It's billed as the toughest race on Earth
I ran the 19e and 22e races and this is an account of those events.
The desert is a tough place to run and it does take its toll on one's body. Sir Ranulph Fiennes completed the event in 2015 and commented [it's] 'more hellish than hell'
The race has competitors from around the world and there is a shared bond and camaraderie in the pain and suffering which sees some very selfless support to fellow competitors.
I began sport as a 14yrs old cyclist, I was the proud owner of a Geoff Clark road bike (Geoff was a successful Bradford Racing Cyclist). I joined East Bradford Cycling Club when it was based in Thornbury and rode with them for a couple of years, particularly the 'Pool Triangle', but ended up running, first cross-country then track (1500m - 3000m). I used to train with a neighbour and Sundays would be long-run day, 12-18miles from Cleckheaton out to Hartshead, I was still in my early-teens.
I ran the Karrimor International Mountain Marathon (KIMM - a two day fell race) for many years, which became the Original Mountain Marathon (OMM) and I suppose this led me towards ultra-running.
So, I entered the MdS. It is a 150+ mile race [now] over six days 1. 30.3km 2. 39km
3. 31.6km 4. 86.2km 5. 42.2km 6. 7.7km across the desert region of southern Morocco.
After completing the 19e I said, 'never again'. Three years later I went back and did it all again.
Runners have to be self-sufficient during the period of the race, carrying everything they will need for that time. Bottled water is provided at check-points and at the end of the day's stage. Each bottle, and top, has the competitor’s number so if discarded the culprit can be traced, with penalties imposed.
Berber tents are provided at each overnight camp and shared by eight competitors. After the start of each day's stage the camp is moved by trucks to the end/start and re-positioned ready for competitors finishing. I remember being in the shelter at 6am each morning and having it dismantled around me by the Berber support staff whilst I was trying to get ready and eat breakfast. Carpets were placed on the ground in the shelters.
Everyone has their own method of managing kit and equipment. Over the years commercial enterprises have produced kit that is MdS specific and today competitors could spend a fortune on specialist backpacks, sleeping bags and other lightweight gear.
I used Raidlight kit, a French brand and Be-Well freeze-dried foods which provided most of the calories I needed each day. I bagged main food, gels, powders, nuts and treats into 'day bags' which I numbered and stacked in my back-pack (in order). This meant that for each day I could open the respective bag and I knew how many calories I would consume. The gels etc. would be put into my front-pack for easy get-to. Water bottles were carried on the chest straps, so easy to drink from and refill. I had one with an isotonic powder and one just water. It allowed me to monitor my fluid intake too. I used a hexamine stove, which utilises solid fuel tablets. Obviously, airlines would not allow this to be carried on an aircraft so I pre-ordered some and collected this once in Morocco. I had the clothing I ran in and a set for sleeping in. Desert nights can be cold so a warm insulated jacket was useful, and it served as a pillow. A plastic shower cap served as a handy foot-spa (thanks Menai).
I went through every sequence in my mind to make sure I had covered every eventuality. Competing in an event like this is every bit dependent on one's logistics as much as the physical and mental preparation.
The event has a real cross section of competitors from elite athletes to those who walk the route and everything in-between.
The race is really well organised and it sets an event standard. It has volunteer doctors and medics, 'Doc Trotter', professional support personnel and does employ local people. It has helicopters and even an aircraft (Cessna) as well as all the support vehicles providing valuable help on the course. I was hugely impressed with the incinerator lorry which deals with all the waste. The event has grown to a competitor field of about 1,000 plus all the support staff who create a great deal of waste, but nothing is left in the desert. I suppose the cost, £4,475 for 2021, reflects the huge amount of support that goes into delivering the MdS.
The event was founded by Patrick Bauer, a Frenchman, who trekked across the desert in the early 1980s and came up with the concept of the race. The first event was held in 1986.
Patrick briefs runners before the day's start
I flew from Gatwick with all of the other MdS competitors on a chartered flight to Ouarzazate in southern Morocco. We had a night in a hotel in the city before boarding coaches to take us to the desert camp. As the camp was some distance from the tarmacadam road we transferred onto the back of Moroccan Army trucks for the final leg to camp.
Berber tents were our 'home' for the event
One thing you had to do, as part of the entry conditions, was to have an ECG before leaving the UK. At the first camp there was an admin. centre where you had to produce the ECG, answer some health questions and sign a disclaimer. They also measured the weight of your kit, my pack came in at 10 kilos which was an average weight.
It was then a case of getting kit packed and readied for the start.
The start time was always 9am. There would be some loud music which 'called' runners to the start line, a briefing on the day's stage, the helicopters would arrive overhead and we were off, it was quite exhilarating.
It was surprising how, from a condensed start line with about 700 competitors one found oneself quite quickly in small numbers, even on your own.
Navigating was not too difficult if, like me, you were mid-field because usually you could see someone, or a track, ahead. In some of the dune systems you could not see anything ahead until you crested a dune but markers were placed to help. The route book gave direction, a compass bearing and terrain type, dune, reg, wadi etc.
Stage Map
Deserts, particularly here, are not just sand-dunes. There is rocky plain (reg), dry wadi's, sand sheets and areas with small vegetation such as the Moroccan Broom or Pineapple Broom. When you have been running on dry sandy or rocky desert and you run into a patch of broom the scent is overpowering.
Running a desert ultra is as much of a mental challenge as a physical one and that is an area that many do not prepare themselves for. The distances appear huge and almost without an end in sight. Sometimes the desert stretches away for miles and you cannot see another soul. When you enter a dune system it is hard to maintain a consistent pace and it can be energy sapping having to constantly climb and re-climb dunes. The windward (stoss) and lee-side (slipface) differ and it is not always possible to remain on the crest. The stoss side generally has a more elongated slope whilst the slipface is steeper. The valley or trough between is called a dune slack.
Check points were about every 10km where water was available. As you passed through the 'gate' you would be given, usually, a 1.5l bottle. I always tried to have a small amount in my bottles as reserve and this would be drunk once the check point came into view. It was then a case of collect the bottle, empty into your own bottles on the chest-straps, add powder to one and, remembering to put the marked bottle and top into the bin, set off again. I tried to 'run-through' check points, the most time spent at one was when I had to carry out a repair on a backpack strap that had snapped (I always carried a needle and strong thread).
Check-Point
The terrain varied and on occasions we had to climb some steep hillsides. On one it was so steep a fixed rope was provided. I recall beginning to climb one such challenge when a flare went up from near the bottom of the slope. All competitors have to carry an emergency flare as part of the obligatory equipment. It transpired that one guy had collapsed and before long he was casevac'd out by helicopter.
Most competitors now wear what has become standard issue gaiters to stop sand getting into running shoes. Feet become very hot and sweat so socks and footwear become wet. If you watch F1 racing you will hear the commentator say that air temperature is 30C whilst track temperature is 45C. This applies equally to the desert; air temperature may be 40C but ground temperature could be +55C, and this is so for 12-18inches above the surface. So, one's feet are constantly operating in that heat intense environment. Add abrasive sand and it is a recipe for pain.
Blisters and abrasions are a common element on the MdS. Doc Trotter are feet specialists, as well as providing emergency trauma care. I had to pay a visit and it went like this; arrive at the medic tent, remove running shoes and socks, stand on an upturned crate and wash feet (which are already painful) with disinfectant that increases the pain seven-fold, go into the tent and to your medic, lay on the floor and present your sore foot, or feet if you are really unlucky. The medic will then treat the blister/abrasion which brings forth more cries of pain. It is akin to a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital.
After that encounter I endeavoured to look after my own feet, or help my friends.
Doc Trotter Triage
Blisters Galore!
Patched Up
Self Help
Ready for the next stage
Route
Route
Towards the hills
A roped ascent
Camp
Camp
Press
The race takes you across some amazing landscape.
The long day: one of the stages is a 50+ mile stage (followed by a marathon!). It is the make or break day. Start is at 9am and I hoped for a 12-hour day which meant running in the dark. By the time I arrived at a small village it was dark. I knew I had to run through the village, exit towards the top right and head off on a compass bearing. I was running in darkness down an alleyway when a villager stepped out in front of me. It panicked me for a moment but he stopped me and redirected me into the alleyway I had just passed, which led out to the route I should take. Without him I would have been running around the village all night!
I joined a group of French runners after dark and remained with them to the penultimate check-point. Here they stopped to sort themselves out so I carried on into the night by myself. I acquired the bearing I needed, aligned it to a prominent star and set off across the dunes. There is no ambient light, other than the night sky, so it is pretty dark. Your world exists in the 6'x6' square of light that your head torch produces. You have no real depth perception either and it is very difficult to know when you arrive at the face of a dune; it was strange experience.
By this time, I had covered about 45 miles and been running for almost twelve hours. I was absolutely knackered. There was a time when I just felt like laying down and going to sleep, the desire to do so was almost overwhelming, that's when I had to dig deep. It is surprising, when you feel that you have nothing left to give, both mentally and physically, your body seems to find something from somewhere.
I knew that the camp would display a laser light into the night sky and once that came into view I was not far from the finish. Because I could not see the dune ridges I just kept a straight-line course with my guiding star marking the way ahead. That meant I was climbing dune slopes rather than contouring but eventually the laser came into view and guided me to the finish line. 50+ miles across the desert in 12hrs 30mins deserved a toast, Sidi Ali water it was!
Many competitors choose to bivouac in the desert, at check-points, during the night and run into camp the following morning. Some called it quits, some were pulled out by the medics. It's a true test of stamina. Those who had arrived in camp would get out of 'bed' to go to the finish and cheer and clap and whoop for those coming in, some collapsing after crossing the line.
Sadly, Patrick Bauer called all the runners in camp together the following morning to inform us that Frenchman Patrick Jule had died during the night. He had arrived in camp after completing the stage, gone to bed, and been found by his tent mates the following morning. We held a moment of silence, and whilst I did not know him, it was a difficult moment for everyone to know that one of our comrades had passed-away.
I had the opportunity to rest and take stock of how my body was coping, rehydrate and prepare myself for the marathon that was to come the following day. I had my allocated food and was almost tempted to break into the next day's rations I felt so hungry, but I resisted.
Then it was time to run again. My body ached, my feet were sore but I had completed 'the long day', if I could do that I could finish the marathon stage.
As you run you have fleeting moments of comradeship. I entered a dune system and was reduced to a walk. I fell in with another UK competitor and we talked, cajoled, motivated each other to get through the system to the reg and a harder surface. Once there I picked up my pace and continued running, for that brief moment we were brothers helping each other through a very challenging period.
I finished the marathon stage in something like 5hrs 30mins which surprised me after the energy I had expended the previous day.
Now it was a shorter stage to the finish. The 22e final stage was over Erg Chebbi, a large sand-sea with high dunes finishing in Merzouga. My recollections of the 19e are running through the outskirts of Tagounite, along pathways with adobe houses, locals lining the route waving and whooping as I ran past. There were camera helicopters flying low overhead, swooping in to capture footage. It was quite exhilarating and after running 150+ miles I found that little piece of hidden energy and picked up my pace to the finish. Patrick Bauer was there to put the medal around my neck as I crossed the finish line.
It is one hell of an event and it took a little while to process what had been achieved but would I do it again? Of course!
After spending 9 days in the desert, 7 running, without a wash we, the runners, are then put on a coach for the journey back to Ouarzazate. We were given a 'doggy-bag' with a drink, some fruit, a tin of mackerel and some bread. I am sure I do not need to exaggerate the smell in the coach!
Back in Ouarzazate the hotel had closed the swimming pool to competitors for very obvious reasons! It took several showers to remove the seven days’ worth of grime from my body, which was a somewhat painful experience. Dinner that evening was a buffet and needless to say it had to be re-stocked with food many times.
Whilst a very challenging event, physically and mentally, it is the friendship, comradeship and support, sometimes only briefly given, that forms the lasting memory.