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Last year, I concluded my editorial in the following way : “Rest assured that the whole AOI team will give their very best to make sure that this 24th edition will be one of your best lifetime memories”.
I don’t know if MARATHON DES SABLES 2009 will remain as such for all those who experienced it, but I sincerely hope so. All its participants are unanimous as regards the energy which went into it and the anticipation and responsiveness of the organisational team in maintaining the race in spite of the exceptional weather conditions : not seen for 50 years!
In almost a quarter of a century, we have nevertheless experienced some strong emotions during sudden bouts of rainfall, the invasion of billions of crickets or uninterrupted sandstorms lasting five days, but this time around I really thought that we were going to fall hostage to a furious mother nature, giving us a terrible lesson in humility.
Although rain, so rare in these arid regions, is a heaven-sent blessing, I must, however, admit that, after the swelling wadis which blocked our convoy for a long time, the collapsed road where the remaining asphalt was only just wide enough to allow our vehicles to pass and our bivouac, which was completely flooded and inaccessible and had to be flown over, my morale also took a hit from all that water...
I would not wish these great moments of solitude upon any organiser. Cancellation would have been terribly frustrating for everybody and, luckily, the risks we took paid off. Despite the fact that all the preparations were completely reworked, with the creation of a new route from one day to the next, 771 competitors from 40 countries crossed the final finish line with unbridled joy at the end of a 202 kilometres journey with one stage covering 91 kms : the longest non-stop in the history of the MDS.
I would like to thank them all from the bottom of my heart for placing their trust in me and I take my hat off to all the management teams who showed a great capacity to face up to an unprecedented situation.
I greet Mohamad Ahansal’s victory, for the second year running, with respect, along with that of Didi Touda in the women’s race.
The international level of the competition has taken a new turn with seven different nationalities in the overall top ten.
For this 25th anniversary edition, we hope for as good a level of competition and “above all”, much kinder weather. I also promise you some nice surprises : a quarter of a century is something to celebrate! This has been a good occasion to give our logo a slightly new look, without fundamentally altering it. Our objectives for 2010 will also be to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions through taking account of the results of our carbon footprint and setting up new technological innovations. And, as ever, we will once again support large charitable projects.
The whole of the AOI team is waiting impatiently for you, with an enthusiasm which just keeps growing!
Thank you to all the protagonists involved in this great adventure and to His Majesty King Mohammed VI who has, for fifteen years, granted us his excellent goodwill and precious support.
Rendez-vous under the stars for a highly colourful edition!
Patrick BAUER - Race Director
MEDIAS LIVE
FROM THE DESERT
During the competition, reports went out each day to televisions all over the world. More than 1000 television channels in more than 200 countries have access to images from the MARATHON DES SABLES.
INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES : Reuter, SNTV, EVS, MAP, AFP, etc. INTERNATIONAL CHANNELS : Eurosport 2 (46 countries/32 million homes), TV5 World (203 countries/198 million homes), Eurosport (59 countries in 20 languages/120 million homes), Al Jazzeera, France 24, Euronews. NATIONAL CHANNELS : Arte, TV3, Rai Sport, HR3, Aryadia, RTM, 2M, TF1, France 2, M6, BFM, Infos Sport, LCI, Equipe TV, Orange TV, BBC, TVE, Medi 1 Sat, … WEB : Dailymotion, You tube, Lequipe.fr, Runnersworld.com, TV5.com, Jogginginternational.com, darbaroud.com, …
The MARATHON DES SABLES organisational team is equipped with the best performing equipment.
- new Panasonic card cameras,
- featherweight satellite broadcasting station.
The written press devoted almost 700 articles to this latest edition :
- sending of a daily press release to the main international press agencies.
For each stage, the darbaroud.com website offers :
- the ranking,
- a selection of photos,
- video clips,
- radio interviews,
- message exchanges between participants and their families, as well as their sponsors. More than 33,000 emails were sent in 2009.
6th SPORSORA SPORTS MARKETING TROPHY
Awarded to the most professional, comprehensive, transversal and innovative sports marketing campaigns. Bronze Trophy for the MARATHON DES SABLES ORGANISER category
SOLIDARITY
For each edition, funds are collected by the runners to help dozens of charity works in their countries.
The MDS echoes these associations through the intermediary of the darbaroud.com website in order to make their actions known and support their projects.
For several years, the MDS organisational team, in collaboration with other associations, have been contributing equipment to the populations close to the circuit followed by the race’s competitors :
- eight solar powered pumps have been installed,
- several trunks of school materials have been distributed in remote villages,
- in Taright, a school has been developed with a toilet block and showers heated by a solar power system,
- in Jdaid, a women’s crafts and trades complex has been constructed with a workshop, school, crèche, meeting room, kitchen and toilet block.
In partnership with MDS, a new association has been created: SOLIDARITE MARATHON DES SABLES. Its aim is to set up actions in favour of children and underprivileged populations within the health, education and sustainable development sectors in Morocco. Several projects are being studied and currently carried out in the Ouarzazate Province :
- children’s home,
- support for women in difficulty,
- setting up of health care for underprivileged populations (general medicine, paediatrics, dental care, etc.),
- project grants for local populations, ...
For more information : smds@darbaroud.com
ECOLOGY
The MARATHON DES SABLES’ organisation team has always been concerned about the protection of the environment and this is made concrete through several actions :
- printing of documents on recycled paper,
- ban on throwing returnable bottles and different types of packaging on the route, subject to a penalty,
- collection and destruction of waste,
- auto combustion incinerator to destroy waste,
- cleaning and dissolving process using biodegradable products for the toilets,
- lighting of the bivouac commissioners’ tent with solar panels and a rechargeable gel battery using an automobile socket,
- distribution of pocket ashtrays.
In 2010
- use of ecological bin bags,
- decreasing the volume of waste by 2 through compressing bottles, - lighting of control points using non battery powered lanterns,
- bivouac circulation using electric means.
ATLANTIDE
ORGANISATION Ever attentive for 24 years now • 100 volunteers on the course itself
• 400 support staff overall
• 100 000 litres of mineral water
• 270 berber and saharan tents
• 100 all-terrain vehicles
• 2 “Ecureuil” helicopter and 1 “Cessna” plane
• 3 mountain bikes
• 4 “MDS special” commercial planes
• 19 buses
• 4 camels
• 1 incinerator lorry for burning waste
• 6 quads to ensure environment and safety on race
• 42 members of medical team
• 5 kms 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
