Fynd A Way

Marathon des Sables

The Marathon des Sables is my race. I love this event. I have competed in this desert stage race 9 times. I keep going back because I love the desert. More specifically I love the Sahara Desert, I love Morocco and I love it’s people. When I first landed in Quarzazate, the gateway to the Sahara, I stepped off the plane and knew I had found my soul. I was home.

The Marathon des Sables (MDS) is french for Marathon of the sands. It is a 7 day 250 kilometer (160 mile) ultramarathon held every spring in Morocco, Africa. It is widely regarded as being the toughest foot race on earth. The first MDS was held in 1986 and it has been held every year since, with the exception of 2020.

Competitors from around the world toe the start line to begin 6 stages of running. The first three days get you into the routine and prepare you for the 4th stage, which is the long day, usually about an 80km stage. The fifth day is a rest day to allow all of the competitors to make it into camp. The sixth day is a marathon and the last day is about a 20 km jaunt to cross the final finish line.

So why is this race so difficult? Well, first, it is the equivalent of running 6 marathons back-to-back in temperatures hovering around 50 degrees celsius. Athletes must carry all of the supplies they will need for the week on their backs. Most of the weight consists of food. The only things organizers provide are rationed desert temperature bottles of water, open sided communal tents that sleep about 9, and medical aid. There are no showers, no toilets and no beds to sleep in.

Not so bad. Wait, there is more. The sand will destroy your feet. You will get blisters and lose toenails. You may end up in a sandstorm, and you will feel your skin being pierced by particles of sand and the wind will knock you to your knees in the dunes. I have known some runners who have temporarily lost their vision because of grit in their eyes.

The weight of your pack will feel like a ton of bricks. The only good thing is that most of the weight is food so the pack gets lighter as the week goes on. And speaking of food. You will be starving. You cannot carry enough calories to feed your body. And the food you do have is not that great. It has to be high in calories yet super lightweight. You will dream at night of real food, and ice cold water.

Dehydration is a very real concern. Even the most experienced desert runners can run into problems. You have to constantly monitor your water intake and electrolytes. I had a Japanese girlfriend who was a teammate of mine. She had run numerous times in the Marathon des Sables. She dehydrated so badly that she slipped into a coma. The fantastic race doctors brought her back… but she never returned to the race.

MARATHON DES SABLES RACE EXPERIENCE

The Marathon des Sables was my first-ever ultramarathon. I had never run a race over 26.2 miles. I had never traveled to another country by myself. I had never camped in a tent or slept outside in a sleeping bag. I was on a very steep learning curve.

“I have a LOVE/HATE relationship with this race. I love this event so much…but it chews me up and spits me out everytime. But I keep going back for more.”

A BRIEF TIMELINE

Click on each year for race outcome.

My first MDS. I got DYSENTERY the night before the race. I was violently ill. I made it to the long stage and was forced to quit.

Dysentery. This time the DYSENTERY must have incubated, and I became violently ill on the fourth day during the long stage. I was able to finish the race and cross the finish line for the first time.

For the first time ever, my IT BAND blew up on me. I was able to do alright going uphill, but the pain was excruciating going downhill. This was also the year there was a massive sandstorm through the dunes. The storm picked up speed during the day and raged all night.

FEET. I wore a pair of running shoes that were guaranteed not to allow any sand in the shoe box. That was the case. But instead, the sand made its way through the outer layer of the shoe and started piling up between the outer layer and the inner layer. As the week went on, I couldn’t figure out why the skin on my feet was shedding off in gigantic blisters. My toenails were loose and would end up falling off. On the long day, I started stabbing at the insole in my shoe and the holes allowed what seemed like a pound of sand to pour out.

BLISTERS…but no excuse not to have done better.

I was still desperately wanting to have a better placing. Still could not master this race.

DYSENTERY. I was throwing up on day one. I was registered for 6 desert stage races this year. I could opt to try and finish this event and weaken my body. But my next race was in a month. I decided to pull the plug so I could finish my next 6 races that year.

2ND DEGREE SPRAIN WITH BONE CHIP. I injured my ankle during the long stage on day four. Can you believe that this was my best time and placing at this event? This is why I kept coming back. I knew I was capable of being better than what my times were showing.

I lost all of the skin on the bottoms of my FEET. My feet were so bad that the doctors typed up a letter to my doctor in Canada to get me on more antibiotics to prevent massive infection. The Doc Trotters are so great. They do such a fantastic job treating athletes. They deal with horrific injuries and morbidly revel in taking pictures of the worst damage. I knew my feet were bad when a few of the docs crowded in to get a selfie of themselves with my destroyed feet. This was the only time that I finished the long stage walking in with the camels that are always with the last runner.

TOP 20 CANADIAN WOMEN

  1. Chloe Lantier… 29:23:20…1997…5th Female overall
  2. Alicia Barahona…29:55:07…1999…10th Female overall
  3. Laurence Filion…32:03:49…2018
  4. Monica Scholz…32:25:51…2003…4th Female overall
  5. Joany Verschuuren…33:16:37…2004
  6. Marie Eve Trudel…34:22:34…2017
  7. Christine Lallier…35:03:49…2009*
  8. Lynda Lo Churchfield…35:11:01…1998
  9. Neli Lozog…35:15:33…1990
  10. Jen Segger…35:19:11…2005…10th Female overall
  11. Jamie Stevenson…35:39:35…2017
  12. Suzanne Lucas…35:46:44…2008…10th Female overall
  13. Nathalie Beaulieu…35:57:13…2019
  14. Sandy McCallum…36:19:01…2007
  15. Jeanne Posey…36:20:01…2017
  16. Tiffany Saibil…36:40:28…2010…8th Female overall
  17. Mary Ann Trusz…36:59:19…1990
  18. Brenda Wilcox…37:17:48…1992
  19. Zoe Gold…37:30:28…2019
  20. Emily Gold…37:30:30…2019

*2009… Marathon des Sables was a shortened course this year (202 km)

TOP 20 CANADIAN MEN

  1. Charles Cosman…21;06:44…2009*
  2. Christian Cachon…21:50:35…2009*
  3. Eric Deshaies…22:13:22…2007
  4. Ferg Hawke…22:51:03…2002…8th Male overall
  5. Ghislain Marcoux…24:54:39…2007
  6. William Henderson…25:07:39…2009*
  7. Chad Vlansk…25:26:49…2003
  8. Barry Lewis…25:29:39…1998
  9. Magnus Christian Verbruggo…26:41:33…2002
  10. Ray Zahab…27:12:58…2005
  11. Andrew Hunt…27:13:36…2006
  12. Dennis Janzen…27:34:07…2009*
  13. Dave Zeitsma…27:56:16…2003
  14. Scott Donatelli…28:08:39…2013
  15. Dom Repta…28:21:59…2003
  16. Mark Tamminga…28:43:34…2004
  17. Serge Dessureault…29:14:04…2002
  18. Charles Miron…29:38:23…2013
  19. Rene Constantineau…29:47:25…2002
  20. Vincent Robert…30:15:50…2008