Marathon des Sables Legendary

The race that made desert ultrarunning famous. Since 1986, runners and walkers have crossed roughly 250 km of the Moroccan Sahara in six timed stages over seven days, carrying everything they eat, wear and sleep in on their backs. The organisers provide only water and a shared Berber tent at each bivouac. The course changes every year and stays secret until the road book is handed out at the bivouac two days before the start. Terrain mixes dunes, rocky plateaus, dry riverbeds and tracks. The crux is the long stage of about 80–90 km, run partly at night and spread over two days. Stage cut-offs are set at 3.5 km/h, so the race is open to strong walkers, and on average about 90% of starters finish.