The Marathon de Sables What are you made of?

It is possibly the toughest footrace on earth, takes place in temperatures of up to 47C. It requires months of dedicated training and has a price tag that makes any normal race-fee look like spare change!

The Marathon De Sables (MdS) is the Ultra race you sign up to if you really want to learn what you’re made of. It is a race where participants spend 7 days running 243Km across the baking Sahara desert. Competitors must carry everything they will need, including their Food, Clothes, Medical supplies and Sleeping bag! One of the only things they don’t have to carry along their 243Km journey is their tent!

The course, on which the MdS is run - consists of miles and miles of uneven rocky ground. When the red hot stones aren’t biting into your runners, competitors then get the pleasure of hauling themselves through the energy sapping, heat reflecting sand Dunes’ of the Sahara. Other compulsory elements of kit which runners must have include ‘emergency flares’ and an ‘anti-venom kit’! (Just to be on the safe side)

So why do they do it and what does actually it feel like? What pushes a normal man to leave his normal life, in pursuit of something extraordinary?

One man who was up to this Jurassic challenge is Adam Foyster from the UK. Adam successfully completed 2007's grueling MdS, and has been good enough to share his thoughts and race diary with us here at EnduranceSource.com

So Adam what made to you decide to undertake the challenge of the MdS?
 
I just wanted to push myself to my limits. My favorite quote is, ‘’he who is not prepared to push beyond his self imposed boundaries, should not complain about the mediocrity of his existence’’

When most people are training for a Marathon they might rack up around 20 – 30 miles in a week, including their long run. How did your training for the Marathon De Sables differ from regular Marathon training?

I did back to back long runs 20 miles+, ultra runs of between 40-50 miles and regular training weeks of about 80-100 miles! When I was injured I also walked lots!

That’s serious training. What would you say were the highest and lowest points of the event for you?

The highest point was completing the Marathon stage and finding out my wife was expecting our first baby. I think that probably the lowest point was at 2 am in the darkness, after 17 hours of running (you’ll see from my diary). I had a good cry and cleaned myself up and then set off for the finish line.

Finally if you had any advice to somebody who might be training for or considering the MdS what would it be?

 My advice to anybody thinking of doing MdS; is if you have the time and money do it, it’ll be a life changing experience whatever your background. Prepare your feet well but expect them to be savaged. Travel light and I mean light. Finally watch out for the Ahancel brothers as they’re serious Sahara runners.
 

  Adams 2007 Marathon de Sables Diary

  Day 1

Hi Everyone,

Today was our first day and I had a really bad day out there. The organisers told me the temperatures reached 43 degrees. I didn't take enough salt tablets and about 20km in I started vomiting large quantities of water, which isn't good, I felt helpless at one point. Luckily I managed to take on more water and salt and keep it down. I've a large blister on my left thumb and several smaller ones on my feet!

Today's stage was just short of 30km but still took me around 6hours30mins, the warm up! You may know I tore a few muscles in my leg before I came here.....my leg was painful today but has held out. Bring on day 2 which is 35km.

Adam

  Day 2

Hi Guys

Day 2 was really tough. I have some new blisters and hot spots on my heels after a lot of climbing today. Luckily I had no problems with hydration and managed to keep my salt tablets and water down, taking one salt tablet every 20 mins. The temperatures were similar to yesterday but I'm told the humidity was up to 20% which is high for the Sahara.

Today we had to climb a huge hill fondly known as "the hill to cleanse you of all your sins". It was a one in three climb on moving rocks and sand and as the rocks shifted we saw snakes and scorpions. Anyway I have been subsequently cleansed after 8hours and 26mins of hell.
I did speak to a man who has the pictures of his two dead children on his pack, he is raising money for charity in their honour .......it made my immense pain and suffering seem unimportant.

Adam

  Day 3

Hi Everyone

It was tough today but the climbs are not as bad as previous days. Feet are still in pieces and legs are agony but hydration and salt intake are good. Today was hot 47 degrees! Many people have received saline IV drips today.

Feeling very lonely in the desert it's a lonely place anyway without feeling like this. I have very little energy mainly because I haven't been able to eat much, covered approx 96km so far but only taken on 3000 calories in the past 3 days, I estimate having burnt around 15000 kcal and am conscious of a considerable weight loss.....bonus!

Tomorrow is 70km and I hope to have finished in around 20 hours which would bring me back to camp around 5am Thursday morning. Was chatting to a blind lady today would is running with her husband....she's as tough as they come. Hope to come through the night stage in one piece.

Adam :(

  Day 4

Hi Guys

Day 4 was horrific! It took me 18 hours and 45mins which is a seriously long time on your feet in these conditions. I hit rock bottom in the dunes around 1am where I began to feel light headed and sick, I had serious diarrhoea where I lost a lot of water but because I was alone I couldn't get any help without setting of my flare which I wasn't prepared to do. I managed to fight my way through it and arrived back at camp around 3:51am where I was able to rehydrate myself. I was physically and mentally drained.

Unfortunately a French guy died last night, everyone is gutted, another was repatriated after suffering a heart attack. A lot of the guys in my tent have lost toe nail, luckily mine are just about intact. Tomorrow is another marathon, I'm going flat out to get it over with, it's not really much fun anymore.

Adam

  Day 5

Rested.

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