Toughest Foot Race On Earth- Marathon Des Sables

The Marathon des Sables (Marathon of the Sands, or Sahara Marathon) is a six-day, 251 km (156 mi) ultra-marathon, 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 Marathon is an expensive undertaking, costing approximately $5,000 to participate in. Competitors must carry all personal belongings and food for the entire event in their backpack. Water and tents are supplied by the organizers. Competitors are provided nine liters of water throughout the day. At night, participants sleep in communal tents in the desert.

The first event of the Marathon started in 1986. Since then, an estimated 12,000 competitors have participated in the Marathon and Moroccan-born Lahcen Ahansal has won it a record 10 times. While only two casualties have been reported since the Marathon’s inception, a number of interesting survival stories have emerged over the years. The most famous is of Mauro Prosperi, an Italian police officer who, in 1994, went off course during a sandstorm and was lost for nine days before being found by a Bedouin family in an abandoned mosque. He managed to stay alive on a diet that included dead bats and lost more than 13 kilos in the process.

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