CONTACT AOI (phone, email,...) AOI Representatives AOI Head Office - World Competitors information Medias - Press and TV Production Sponsoring and Organisation
This extraordinary outdoor race is both a
great
human adventure and a sporting challenge
as
competitors try to conquer the vastness of
the
desert. It also takes you on an intense voyage
within yourself, uniting a multitude of languages
and cultures from all over the world.
A record 801 competitors from 32 countries
set
off on MDS 2008. Despite the length and difficulty
of this year’s event, only 50 or so
people pulled
out. In seizing victory so brilliantly,
Mohammad AHANSAL had to deal with heavy
pressure and fight off numerous rivals. He
receives
my hearty congratulations as do all the participants,
renowned or anonymous, runners or walkers,
who made it to the finish line.
BRAVO to you all !
Our
nomadic village, with its 1,200-plus residents,
moves from one bivouac to another everyday.
AOI employs a considerable logistics infrastructure
to ensure the environment and exceptional sites
we pass through are left as they were found.
Every man and woman on our Saharan caravan
enthousiastically shares this desire to preserve
nature. In fact there is now worldwide awareness
of the importance of environmental issues and
we must all set a good example. This is also
part of the MARATHON DES SABLES spirit!
I can’t thank you enough for all the kind words and humour you proffer
despite the heat and pain ; the tear-filled expressions, the smiles. We share
so many memorable moments packed with emotion and happiness. As you hear me shout
each morning from the top of the 4x4 «You are Magnifique!» Thanks
to you I’m still as passionate about this event as I was in the early days.
My thanks to this wonderful country, with its legendary hospitality, and to His
Majesty King Mohammed VI for the precious support and goodwill he accords MDS.
All the ATLANTIDE ORGANISATION team will be doing their utmost to make sure the
24th edition is one of your best souvenirs ever.
We look forward to seeing you soon on Planet Sand.
Race Director
Patrick BAUER
MEDIAS LIVE
FROM THE DESERT
When you
want to get to the heart of an event nowadays
you just press on the remote-control or click
on the
mouse. In response to this thirst for information,
the MARATHON DES SABLES organisation uses the
highest-performing
equipment on the market.
Its production company is equipped with the
latest digital card-operated cameras and thanks
to a featherweight
satellite broadcast station reports are sent
daily to television stations all over the world.
Nearly 1,000 TV channels
in more than 200 countries have access to images
of MARATHON DES SABLES. MDS 2008 appeared on
several hundred TV broadcasts.
A daily press communiqué is sent to
the main international press agencies. Near-on
800 articles on MDS 2008
appeared in the print press.
During the race, the darbaroud.com web-site
publishes the latest rankings along with a
selection of photos.
You can also watch video clips and listen to
audio files.
The site allows families, friends and sponsors
to exchange messages
with participants during the race. During the
23rd
MARATHON DES SABLES, 39,885 emails
were received. The darbaroud.com
team distributed each one to
competitors.
ECOLOGY
AND SOLIDARITY
When you love nature, the very least you
can do is respect
it. For around 20 years, the MARATHON DES
SABLES has
shown its strong commitment to this principle.
ATLANTIDE ORGANISATION Internationale doesn’t
just
issue penalties to competitors throwing
bottles and wrappings
on the race route; it also looks for ways
of preserving
the environment.
As a result, two companies now work on
cleaning the
bivouacs. One collects rubbish, the others
destroys it via a unique
auto-combustion incinerator lorry. Every
day toilets are installed
for competitors, using biodegradable products
that help
dissolve human waste. Since every last
detail matters, AOI distributed
little pocket ashtrays in 2008 allowing
smokers to dispose of cigarette
stubs. In the renewable energies sector,
the competitors’ reception
tent gets its electricity from a gel battery.
The battery is recharged via
connection either to a vehicle’s
electric circuit when in use or a solar
panel on
the bivouac.
ECOLOGY AND SOLIDARITY
AOI works alongside EAUSOLEIL association, proof
that solidarity consists first and foremost in bringing
together different skills to get results. The
DROIT AU COEUR and THEOLIA teams share this
philosophy and have generously contributed to
the second phase of a project begun in 2007 in
the small village of JDAID. A kitchen, meeting room, office
and treatment room have now been added to the women’s
artisan workshop, after-school area, nursery and toilets. The
cooperative constitutes a micro economy, improving the position
of women within village life and encouraging people to
continuing living in the desert.
The last phase of the project will include an irrigation network
for crops in the palm-grove, water and sanitation
works in the complex. The medical area will be extended
and equipped
ATLANTIDE
ORGANISATION
EVER ATTENTIVE FOR 23 YEARS NOW • 100 volunteers
on the course itself
•
400 support staff overall
•
100 000 litres of mineral water
•
200 berber and saharan tents
•
100 all-terrain vehicles
•
2 "Ecureuil" helicopter and 1 "Cesna" plane
•
3 mountain bike
•
4 "MDS special" commercial planes
•
19 bus
•
4 camels
•
1 incinerator lorry for burning waste
•
6 quad to ensure environment
and safety on race
•
42 members of medical team
•
5 km of Elastoplast , 2 700 Compeed,
15 000 compresses
•
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,...
OVER 10 000 COMPETITORS
SINCE 1986
30 % repeat competitors
70 % international
30 % French
14 % women
45 % veterans
30 % in teams of three or more
10 % walkers
90 % alternate walking and running
14 km/hr: average maximum speed
3 km/hr: average minimum speed
Age of youngest competitor: 16
Age of oldest competitor: 78
