Adventures in the Marathon De Sables by Wayne Singleton

The Marathon des Sables (MdS, Marathon of the Sands, or Sahara Marathon) is a six-day, 251 km (156 mi)ultramarathon, which is the equivalent of six regular marathons. The longest single stage (2009) is 91 km (57 mi) long. This multiday race is held every year in southern Morocco, in the Sahara Desert. It is considered the toughest foot race on Earth. The first event of the Marathon started in 1986.

The marathon was the brainchild of French concert promoter Patrick Bauer who in 1984 traversed the Sahara desert on foot and alone. He covered the 350 km (214 mi) in 12 days without encountering a single oasis or desert community along the way. Two years later in 1986 the first Marathon des Sables was run. 23 runners participated in the race with Bernard Gaudin and Christiane Plumere (both of France) finishing as the winning man and lady.

By 2009 over 1000 runners participate in the event and the Solidarité Marathon des Sables association is created. The aim is to develop projects to assist children and disadvantaged populations in the domains of health, education and sustainable development in Morocco.