WATER
100 000 litres of water are consumed during the event. AOI will distribute 9 litres per day to each competitor, at departure, check-points and arrival, see Art. 16.
You must manage your water from the starting line of one leg to the starting line of the next leg. The morning meal will be taken with water from the previous day.
" NON-STOP" stage CP 2, 4 et 5 ; choice between 1, 5 or 3 litres. If you take 1, 5 litres instead of the 3 litres available, you will not recover it at the finish line.
However, everyone will receive 4,5 litres of water at the bivouac, if arriving before 09H00 on day 2 and 3 litres if arriving after 09H00 on day 2. AOI remind you that water distributed to you will carry your official competition number and that it is forbidden to discard empty bottles on the track. Either you exchange the empty bottle for a full one at the control post or discard it at the control post after having filled your water carriers.

SLEEPING BAG
This is an obligatory item; competitors without will be penalized. Even the warm-blooded, after using a lot of calories need a sleeping bag for insulation against the cold of the night and for full recuperation. Our definition of sleeping bag is very wide going from ordinary camping bag to high quality mountain bag. For you to choose the happy medium, bearing in mind... weight and warmth.

BACKPACK
You alone must look after your backpack and its contents. Do not leave it lying around; think of penalties incurred in case of disappearances...See Art. 7, 24, 27 and 28.

CLOTHING
Cotton is the best material for T-shirt and shorts. Bring something warm to cover yourself at night at the bivouac.
Desert nights are cold. A sweat-shirt and track-suit bottoms will be welcome. You will have surely to move around on the night of the NON-STOP stage...

TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Throughout the competition, you will be able to call or fax your sponsors, family, girlfriends or boyfriends direct from the desert. This will be rendered possible by satellite facilities. Take cash or a credit card with you.
Cost of calls : approximately 4 Euros per minute – Email : free (one by day).
Once again this year, you will be able to use the Internet throughout the competition. This will allow families, friends and sponsors to keep abreast of events in the race and to read the daily press release.
Internet : http://www.darbaroud.com
Messages sent via INTERNET cannot be forwarded to competitors if they do not mention their name and number.
Remember to inform your local papers of these page access codes : your sponsors will appreciate it.

STOVE
You are advised to have a heating stove with alcohol tablets. Don't forget spares or you'll be eating cold. For security reasons gas cannister are forbidden. Be careful of strict checks by security personnel at airports.

FOOD
Provide your food as from breakfast time on 29 March, until breakfast time on 04 April which will be your last meal on self-reliance. You must provide all the meals that you will eat between these two dates. Freeze-dried food is recommended.
Add water and it's ready to eat. Calculate carefully your calories: 3000 - 4000 are necessary daily (varying between individuals).This plus energy bars should be the basis of your nourishment...

BIVOUAC
Competitors are housed in numbered Berber tents. The ground is covered by carpets. We ask you to leave enough space for others using your tent (8 people per tent). The number of your tent will be attributed (with your friends) during controls of 29 March in Morocco. All change of place will have to be authorize by the superintendent of
AOI in charge of the bivouac. Rubbish bags are deposited at the bivouacs. Please leave the desert as clean as it was when you arrived !

MARKINGS
All the course will be marked at approximately every 500 metres (subject to terrain). For the non-stop stage - around 80 kms long - luminous markers will be used during the night. You will need to take certain map reference points especially in the dunes where marking out is impossible. However, don't panic!!
The road- book* will indicate where to take the map* reference and to what degree. And if you are really in the dark as to what to do, wait for other competitors and work it out together. In all cases, however, listen carrefully to the course-director's briefing before the beginning of each stage.
* road-book + map wil be give to you the 27 March 2009 in Morocco.

LUGGAGE
You will need a backpack for the race and a lockable travelling bag (or suitcase) for your personal effects before and after the race. Remember to bring clothes for the flight and the dinner!
Total weight of the two bags : maximum 20 kg.
The luggage containing your personal effects will be given to AOI on the 2nd day during the administrative, technical and medical checks. It will only be returned to you after arrival at the final finishing line. After the first night of camping, you will be in a better position to evaluate your needs. You will be aware of the daytime and night-time temperatures and will have had advice from the "old hands" so that you can make a last adjustment if necessary.
Therefore, you will be able to reduce or increase the weight of your backpack before handing your luggage over…

TO BE NOTED
The use of gaiters may be very useful in the sand; but they have to be carried and this adds to the weight...
All too few competitors go to the chiropodist to prepare their feet, a mistake that many regret afterwards... Shoes two sizes larger and with a wider fitting at toe level will be more comfortable when your feet swell due to the heat ... or plasters !
No ointment or greasy products on areas that rub (between thighs, calves ...). The sand dust soon makes it like sandpaper .... Ouch !
Even if it is not compulsory, we should like to remind you that the Tetanus vaccine will protect you against serious infections due to thorn pricks.
Pack and unpack your rucksack a number of times in advance until you know exactly where everything goes.
The aspivenom pump absolutely must be close at hand. A waist bag combined with a rucksack will help balance the load. Gradually get used to long outings by alternating endurance racing and walking fast.

TIMING
27 March 2009: rendez-vous at airport; reception by team AOI; flight to Morocco*; arrival Ouarzazate; transfer by bus to 1st bivouac; 1 hour stop to eat provided by team AOI; arrival and setting in at bivouac, dinner provided by team AOI; 1st night in berber tents.
28 March 2009: breakfast provided by team AOI; technical, medical and administrative controls ; deposit of bag with personal belongings to AOI ; free day once controls are finished; lunch, dinner provided by team AOI; 2nd night at bivouac.
29, 30, 31 March, 1, 2, 3 and 4 April 2009: 1st stage: the race. The self sufficiency begins from breakfast.
4 April 2009: last stage; reception by team AOI and authorities at arrival; meal; transfer to Hotel; recuperation of personal belongings; free afternoon, dinner and night hotel.
5 April 2009: breakfast at hotel; morning free; lunch is to be paid by you at the restaurant of your choice at Ouarzazate, coktail/prize-giving; dinner and night hotel.
6 April 2009: breakfast hotel ; transfer by bus to the airport; flight departure*; arrival Paris.
*Flight time tables will be published later. Plan for an early depature by plane on 27th March, and a late arrival at Paris on 06 April.
OTHER MEALS PROVIDED BY AOI
- 27 March: breakfast or lunch during the flight, lunch packet and dinner
- 28 March: breakfast, lunch and dinner
- 04 April: lunch packet and dinner hotel
- 05 April: breakfast; dinner hotel
- 06 April: breakfast, lunch or dinner during the flight

ADVENTURE WITHOUT MISHAPS
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 !