17th Sand Marathon to kick off april 7

The 17th edition of the Moroccan le Marathon des Sables (Sand Marathon) will be held April 7 through 13 with the participation of some 630 athletes from 30 countries, including 10% of women.

Racers will cover the 230 km-long race, through dunes, rocky valleys, dry Oueds, palm groves and small mountains, in six 20 to 80 km-long stages.

The week-long footrace across grueling desert terrain in Southern Morocco is a test of courage, determination and enthusiasm. The participants, carrying all their food, clothes and sleeping gear on their backs, only receive a nine-liter ration of water each day, and spend the nights on the hard desert ground under an open-sided Berber tent.

Five Moroccan women will be participating in the marathon along some twenty of their countrymen, including the Ahansal brothers who dominated the last six editions of the Marathon.

The novelty of this edition is the night leg, where a 30 km laser ray will guide the runners through the sands, organizers said at a news conference in Casablanca.