Marathon des Sables - Preamble
On the 30th September I am heading down to Gatwick for the flight the following day to Morocco to take part in the 35th edition of the Marathon des Sables. It's one of the worlds iconic ultramarathons and is probably one of the few that non-runners might have heard of. It is a tough race with daytime temperatures that can reach well into the 40's and total distance over the week will be approximately 250km, all in the desert, with the longest stage being around 85km. Not only this but you have to be self sufficient i.e. carry everything you need with you such as food, clothing, sleeping bag etc. with the exception of water (even this is rationed) and a basic bivouac. For this reason the Discovery Channel once labelled the Marathon des Sables as the 'toughest footrace on Earth'. The rough outline of the race is as follows: Thurs 30 th September Travel down to Gatwick to overnight. Fri 1 st October Titan Airways charter flight