The MARATHON DES SABLES is all about management
;for one week everyone must manage strength, food and water needs. “ A
PLANNED RACE IS A SUCCESSFUL ONE”
Especially in Southern Morocco at a time of year when the temperature
can exceed 100 degrees Farhenheit in the sun. Due to the nature
of the terrain crossed throughout the race, the body is under
strain, and thanks to the experience acquired by the doctors
in previous years, we can advise you on how to avoid
certain mistakes and how to prepare efficiently for this “extraordinary
expedition”.
1.
Your equipment may quickly become an
unsurmountable handicap !
When you have to be self-sufficient for all your food and water needs, everything
you carry must be carefully weighed so that you do not have to carry anything
not adjusted to the physical performance it is meant to deliver.
The backpack : check that the frame will not cause injury to your back or shoulders
because of frequent rubbing.
2.
Select your food carefully.
There again, weight is a major consideration.There are now numerous food products
which are vacuum packed or freeze dried and their small volume and weight make
them ideal solutions for this kind of undertaking. When planning your meals you
must include a solid breakfast and high energy snacks every 20 to 30 minutes
during the race. The evening meal should, of course, replace all the calories
lost during the day.
3.
How to plan nutritious and balanced meals ?
Know the fundamental food groups : Proteins : generally stored in muscles (46 % of the proteins in the body) 15
% of your total caloric intake should be made of animal and vegetal proteins
to
maintain the nitrogen balance in the body. Fats : fatty tissues store fats. Body reserves are usually 13 % of the total
body
mass. Daily requirements in fat are about 30 % of the total caloric intake Carbohydrates: the number one need is glucose “favorite
muscle fuel during
a sustained activity”. Daily needs represent 55 % of the total caloric
intake. There are two carbohydrate groups :
- sugar which is rapidly assimilated by the body after absorption.
- sugar which is slow burning, found for example in pasta bread, potatoes or
rice which are stored by the body to be used as needed.
In addition to the above any balanced diet should include the following :
- a lot of water (1 to 1. 5 ml of water per calorie ingested).
During the MARATHON DES SABLES a daily intake of 3 000 to 4 000 calories is required
to compensate daily losses due to physical effort. With a diet composed of 15
% proteins, 30 % fats and 55 % carbohydrates (with at least, half of those, slow
burning carbohydrates), water consumptiom should be between
6 and 7 liters per day.
To that water it is necessary to add electrolytes and vitamins. Consequently,
food should be salted correctly and potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium,
vitamin C, B1, B2, PP, supplements are indispensable. Pratical suggestions :
Outside of meals taken before and after the race, dried fruit and nuts, fruit
paste, chocolate bars or high energy bars are perfect snacks during the race.
Drinking water given out in the morning and at check points is indispensable
to restore water losses due to physical effort and heat. At the end of the daily
race, an energy drink with glucose and mineral salts speeds up the restocking
of the body, hence revitalization.
4.
Clothes are important too :
You must cover your head to avoid sunstroke and heat exhaustion. The best adapted
clothing is made of loose fitting cotton. Cotton allows air circulation, avoids
chafing and water loss through perspiration. As to your feet, there is nothing
better than training before the race to ensure the good condition of your feet
during the race. They will carry you throughout the race if you take good care
of them. During the race they will be subject to constant friction and blister
treatment at night is the “daily routine” of the medical team.
5.
Before leaving you will have to check that :
- your vaccinations are current: tetanus and polio are still rampant in that
area, you’d better check your shots before leaving.
- you must have a medical check up done by a specialist in sports medecine to
make sure that there is no condition preventing your participation in the race.
Keep in mind that throughout the race the medical team is there for your safety.
Throughout the course of the race they will be there at each check point and
at the night camp. Do not hesitate to consult them. A small health problem treated
in time will not turn into anything serious that could stop you from pursuing
the magnificent MARATHON DES SABLES adventure.
We will see you soon on the African trail !
Edito
from the race director :
This superb 20th edition of MARATHON DES SABLES
with 777 competitors from 36 countries at the start, sealed
the success of the event. It now enters its third decade in
search of the most beautiful parts of the Moroccan Sahara.
I would like to congratulate the 7,000 competitors who’ve
put their trust in AOI and pay a special tribute to Lhacen
and Mohamad AHANSAL. These remarkable athletes have hoisted
their kingdom’s colours to the top of the podium for
the last nine years. The so-called « children of
Zagora » could scarcely have
imagined how our chance meeting in the middle of nowhere would
change their destiny.
The desert has transformed my existence too and shaped my professional
life. And MDS has drawn men and women from all over the world
in its wake. For them, this human adventure will remain engraved
in their memories forever. As Wilfrid Thesiger wrote: "No
man can live this life and emerge unchanged.
He will carry, however faint, the imprint of the desert, the
brand which marks the nomad; and he will have within him the
yearning to return, weak or insistent according to his nature.
For this cruel land can cast
a spell which no temperate clime can hope to match».
I spent two exceptional years travelling through West Africa,
making rich encounters and discoveries. During this time the
desert fascinated and drew me like nothing ever had. I promised
myself to return as soon as the opportunity arose. But who
can explain why one morning in December, still half asleep,
I would decide to walk across the Sahara; it’s a question
I still haven’t been able to answer.
Just three weeks after feeling the «call of the desert»,
dream became reality when, in the heart of the Sahara, I trekked
from Tamanrasset to In-Guezzam. It took me 12 days, all alone,
to cover the 350 kilometres.
"
Here, I owned nothing in the world, I was
a simple mortal, lost between the sand and
the stars, conscious only of the softness of
my breathing". (Saint Exupéry).
This solitary expedition made me want to share the experience.
And so I created the
MARATHON DES SABLES and along with that ATLANTIDE ORGANISATION
Internationale.
That was in 1986 and you know the rest!
In 2006, AOI will celebrate its 20th anniversary! As with the
20th MDS, it’s a good reason to have a few surprises
in store.
For me it’s an opportunity to thank the
companies, institutions and willing individuals I’ve
been lucky enough to meet along the way, as well as loyal friends,
volunteers, all my desert brothers from North and South, and
of course my colleagues who have played a major role
in making the event a success. They include Marie who has lent
her strength, rigour,
patience and unflinching support to the event from its very
outset.
I would also like to thank His Majesty Mohammed VI for placing
his trust in us and
for his High Benevolence. And to his wonderful kingdom of Morocco,
for its beauty and
legendary welcome. Rendez-vous on Planet Desert... see you soon under the stars.
All
the world's TV channels have access to
: Whether live, thanks to our satellite image station,
or pre-recorded for the longer reports, all the world's TV channels
have access to MARATHON DES SABLES images.
Many journalists from print, radio and audio-visual media come each
year to cover the event. At the end of each stage, computers, fax
machines and satellite phones work flat out to ensure, amongst other
things, that daily press releases are sent to the major international
press agencies.
In addition to these means of information there is the darbaroud.com
internet service which allows families, friends and sponsors to follow
the race each day and exchange messages with participants.
Ecologie & Développement
:
Since 1995, seven photovoltaic pumps have been installed and maintained thanks
to the MARATHON DES SABLES. These pumps make daily life easier for village-dwellers
as well as nomads who can get their herds to water more easily. Altogether, around
20,000 people have benefited from these installations, not to mention a training
centre for the disabled which has been able to develop a market gardening activity.
For the 20th MDS, a major project was realised with the help of the foundation
of VEOLIA Environnement. By laying 3 200 metres of canalisation, 2 neighbouring
villages were able to benefit from a solar-powered pump. Three school buildings
were entirely renovated, one of which was transformed into a sanitary block with
solar-powered water heater, showers, toilets and washbasins.
In addition to VEOLIA Environnement, several donors contributed to this installation
and we’d like to thank the charity BLEU SABLE presided by Gilles FLAMANT
who has been fund-raising since 1995, and Michel BACH who is as generous as ever.
JOGGING INTERNATIONAL magazine and its readers also took part in the project
as, naturally, did AOI.
The MARATHON DES SABLES regulations are attentive to environmental
concerns, reminding everyone that no bottle or rubbish is to be left on the race
route.
In recent years, AOI is the only organisation to use the services of Michel
MILLARD whose incinerator lorry burns all the rubbish generated through the
event thanks to a system of auto-combustion.
100 volunteers on the course itself
400 support staff overall
100 000 litres of bottled water
150 berber and saharan tents
100 all-terrain vehicles
1 "Ecureuil" helicopter and 1 "Cesna" plane
3 mountain bike
6 "MDS special" commercial planes
4 camels
20 000 litres of diesel, 5 000 litres of petrol,
10 000 litres of kerosene
40 members of medical team
5 km of Elastoplast , 2 700 Compeed, 15 000 compresses
2 800 pairs of gloves, 2 300 antibiotics, 5 300 painkillers
125 litres of disinfectant
1 editing bus, 5 cameras, 1 satellite image station
6 satellite telephones, 15 computers, fax and internet
1 grain of folly,...
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