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The Marathon Des Sablesby John LoeschhornThe first segment was only 15 miles, but that distance was sufficient to separate those who were prepared, from those who weren't. The Marathon Des Sables is unusual and difficult, because it requires each competitor to be "self-sufficient." "Self-sufficient" means each participant must carry all the food and supplies they will need to race seven days in the Sahara Desert of southern Morocco.When racing seven days in the desert includes enduring extremes of heat and cold while traversing 130 miles of soft sand and treacherous rocks, it is easy to imagine a well supplied runner might be hauling a pack weighing 50 pounds or more. Some participants struggled under such loads, but serious competitors managed on less. Through the artful employment of space age technology and cooperative alliances among team members, top contenders carried fewer than 15 pounds. But even 15 pounds is a great deal to carry, if you are trying to race. Runners who had trained wearing their packs had few problems, but for those who wore their packs the first time that day, the start of the race, was the beginning of a week-long nightmare. Carrying a pack causes people to run more on the balls of their feet. Participants who hadn't planned for this situation found that their favorite shoes, shoes that functioned perfectly under normal conditions, were too short and/or too flimsy. After only a few miles, many runner's feet looked as though they had been running over fields of broken glass. People whose packs didn't fit precisely or weren't balanced properly, developed blisters on their backs. I saw runners with blisters the size of dinner plates. These already painful conditions were made worse for those who sought medical aid. The standard treatment for blisters was to drain the blister and remove the covering skin. This method left raw flesh that had to be bandaged daily. Can you imagine running six more days with bruised toes, no skin on the soles of your feet and lower back? The common Sahara sand fly can smell blood a mile away. With all these blisters turned to raw flesh and with some of them oozing blood, the flies were having a feast. Within seconds of removing a worn dressing, the injured area would be covered by a moleskin of blood thirsty flies. Not since the last war had the flies seen such bounty. After three days of racing, two patterns were obvious. The same runners had won each stage, Hassan Sebtaoui for the men and Marie Battistelli for the women, and according to the race organizers, the average pace of the top competitors was 15% faster this year than last. These observations led to wide spread speculation the leaders were pushing too hard and that many of them would drop out after the 43 miles. Prior to seeing the race, I thought a runner would need exceptional endurance to win, but this theory was not supported by the early results. The top competitors were fleet footed, many had raced successfully in European cross country races and had marathon P. R.'s faster than 2:30. Hassan, for example, had finished 53rd and 27th in his two tries at the World Cross Country Championships, and has run 20K in 59:45, that's two 29:52 10K's back to back. He told me before the race, "I have never run a marathon, but I am in shape to run under 29 minutes for the 10K." Although he had never raced further than 25K, the 26 year old native of Rabat, Morocco was apparently unconcerned about having to race both a marathon and a 43 mile in this event. Rumors circulated through the camp that when filling out a pre-race questionnaire, Hassan had predicted he would win the Marathon Des Sables. Hassan's behavior in the race dispelled all doubts about his intentions. His racing style was to run near the front or to lead, pushing the pace until no one was able to keep up. He did this very well. Even after Hassan had won each of the first three days by a clear margin, many still doubted he could make good on his boast. Bernard Gaudin was in second place, he had won the last two Marathon Des Sables by so dominating the longer races that no one could make up the time he had gained. The fourth day was "judgement day." Gaudin's teammate, Emile Laharrague, took the pace out very fast. The first 8 miles was cross country through sand. From there the course joined a rocky-gravel road. The sun was high in the sky and the temperature was soaring. Emile, having sacrificed himself ensuring a fast early pace, dropped back quickly after 11 miles. Team tactics were obvious in the early miles when on several occasions, I saw teammates drop behind to exchange items from one another's packs. These were team "mules" (team-members who were carrying extra supplies for more talented teammates). After 15 miles, the "mules" could no longer keep up and the front runners continued with no special advantages. Hassan led through 18 miles, with Gaudin and five others following, in single file. Hassan motioned for someone to take a turn leading. When no one responded, he stopped suddenly causing the runners behind him to crash into one another. There was a brief moment of confusion while everyone walked, waiting for someone to resume the lead. Bernard Gaudin and Noel Mailly each led for a brief time before slipping back in the column. When Hassan ended up in front of the procession again, he stopped abruptly causing another pile up. After a brief walk, Gaudin and Hassan agreed to share the lead. The front runners reached the 22 mile check point in 3:08 and received 3 liters of water for their trouble. Gaudin, Hassan and Mailly rushed through this check point, while the other three lingered. The temperature was over 100 degrees and rising. Gradually the next three runners moved out and a few more followed. I saw in their strained expressions, the toll these conditions were exacting. The runners stumbled across 6 miles of ankle cracking rocks, before plowing through another 15 miles of soft sand to reach the finish. In spite of these challenges, Hassan ran virtually even splits, winning the day in 6:13. I slipped into the tea tent, a post race ritual, and gulped down 4 cups of syrupy mint tea. While savoring my beverage, I listened as Bernard Gaudin, who finished 10th, gave a post race interview for French television. He reported he would complete the run, but would no longer compete for the prizes. In the later stages of today's race, while suffering from heat and dehydration, he had become disorientated. A film crew found him, and fearing for his health, gave him water and helped him back on the course. Accepting water beyond his nine liter ration, was a violation of the "self sufficiency rule" and Gaudin apparently chose to withdraw rather than face a two hour penalty. I was disappointed, but worse news was breaking. Armand Mussard, Gaudin's teammate, was out of the race. The helicopter had just delivered him to the medical tent. He was unconscious, with a temperature of 41 degrees centigrade. We were advised he was in critical condition with heat stroke and that if his temperature rose one more degree, he would die. We were camped on the shores of a beautiful river, the prettiest bivouac of the race. The next day was free and most of us frolicked in the river while recovering from the race. Mussard gained consciousness in the morning and was transported to a hospital. He recovered well and proceeded home soon after. Apparently no one paid attention to Bernard Gaudin's verbal withdrawal, including Gaudin. No penalties were exacted by the race organizers and Gaudin raced seriously over the final two days. There was no further speculation on who would win the race. The sixth day was the marathon. By the 10K, Hassan had 100 yards on the second pack. At the first aid station (11 miles), Hassan grabbed his ration of water, and hurried on his way. A quarter mile down the trail, as he crested a small hill, he stopped running. I saw him scanning the horizon, and as I drew near, I noticed he was smiling, while singing a song. I glanced over my shoulder and realized no other competitors were in sight. Then I knew why he was happy. In his mind he was already spending the 50,000 franks ($8,000) that would be the winner's prize. It was blistering hot. Hassan was running on a rocky road that was gradually climbing. When he reached the second (also the last) aid station (18 miles), Hassan drank less than a liter of water before discarding the rest. To reach the finish he needed to cross a vast wasteland that was little more than a pile of black rocks. The landscape slanted gradually uphill leading to a gorge. The gorge opened into a pass through the mountain range about 6 miles ahead. The sun was high behind his head, and blazing on his neck. Running over black rocks, heated by the mid-day sun, was like running over smoldering charcoal. Hassan leaned into his task, his feet churning in a circular motion that reminded me of a man riding a unicycle. His rhythm was unbroken and his pace was relentless. He charged through the pass and the last time I saw him, he was leaping from boulder to boulder, racing down the other side. The final race was 15 miles, and Hassan won that as well, completing a perfect sweep. Marie Battistelli also won, but missed sweeping when she lost to Magali Van Reeth on the fourth day. Not everyone was a serious competitor. The participants were given ten hours to navigate each of the four segments between 15 and 18 miles long, 35 hours for the 43 mile segment and 12 hours for the marathon. With these generous time limits, it was possible to walk the entire distance. This opened the door for non-athletes as well. Most entrants were more motivated by adventure than racing. Typical of these were Camille and Therese Giacosa, a married couple who participated "to experience the spirit and camaraderie of the race and to complete something difficult together." "This is the most difficult thing we have ever done," said Camille. "Last year we started, but Therese was unable to complete the 43 mile leg and so we came back this year to finish it." This year they walked that section in 27 hours, stopping briefly at the half point way to eat. "Before we left France," said Therese, "We visited Lourdes." Here she produced a large bottle, half full of water. "This is miracle water," she continued, "We've been drinking some everyday." Passing the bottle to me, she added smiling, "It's a heavy miracle, don't you think?" If you liked this story check this out. The Marathon of the Sands |
Copyright © 2001 by John Loeschhorn - Mail to:mtnrnr@pacbell.net March 2, 2001 |