic and highly-emotional. Patrick Bauer
gives each one a medal. Many, both men or women,
shed a tear. Juan Oliveira Rodriguez (D572 SP)
dances over the finish line, Véronique
Matur (FR D229) screams with joy before bursting
into tears. Bjorn Lawton (D710 GB) is only too
happy to wait to get his photo taken with Patrick
Bauer. A spirit of solidarity reigns, and the
rankings seem less important : Mark Hopkins (GB
D687) gets in 11 minutes ahead of his fellow
firefighters but insists on waiting before crossing
the line. Fight together, finish together, that’s
the spirit many on this race can identify with.
A particularly warm welcome is reserved for blind
runner Odile Hochard and her guide Gérard
Delavaud. She dedicates her medal to Gerard.
They completed the stage in under 3 hours !
The last competitor is Shigeru TOMIYAMA (JAP
D472). It took him 3h36’’. From first
to last, they’re all winners, they all
get the same medal. |
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