Sahara News n°44

Marathon des Sables and Desert Cup - January 2001 - N°44

Hello everyone.
The ATLANTIDE ORGANISATION Internationale team would firstly like to wish you all a very happy new year. We hope this year will see you in perfect health and able to live out your dreams; even those that may seem a bit crazy like participating in the MARATHON DES SABLES ...
As time goes by, it brings the start line that bit nearer and those who are participating in the 16th MDS will no doubt be feeling the pressure mount.

It's time for those final preparations: adjusting back-packs, testing footwear and food. You weigh and reweigh each element of your kit, but what do you take out to reduce the weight of the whole thing. Too many energy bars? Too many clothes? Not enough calories? As for the training, just where is the happy medium?
Everyone has their own answers of course but the thing is to be in good shape for the start of the race: well trained but not excessively tired.
That done, you just have to advance according to your own abilities at the time. It's the same principle for everyone; only the speed changes.
The deadline for enrolments has been reached so we can say there'll be around 600 of you getting all our attention during this adventure. From the first to the last, each of you will be treated the same. The only point where the regulations don't apply is in handing out smiles and exchanging kind words. The more you hand out the more the organisation's volunteers will be happy to return the favour. It really can be useful in difficult moments.
So it's also with a smile that we reiterate our best wishes to you all for the new year.
AOI

FLIGHT TIMES (from France)
No need to panic and start ringing us to get flight times for 30 march and 09 April; we don't yet know ourselves. You'll be informed in writing early March. As they're special flights, the times are not confirmed a long time in advance.
You should however allow for a very early flight from Paris 30 march, and a late arrival in Paris 09 April.

SURVIVAL KIT
Your survival kit* weights 350 g, with : 1 distress signal + 1 survival sheet. Add salt tablets to this weight.
*will be supplied in Morocco by AOI the 01/04/2001

IDENTIFICATIONS MARKS
The race organisers will be very strict about the positioning of your number panels. Therefore, make sure right now that you think carefully about where to position you advertising and publicity on your tee-shirts and backpacks.

RECAP OF PENALTIES
(see Art. 8, 27 and 28 )

Misplacement of ID marking
1st time : warning
2nd time : 30 minutes
3rd time : elimination

CD-ROM
MARATHON
DES SABLES

Participants in the 15th MDS will surely be pleased to find the films shown during the awards ceremony in Ouarzazate on the MDS CD ROM (see order form on our web site). It's also an excellent way for new competitors to present the MDS to their
sponsors, families, journalists...

New address web site : http://www.darbaroud.com

ATLANTIDE ORGANISATION Internationale BP 98 - 10003 TROYES Cedex - FRANCE Phone. : (33) 03 25 76 57 77 / Fax : (33) 03 25 76 87 75 E-Mail : aoi@darbaroud.com - WEB : http://www.darbaroud.com Sahara News number 44 realized by CIMBALY International - Pépé and Marie

Sahara News n°44 - www.darbaroud.com - Webmaster : Neuromedias

Our offices abroad
Switzerland and Luxembourg
24 competitors are enrolled through Cedric GRANT (US), our representative in these two countries. They include 3 from Luxembourg, 16 from Switzerland, plus 1 from GB and 4 Americans resident in Switzerland.

Germany and Austria
3 from Austria, 4 from The Netherlands, 1 from Switzerland and 42 from Germany make up the delegation enrolled through our friend Anke MOLKENTHIN (D). A total of 50 competitors.

USA, China and South Africa
The internet really comes into its own in bringing people from such territories together. Mary Gadams (USA) uses the tool perfectly and has enrolled around 50 competitors. They come from South Africa, Brazil, China, Zimbabwe, Korea and USA plus Great Britain resident in the States.

Japan
With 20 competitors including 6 women, the Japanese confirm their love both of the desert and running. As usual, our representative Toshio MATSUNAGA (J) will have the pleasure of accompanying them along with an interpreter.

Italy
As enthusiastic as ever, Paolo ZUBANI (I) will be at the head of around 30 Italian competitors.
Congratulations to all our representatives and a warm welcome to all these International competitors.

Happy winner
As a patron of the Trail du Verdon 2000, Patrick BAUER offered competitors the chance to draw lots for a place on the MDS 2001. The prize was won by O.KUNATH (D), an excellent German runner who came in 11th in the Verdon.
He'd dreamt of returning to Morocco where he finished 23rd in 1999.

What a tandem !
J.C. JAFFRELO (F) is capable of running the Spartathlon and J.C. PERRONNET (F) can run 355,267 km in 48 hours. We just need to point out that the former is Veteran 3 and the latter is blind.

Family reunion
First there was Cedric who's our representative for Switzerland and Luxembourg. Last year he was joined by son Eric and this year his brother Kurt William will be there. The GRANT's (US), certainly know how to pass on enthusiasm in the family.

Mother and son
Mrs Chie TAKAHASHI (J) dreams of finishing the MDS singing with her son Shiei. Just 17 years old, he will be the youngest competitor in this 16th edition; that's to say 60 years younger than veteran C. COMPAIN (F).

Advice
A quick visit to a chiropodist before the race can avoid many a misery later on. Preventative treatment can be particularly beneficial for blisters and painful nails.

Team enrolments
Cray Valley : New-comers M. DESWARTE (F) and G.COUPÉ (F) will no doubt be needing good advice from their experienced team-mate S. KACI (F). He's participated in three MDS plus the DESERT CUP 2000 Jordan Telecom.
ESIEA 2 : J. LECOMTE (F), E. COLLOMB (F) and L. TRINIOLLES (F) are looking forward to living through this experience together. Whether it's for the sport itself, the sense of adventure, discovering the desert, meeting others or pushing one's supposed limits to the full, the MDS programme suits them down to the ground.
AGF : sponsored by AGF, this team are running for the ELA association which campaigns against leucodystrophy. Having participated for the first time in 1998, P. GROSBOST (F) will be joined this time by J.C. BELLAT (F) and C.HEINRICH (F) both experienced in long-distance running.
France Telecom : D. LEONARD (F), F. TAURINES (F) and A. BASTY (F) have already been on MDS, the last time in 1999 when they secured an admirable 13th place. This time they'll be joined by M. BASTY who's following her husband plus D. VIÉ (F) and P. GACHE (F) who want an equal piece of the action.

DESERT CUP 2001 Jordan Telecom
Following the same 168-km route between Wadi Rum desert and the Nabatean city of Petra in Jordan, the race is run non-stop, with food self sufficiency and is to be completed in a maximum of 62 hours. There is 104 km of sand, 23km of hilly track and 41km of mountain track. The race record of 21h 41' 34'' is held by Marco OLMO (I).

Team race
Running in a team is a challenge in its own right, but on the DESERT CUP there's the added factor that teams must be made up of 3 persons and necessarily mixed: either two men and a woman or vice versa. Of course each team member is also ranked as an individual in the general rankings.