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Download
21th MDS regulation .pdf  (800
Ko)
Download 21th MDS commercial
booklet .pdf (1241
Ko)
Download 21th MDS registration
form .pdf (127
Ko)
21th MDS - Race presentation
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 :
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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 :
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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,... |
Download 21th MDS regulation .pdf (800
Ko)
Download 21th MDS commercial
booklet .pdf (1241
Ko)
Download 21th MDS registration
form .pdf (127
Ko) |
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Results 6 are available
(last update 15/04/06 - 22h50
french time)
number of dropping out (stage 6) : 0 |
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June 2005 : opening date for application.
31 july 2005 : application deadline.
28 february 2006 : closing date for fees.
07 april 2006 : departure* France/Morocco, transfer to first bivouac.
08 april 2006 : technical and administrative checks,
acclimatisation day.
09 - 15 april 2006 : the event.
16 april 2006 : transfer, dinner and night at hotel, relaxation,
lunch (at participants’expense), awards, entertainment,
dinner, night at hotel.
18 april 2006 : return* to France.
* those not taking the charter flight to and from France are required to book
their own flight arrangements. Contact your country representative for further
details.
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