04/04/09 - Aferdou Nsooualhine/Tizin Ighrs : 42 km

Conditions at 9.45am : 21,4°C and 29,6% hygrometry
Conditions at 12.15pm : 29°C and 16,5% hygrometry

4th stage Men ranking
2 Aziz El Akad (3-Morocco) 2h52m23s
1 Mohamad Ahansal (2-Morocco) 2h54m29s
3 Salameh El Aqrah (357- Jord) 3h04m28
4 Mustapha Ait Amar (8- Morocco) 3h06m00
5 Samir Akhdar (4- Morocco) 3h09m43s
6 Aurelio Antonio Olivar Roldan (529 – Spain) 3h10m32s
7 Jorge Aubeso (458 – Spain) 3h12m15s
8 Anton Vencelj (220 – Slovenia) 3h12m41s
9 Michael Wardian (870 – USA) 3h14m15s
10 Lorenzo Trincheri (460 – Italy) 3h19m57s

General Men ranking
1 Mohamad Ahansal (2-Morocco) 16h27m26s
2 Aziz El Akad (3-Morocco) 4m14s (time difference with top runner)
3 Salameh El Aqrah (357- Jord) 47m40s (time difference with top runner)
4 Anton Vencelj (220 – Slovenia) 1h47m09s (time difference with top runner)
5 Mustapha Ait Amar (8 Morocco) 1h49m11s (time difference with top runner)
6 Lorenzo Trincheri (460 – Italy) 2h14m27s (time difference with top runner)
7 Samir Akhdar (4- Morocco) 2h16m06s (time difference with top runner)
8 Michael Wardian (870 – USA) 2h17m23s (time difference with top runner)
9 Aurelio Antonio Olivar Roldan (529 – Spain) 2h23m24s (time difference with top runner)
10 Julio Gomez Camacho (473- Spain) 2h33m36s (time difference with top runner)
 
4th stage Women ranking
1 Touda Didi (265- Morocco)  4h16m52s
2 Luz Perez Carbajo (480 – Sapin) 4h18m33s
3 Rosa Espachs Olivera (504- Spain) 4h24m49s
4 Meghan Hicks (825 – USA) 4h30m51s
5 Simone Keyzer (434 – Luxemburg) 4h38m41s

General Women ranking
1 Touda Didi (265- Morocco)  23h30m44s
2 Meghan Hicks (825 – USA) 58m52s (time difference with top runner)
3 Luz Perez Carbajo (480 – Spain) 1h07m48s (time difference with top runner)
4 Simone Keyzer (434 – Luxemburg) 2h46m27s (time difference with top runner)
5 Rosa Espachs Olivera (504- Spain) 3h11m01s (time difference with top runner)
6 Jennifer Salter (782- GB) 3h14m04s (time difference with top runner)

General team ranking (provisionally)
1 Eurosport
2 Kia Motors Maroc
3 Legendre Bretagne

Mohamad Ahansal and Touda Didi, the two winners reiterated their last year's exploit. Coming from Zagroa's area, both won a second victory. On the men's side, the come back of the 10 times winner Lahcen Ahansal, did not change the final general ranking. The real fight opposed the Moroccans Mohamad Ahansal and Aziz El Akad, while the Jordanian Salameh Al Aqrah, 2nd in 2008, carried off a disappointing 3rd place. Proof that the Marathon des Sables has gained an international reputation, 7 different nationalities were represented in the top 10. This race is not any more a private game for Moroccan competitors. Considering the physical lapse of Mohamad Ahansal, many pretenders will dream of victory next year

On the women's side, no surprise, Touda Didi, won all the stages way ahead of her competitors. With a  8,60 km/h average speed, her timing would rank her in the top 30 men ranking. In top shape, the American  Meghan Hicks finished at the second position for her first participation: an exploit. She came in Morocco « to discover another part of the world », she really surpassed herself. The Spanish newcomer Luz Perez Carbajo won a well deserved third rank. 

On the teams' side, Eurosport won the first place thanks the remarkable performance of  Slovenian Anton Vencelj. His team mates Charles Cosman and William Davies, finishing respectively on the 15th and 22nd ranks complete this mulicultural team (Canada, GB and Slovenia).

Special congratulations to the amazing Marco Olmo, 60 years old, who finished at the 12th place in the general ranking and won way ahead in his category.