More than 750 competitors are enrolled this year including
43
official teams.
There'll be 32 nationalities for this 21st edition :
South Africa, Germany, England, Austria, Argentina, Australia,
Belgium, Canada, Korea, Denmark, Scotland, Spain, France,
Finland,
Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Japan,
Lebanon,
Luxembourg, Morocco, Nepal, Norway, New Zealand, Netherlands,
Russia,
Switzerland, Sweden, USA.
Youngest competitor is 19 (Japan), the oldest is 70 (France)
Number of women: 96
Full list of competitors will be posted
on the darbaroud.com site
over the next few days
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
DURING MDS - GOOD NEWS!!!
This year AOI has decided to offer you the
chance to send emails for
free to ONE correspondent of your choice. Ten computers will
be
available at the “competitors’ email” point.
You will have to be
patient when waiting your turn. If you want to send more
than one
email you will have to queue a second time.
Due to increasingly draconian anti-spam measures, your message
must
be addressed to ONE CORRESPONDENT ONLY. Before you leave
for Morocco
you should therefore give this correspondent a list of people
you
want him/her to forward your message to. N.B. : emails will be sent altogether at the end of the day
via
satellite. Computers will therefore not be directly on line.
You
cannot send attachments.
Other services
on the bivouac : telephone or fax : 1 minute 4 euros.
Communication (fax, telephone) is via satellite only.
Do not forget to tell your families, friends and sponsors
that they
can leave you messages during the MARATHON DES SABLES but
only from
08 to 14 April 2006. Go to the www.darbaroud.com site and click on "écrire
aux
concurrents" (« write to competitors »).
Follow the instructions.
Only messages with the competitor’s first name, surname
and race
number can be delivered. Do not send any attachments (for
example
photos) as this annuls the message. All emails will be printed
and
distributed to competitors on the bivouac every day. After
April 14,
the email distribution service will no longer be available.
N.B.
: AOI does not deal with messages sent on the FORUM.
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.
You can now consult the new version of the website forum
[go]
To post messages, you need to be register (click on the link
register)
:: This is
an individual story from Ben Hammersley's Dangerous
Last update : 11/16/05
In April 2004, I ran the Marathon des Sables,
the world’s toughest foot race. This is an account of
those 7 days, 240 kilometres, 120 degrees and 28,000 calories
of pain and joy. I’ll be adding to this section of the
site a great deal over the next few weeks, so come back. ...
Running in the desert isn’t like running on road. Ok, so that’s obvious:
it’s sand after all. But the Sahara is not just the classic dunes of The
English Patient. There are plenty of those, for sure, but the majority of the
running we did was over vast plains of sand, gravel and rocks the size of tennis
balls. No shade, no paths, and, frankly, the scariest route I can think of running.
Sand I can deal with, soft and crappy that it is, but those rocks frightened
me greatly. Without continual concentration, you could easier step on one and
turn an ankle or blow a knee. ... http://www.benhammersley.com/expeditions/marathon_des_sables.html
:: In the
Sands of the Sahara : The Marathon Des Sables
Last update : 11/16/05
From Carla Land, The Mother of all
endurance races
Editors Note: the 2005 Marathon Des Sables gets underway
in April and offers one of the most challenging foot races
in history across the burning sands of the Sahara desert.
Follow the race updates daily (April 10-17) http://adventuretravel.about.com/od/extremeadventures/a/040905.htm
AOI 20th BIRTHDAY : 1986
- 2006 SPECIAL BIRTHDAY EDITION
2005 edition high
definition photos
About 60 photos, over view of the race.
High definition pictures of the 2005 edition. About 60
photos, over view of the race.
(Enlargements possible up to 30x40).
You can view photos on the www.darbaroud.com website
Photos can then be printed from your CD rom directly onto your
printer or at any photo shop.
Bonus
for competitors on 20th MDS :
your own photo will
be included in the CD. Format : Mac & PC - Price
: 59 euros. Download
the CD order form
Last update : 17/04/05 - 8.05
pm Provisional general
rankings Men
1. Lahcen Ahansal (Morocco-1) 19h09m04 - average 12.83 km/h
2. Mohamad Ahansal (Morocco - 2) at 7m55 - average 12.74 km/h
3. Lhoucine Akhdar (Morocco-5) at 2h08m40 - average 11.54 km/h
4. Samuel Bonaudo (France - 280) at 2h48m58 - average 11.18 km/h
5. Mustapha Ait Amar (Morocco - 4) at 3h02m41 - average 11.07 km/h
6. David Pasquio (France - 282) at 3h13m50 average 10.98 km/h
7. Marco Gozzano (Italy - 489) at 3h42m07 average 10.75 km/h
8. Marco Olmo (Italy - 490) at 3h57m36 average 10.63 km/h
9. Vincent Delebarre (France - 371) at 4h21m00 average 10.45 km/h
10. Eric Plantin (France - 276) at 4h30m21 average 10.39 km/h Women
1. Simone Kayser Diederich (Luxembourg - 785) 29h36m03 - average 8.30 km/h
2. Virginie Thevenot (France - 190) at 1h07m04 - average 8.00 km/h
3. Isabelle Degrand (France - 92) at 2h49m24 average 7.58 km/h
4. Sophie Satrin (France - 9) at 2h54m52 - average 7.56 km/h
5. Chantal Langlace (France - 269) at 4h39m21 - average 7.17km/h
6. Lorena Antonietta Di Vito (Italy - 478) at 4h59m53 - average 7.10 km/h
7. Maria Isabel Trujillo Barrientos (Colombia - 762) at 5h01m16 - average
7.10 km/h
8. Theresa Benet Graupera (Spain - 755) at 5h27m27 - average 7.01 km/h
9. Louisa Balsamo (Italy - 463 ) at 5h30m09 - average 7.00 km/h
10 Jennifer Segger (Canada - 637) at 5h43m08 average 6.96 km/h Teams
1. CTM 24h31m01 - Morocco/Tunisie/France - average 13.92 km/h
2. Legendre Bretagne Ultra - France - at 1h39m07 - average 12.87 kmh
3. Ertips Salomon - France - at 2h02m04 - average 12.50 km/h
The 20th edition of the Marathon des Sables ended with the crowning of
two admirable champions. Lahcen Ahansal won for the 8th time and Simone
Kayser for the second. The most experienced runners were unanimous in finding
the course “very difficult”. Despite that, only 46
competitors (6%) pulled out of the race, showing that the vast majority
came well-prepared. [more]
In the desert, you never go past anyone without
greeting them or enquiring about their health.
This spirit also comes quite naturally to runners
on the MARATHON DES SABLES where solidarity is
a given on this human caravan. Mutual encouragement
comes before rivalry and this is how it should
remain. Even if there’s fierce competition
on the course, this only has meaning when accompanied
by respect for a certain code of conduct.
[next
...]
:: About ::
16/04/05 - Samuel Bonaudo (France – 280)
Super Surprise
Good-looking, a Southern accent, lots of kind words and strong
performances, such is the impression Samuel has left on the
other runners. He’s a true athlete who started off with
more classic athletics (coming second in the under 21s French
1500m Championships) before moving over to trail and long-distance
running in 1999. For his first MDS he says somewhat timidly
he hoped. [read
the next]
:: Bivouac
News :: 16/04/05
A line called happiness
They’d been dreaming about this moment for the last 245kms
and finally in Tazzarine it became a reality. THE finish line, as
usual, is a source of very emotional scenes. As a sense of absolute
relief takes over, we start to see sport’s true raison d’etre.
Ahmed has travelled the 70kms from Annif just to see the Ahansal
brothers arrive hand in hand carrying the red and green Moroccan
flag.
A few minutes later it’s the turn of Lhoucine Akhdar and Samuel
Bonaudo to cross the finish line hand in hand. They’re given
a warm welcome from a lively acoustic band from the Atlas region.
The runners start dancing with the band… it’s clear they
still have energy to spare. The Italian veteran Marco Olmo, a confirmed
vegetarian, performs his usual ritual by lying down to kiss the ground.
He may well be thinking of all the kilometres he clocks up in running
to work. That was how he trained. Frenchman André Sicot crashes
through the finish line at such speed he knocks into Patrick Bauer
as the latter tries to give him his medal.
The ever impressive Simone Kayser and her husband waltz across the
finish in each other’s arms. We’ve now stopped counting
the numbers that are in tears over those last few metres : Gérald
Batchon, Frédéric Balard, Fabrizio Polinelli, Bernard
Magnan, Nicolas Autret, Gerard Junker, Amanda Heading…and the
very moving Brazilian Mozart Santos Junior. Dominique Daste gives
Patrick Bauer a lengthy hug.
Others like Paolo Barcimini, Karim Sasse and Michel Odent scream
with relief and yodel with joy. Andrew Abt zooms over the line like
an aeroplane then says a prayer. Jonathan Ratcliffe from the UK runs
the last few metres in his superman cape and Jean Luc Garcia in a
Gaulois cap. And a small selection from the fatigue and happiness
shelf : Fried Michael and Josef Mayerhofer from Austria who crawled
over the line on all fours. Hervé Demirjian, who did the last
few metres in a zig-zag as if the course wasn’t somehow long
enough. And those that just had to sprint the last stretch : Yannick
Jallais, Howard Gareth, Pascal Schaffner. Some arrived walking backwards,
some insisted on doing tiny steps … the list could go on forever.
The Chinese contingency finally arrives after a long and difficult
course but finish in a group and are above all happy.
Didier Benguigui and Michel Bach seal their third marathon together.
Didier is losing his sight and as the inseparable couple cross the
line, the emotion is palpable.
Patrick Bauer also has a medal for the camels and their masters who’ve
remained behind the very last runner throughout the race. They too
have walked the whole length of the race and in sandals …
:: Karim
Mosta :: 17ème MDS
Karim Mosta will run for its 17th MDS with colors
AMH the Friendly Morrocan woman of handicapped people
18000 members, they are in the search of wheel chairs,
already 11 found, I thank the people for theirs whose
you can help it mosta.karim@wanadoo.fr /
06 80 38 55 23
You can read on running altitude report on raid the Sahara n°44
You can write to Karim Mosta Dossard 13 from the 9 to April 15 with
the marathon of sands to encourage it
:: 20th
MDS photos and videos :: Be careful
!!!
Note!!! video-recorders such as DVCAM or mini DV
are strictly forbidden during the race unless you have
special authorisation and official accreditation from
the organisation. Only digital or regular cameras are
permitted and are authorised exclusively for private
use by participants and support staff on the 20th MARATHON
DES SABLES.
There is no way for competitors to recharge batteries during the
race.
To request special authorisation or official accreditation, please
email aoi@darbaroud.com.
:: Keeping
the desert clean ::
Publication
15/04/2005 00:30 am
There are around 1200 people on this desert campsite and when you change
location each day, it’s like moving a whole village. A village
that produces around 30 cubic metres of rubbish each day… enough
to fill a good sized tent. That said, this little world leaves its little
spot of desert in the same state it found it. This is not just a spectacle
in itself, but a state of mind. Four people work full time to collect
and put the rubbish into bags which are then burnt at high temperatures
in a lorry affectionately known as Terminator. The lorry is the ingenious
idea of Saharan mountain guide Michel Millard who designed it specifically
for the needs of MDS. Millard also happens to be a true ecologist. All
the day’s rubbish is burnt every evening at 800°C in this 8-ton
monster; the residue is taken back to Ouarzazate at the end of the race.
Michel Millard regrets that other courses in the region have not had
the same scruples about polluting the desert: « it’s true
that treating waste costs a lot and doesn’t create anything ».
The organisation also encourages competitors to respect the environment
by levying heavy penalties (varying from 30 minutes to elimination from
the race) on those who throw their bottles or bottle caps away in the
desert. The method appears to work because cases of runners being caught
out are quite rare. It’s worth noting that some runners are already
eco-friendly. Mohamed Ahansal, also a mountain guide, has written on
his cap: « NO to black plastic in the Sahara ».
:: A night
in the Sahara ::
Publication
15/04/2005 00:30 am
CP5, midnight.
Runners come out of the dark and collapse in Berber tents for a few precious
minutes rest. The majority don’t stay more than a half hour, the
desire to finish is too strong, the finish line too close. They’ve
now been out on the course for 15 hours. But good manners remain: many
pass energy bars around to share calories with those that need a few more.
Martin Mainwaring (655) from England works on off-shore oil rigs. He’s
been walkig alongside Spanish osteopath Eduardo Navarro (773) for the last
15kms. They don’t understand one another and communicate as best
they can. When runners do manage to speak, conversations get personal,
even intimate. Sylvie Cadierno (304) : « you tell your life story.
It’s the effect the night and the fatigue has on you.. … ».
There’s a rumour going round that there’s going to be a party,
with mechoui and coca cola for everyone. One runner asks if he won’t
be too late for the belly dancers.
Lilia is one of the doc trotter medical team manning the check points.
She’s been treating feet and more feet for around 12 hours. Jacqueline
Baraldini (41) from France refuses to remove her trainers : « if
I take them off they’re going to swell and I’ll never be able
to get them back on ». Lilia tries to convince Akima Takehito (430)
from Japan who’s looking a bit worse for wear to rest for an hour.
He doesn’t look too convinced but ends up following the doctor’s
advice.
We head on towards CP4. On route, the runners stop any passing vehicles;
there’s only one question on their lips: “how many more kilometres? » We
bump into the Chinese team Daunting Rascals; they’re walking together,
suffering together and are being kicked into shape by the stern hand of
coach Chan (N°496). A bit further down the line, Emma Dawber (519)
from the UK tells us with no trace of irony : « I feel great, and
very happy ». CP4 itself resembles a dormitory. Around forty runners
are stretched out on every flat spot they can lay their hands on. The desert
camp site is scarcely disturbed by music from the walkman of Hugh VAb Cutsem
(550). He’s quick to affirm: « music changes your life. Since
I started running with the walkman I’m happy.»
3 in the morning
Back to the bivouac... following a long procession of headlamps. Many competitors
still have a long way to go. Thought for the day
Tommy While (N°539, UK) at the end of stage 4
“
It was the least enjoyable thing I’ve ever done in my life... up
there with circumsicion and breaking my leg. It was just 14 hours of intense
pain. But I say pain is temporary, success is forever.”
:: Project
2005 ::
A big project is underway for the 20th MDS. Firstly a solar
pump will be installed serving 2 villages, using 2,500m of
canalisation. Plus there’ll be a sanitary unit for the
local school. The building will be equipped with toilets and
hot showers thanks to a solar-powered water heater. A cistern
serving the water tower will be placed on a platform on a nearby
hill. A 200m-long wall will protect the school and the sanitary
unit.
To help with the installation of these facilities, JOGGING INTERNATIONAL
magazine is appealing to its readers to make donations.
One of the lucky donors will be chosen through a draw to come and inaugurate
the project and be at the MDS finish line.
To take part, send your donations to:
JOGGING INTERNATIONAL, Opération pompe solaire
12 rue Rouget-de Lisle - 92442 ISSY-LES-MOULINEAUX Cédex
Chèque libellé à l'ordre de : Bleu Sable – Opération
Jogging International
CALENDRIER
June
2005 : opening date for application. 31
july 2005 : application deadline. 28
february 2006 : closing date for fees. 07
april 2006 : departure* France/Morocco, transfer to first
bivouac. 08
april 2006 : technical and administrative checks,
acclimatisation day. 09
- 15 april 2006 : the event. 16
april 2006 : relaxation, lunch (at participants’expense),
awards, entertainment,
dinner, night at hotel. 17
april 2006 : return* to France.
* those not taking the charter flight to and from France are required
to book their own flight arrangements. Contact your country representative
for further details.
June
2005 : opening date for application.
