As we told you in the last SAHARA NEWS, a number of aid projects
are
starting to take shape especially one bringing water to a
group of
nomads in south Morocco. Over the next few months, a 30 metre
deep
well-shaft will be dug then equipped with a solar powered
pumping
system and a small water tower. A watering hole for livestock
will
also be supplied, but far enough away from the site so that
the herds
can drink without polluting the well with their waste. Competitors
will be able to see this photovoltaic station up and running,
since it
will be on the route of the 21st MARATHON DES SABLES. Via
another
photovoltaic installation, a whole village will have water
brought to
their homes. And the work won’t stop there … For
France and throughout
the 21st MDS, AOI has decided to join forces with MEUPHINE
(an
association working for disabled children) as part of the
1 BOUCHON =
1 SOURIRE (1 bottle top = a smile) operation. Basically we
have to
collect around 70,000 bottle tops during the race. The association
will then raise money via the recycled plastic. As well as
the
fund-raising aspect, it’s about changing the way we
think about
disability.
In addition to this good news,
the high number of enrolments for
2006 look like making for a superb edition this year. What
we’ve seen on our reconnaissance trips is also inspiring… the
route should be fantastic with breathtaking landscapes. As
for the surprises, well you can count on the imagination
of the race director and his team to come up with a few memorable
moments. Just be patient… And finally, the online boutique
www.darbaroud-boutik.com is up and running.
You can now get a whole range of MARATHON DES SABLES products (book, DVD, buff,
tee-shirt,..). DARBAROUD will also be bringing out a line of special « course »clothes
and accessories and who knows perhaps one day the perfect equipment for the “Marathonien
DES SABLES” ...
The whole AOI team would like to wish you a very happy new year. We hope with
all our hearts that world peace goes to the top of the political agenda and that
the whole planet realises the need for solidarity between peoples.
We’ll be in touch soon
AOI
A bientôt. AOI.
A new online boutique
of MARATHON DES SABLES products was opened in
December 2005.
On DARBAROUD-boutik you’ll find
the MDS book, DVD, clothes and
accessories ...
DARBAROUD-boutik will gradually enrich its catalogue with new products
such as cap, parka, multi-pocketed jacket… plus a few course specials.
Perhaps one day you’ll be able to find the perfect equipment for the
SABLES marathon runner!
Orders are made online using credit card or cheque.
MARATHON
DE ZAGORA (Maroc) - LE 19 FEVRIER 2006
MARATHON DE ZAGORA (Morocco) - 19 FEBRUARY 2006
For the second year running, Mohamad and Lahcen AHANSAL are
inviting runners to join in the MARATHON DE ZAGORA. The route
consists of 5 km on road and 37 km on desert track. It crosses
sandy zones, small mountains, dried out wadis and the Zagora palm-grove.
The SEMI MARATHON is also open to walkers who’ll all be accompanied
by a dromedary.
Entry fees : 50DH (5 euros) per participant.
Accommodation available: hotel****, riad, B&B and even in nomad
tents.
If you’re in the area or want to take part in this great sporting
day, don’t hesitate to contact :
ahansaltrekking@yahoo.fr
18 FEBRUARY 2006
: Porte de Zagora
08H00 : distribution of race numbers at the marathon Kasbah
15H00 : Start for the women’s 5 kms – Start/finish at Porte de Zagora 19 FEVRIER 2006 : Porte de Zagora
08H00 : start of SEMI MARATHON (21 kms) and MARATHON (42 kms)
Start/finish Porte de Zagora – refreshments every 5 kms.
11H00 : arrival of first runner (record 02H46)
16H00 : awards ceremony - Folk evening in the Vallée du Draa
Recap of 2005 edition
249 classed out of 292 participants
(Morocco, France, Germany, Holland, USA). Record to beat 02H46
1 BOUCHON
= 1 SOURIRE (1 bottle top = 1 smile)
For the 21st MARATHON DES SABLES,
AOI invites runners and support
staff to take part in the operation
1 BOUCHON = 1 SOURIRE.
We have to collect 70,000 bottle tops during the course and
the
recycled plastic will allow the association (working for disabled
children) to raise money. In addition to the fund-raising,
the aim
is to change the way people think about disabilities. Recycling
bottle tops is also of benefit to the environment.
WE COLLECT
With a bit of effort it’s possible to collect the vast
majority of
water-bottle tops provided by the organisation. Special collection
boxes (clearly signalled) will be available both at checkpoints
and
on the bivouac.
WE RECYCLE
Once collected, the bottle tops will be sent to France where
they’ll be ground down and made into granules to make
an variety of
plastic objects (buckets, pallets, tool handles and so on).
WE SAVE ENERGY.
1 ton of recycled granulate saves 30 tons of crude oil. In
2004,
thanks to collections held in schools, children collected enough
to
produce 2,000 tons of recycled plastic thereby saving 60,000
tons
of crude oil.
WE SHOW SOLIDARITY
The recycling company gives 125 euros per ton of granulate
to
disability associations with whom it has signed agreements.
In 2004, the various 1 BOUCHON = 1 SOURIRE operations raised
more
than 200,000 euros for these associations.
ATLANTIDE ORGANISATION Internationale
BP 98 - 10003 TROYES Cedex - FRANCE
Tél. : (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 n° 78 realized by CIMBALY International
Pépé et Marie - Webmaster : Cimbaly
COMPETITION - TROPHY 2007
ATLANTIDE ORGANISATION is organising a major competition
to design
and produce the 2007 trophies for the 22nd MARATHON
DES SABLES.
So if you have a creative streak or if you know someone
who does,
just contact AOI to obtain details (budget, deadline,
quantity etc)
then present your project. The winner will be chosen
by a jury on
the basis of the artistic and inspirational merits
of the work.
Contact AOI by email : aoi@darbaroud.com
AN EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW
Around 700 people from 35 countries, from all social
backgrounds,
speaking more than 20 languages and of many different
creeds came
together for a week during the MDS 2005. These women
and men aged
between 16 and 71 have very different sporting levels
but are all
equal at the start of the race and show exemplary
solidarity.
TEAM ENROLMENTS
No team can be enrolled once in Morocco. The exact
name of the team
and its members must be indicated on the personal
information sheet
and the sheet for the press. Team names must be quite
short to
ensure they can be correctly read on computer listings.
MARATHON DES SABLES WEEK END
from 13 to 17 April 2006
As usual, families, friends and sponsors can come
to the finish
line of the last two stages of MDS. For more information
and
details contact:
TERRES D’AVENTURE - Lucie ROULLIER
Tel : 01 53 73 77 68 Fax : 01 43 29 96 31
email : l.roullier@terredav.com
6 rue Saint-Victor -75005 Paris
TEAM RUNNING The TRIO 203 : Beware ! This is probably the most
experienced team
on the 21st edition of MDS. Dietrich KOHLER (CH),
Jean VALLON (F)
and Jean ACCOYER (F) have 203 years of experience
and more than 20
MDS’ between them. Their main motivation is
to enjoy themselves. LORANS SALOMON TEAM : Three of these
runners have already made
their mark on MDS. Last year Samuel BONAUDO (F) came
in 4th, David
PASQUIO (F) 6th and Thierry ARNIER (F) 16th. They’re
joined by
Thomas VERICEL(F) whose trail-running performance
in France
suggests he’ll do rather well on MDS. It promises
to be a close-run competition both on individual
and team level ! POMPIERS DE LA LOIRE : this team of firemen from
St Etienne, made up
of Lionel TRIVEL (F), Julien MARTEL (F) and Tony
DAURELLE (F), are
linking sporting prowess with humanitarian aid. They’ll
be bringing
over school equipment for the Moroccan village of
Achbarou in a
fire ambulance. GTR : the company has decided to support five competitors
and to
finance the aid project described in the Edito. It
goes without
saying that P. RIVAUD(F), Patrick GUENOLE (F), Lionel
PETIT (F),
Benoit LOUAULT (F) and Jean-Pascal FOUQUET (F) will
be delighted to
see their efforts rewarded when they run past the
solar pump. CPM : 5 of this group of 9 participated in MDS last
year. 8 are from
France: Edwige BARRE, Maud BERGER, Bruno HIRTZ, Jean-Philippe
LAFAURY, Laurent and Vincent MARTIN-DUPRAY, Dominique
QUEMARD,
Olivier GRAND VALLET; one from Switzerland: Rebecca
GATZI. GIPSPORT AVENTURE : Pascal JUGIE (F), Bruno HAMMEL
(F), Christophe
DAUDOU (F), Didier CUMENAL (F), Serge COUTILLAS (F)
and Jean-
Jacques VANDOORSSELAERE (F) are coming from the Périgord
region for
the simple pleasure of running as much as for the
sporting challenge. LES SAPEURS DE MARINE D'ANGERS : For his 6th time
on MDS, André RABALLAND
(F) is back with two other soldiers Candice BARBE
(F) and
Christophe BONNIN (F). They’ll be sporting
the colours of the « 6e
Régiment du Génie » with pride. LEGENDRE BRETAGNE 3 : Jean-Paul LEGENDRE (F) is running
with his
wife Joëlle and brother in law Eric MICAULT
(F). As manager of a
public works company he doesn’t just share
his passion for running
with his family, because he’s also bringing
along a team of running
specialists and another team of friends. They’re
all joining forces
in the fight against cystic fibrosis. LEGENDRE BRETAGNE 1 : They’ve made it to the
podium several times,
this year they’re aiming to stay there and
why not up make it to
the highest step. Albert VALLEE (F) is participating
for the 6th
time alongside Patrice BALARD (F), André SICOT
(F) and Denis
CAILLIBOT (F) who’ve all performed well in
the past. We can expect
them in the top 10. LEGENDRE BRETAGNE 2 : One of the members of this
team is more used
to football pitches then desert sands but his qualities
as an
athlete should allow him to rise to the challenge.
Paul LE GUEN (F)
is running with Thierry DANJOU(F) participant in
2002, Christian
JUBIN (F) and Jean-Marc TRIHAN (F). LES 3 B DU 95 : these 3 B’s - Black, Blanc,
Beur (meaning black,
white, Arab) are from the Paris region are called
Hakim MEZIANE
(F), Jean-Marc RIGAL (F) and Franck GUY (F).
