Sahara: What it's like to run the Marathon des Sables

[@716tommo]

Brilliant mate, I did this in 2018, brought back so many good and bad memories!

[@TalesofAdventure]

Haha, I can completely imagine! I'm very keen to get back to multi-day stage races after when I need a break from bikepacking expeditions.

[@716tommo]

@@TalesofAdventure I'm opposite ...as last few challenges I've done have been cycling (NC500 & Hebridean Way) last ultra I did was a 250km race in Romania in August 2021 which was way harder than the MDS.

[@living_silence]

I loved this! Thanks for sharing it mate

[@TalesofAdventure]

Good stuff, glad you liked it, Luis - hopefully it helps others tackle this with a little less fear of the unknown!

[@lucreciaamadoweiseres6536]

Thanks for sharing an honest review on it.

[@TalesofAdventure]

Hugely welcome, it's not the unachievable race that the promo and people make it out to be, however it does need some good prep and training to tackle it as you would expect.

[@Mnp888]

Great work 🤞 some good stuffs in channel ☺️

[@TalesofAdventure]

Thanks so much for the kind feedback, Mayank, hugely appreciated!

[@puterirosnila2613]

wish the video were longer… 😭

[@TalesofAdventure]

Good to know, we'll aim to make them longer in the future, Puteri - thanks for letting us know, much appreciated!

[@kevindelporte2990]

Respect

[@TalesofAdventure]

It was a great challenge despite the financial cost, Kevin, and definitely put us in good stead for future long distance hiking endeavours!

[@Miguelito441]

Great video! And congrats for finishing the race. One day I will hopefully participate at this race as well.

[@TalesofAdventure]

@@Miguelito441 thanks so much, Miguel, it was a really interesting experience and definitely not our last multi-day stage race for sure! 😎👌

[@Miguelito441]

@@TalesofAdventure please keep on posting your adventures 💪

[@TalesofAdventure]

@@Miguelito441 for sure, we’re in training for the Silk Road mountain race next, so cool getting into Bikepacking now! 🚴‍♂️🏔🇰🇬

[@PaulEvans-m2z]

I see in the comments the topic of walking. It is actually a relief to hear that a lot of the course is hiked as I do have my eyes on MDS. But in general did you run/jog certain sections or did you/the wider field 100% hike each stages? Great video by the way.

[@mimichka-9852]

Hi generally in this type an ultra race you never run all along the stage except if you are one of the best. Generally you walk (fast) a lot and run sometimes. But it's totally different from a road race

[@TalesofAdventure]

Yeah, very little of it was actually spent running (less than 10% at a guess) - other than when the temperature cooled and it was nice to have a change of pace.

[@basedinstinct]

Nobody runs the Marathon des Sables. But I understand it sounds nice to say. In reality everyone walks it. Even the so called "jog" is more of a shuffle below a 4mph walking pace. It's an ultra marathon distance hike in the desert.

[@TalesofAdventure]

Not everyone walks it, some people were running it - however they had to rest for a long time at the aid stations. My tent-mates and I had many long conversations about whether the 'tortoise' or the 'hare' race strategy was best. I found the tortoise strategy worked best for me so that I stayed in the aerobic respiration zone, and generated a manageable levels of lactic acid. You can read more about those running strategies on the Tales of Adventure website: www.thetalesofadventure.com/how-to-meet-the-cutoff-times-on-the-marathon-des-sables

[@TalesofAdventure]

I forgot to ask which year you completed it, @basedinstinct, as temperature makes a big difference to your speed. We had a relatively mild year (2019) by comparison to other years, so it's understandable that you may not have seen anyone actually running.

[@pantherkursk]

you made it sound and look easy lol

[@TalesofAdventure]

Haha, thanks - it was anything but easy, but always nice to hear! 😆

[@luisguimaraes3186]

enjoyed this video. most people just walk?

[@TalesofAdventure]

Good to know, Luis, thanks for highlighting. Yep, most people walk the stages to stay in zone 2 (the anaerobic zone) as you're heartbeat can quickly rise above the threshold, meaning you'll produce more lactic acid and struggle on the later (and long days).

[@clonie9963]

Haha bunch of lemons, I mean lemmings 😂

[@TalesofAdventure]

That was a looooong day from what I can remember!

[@Jurgen_mandel]

MDS 👍 I ran the Marathon des Sables, a fantastic time. 🏜️🐫👍

[@TalesofAdventure]

Awesome, how did you find it, Jürgen? Ours was quite a cool year by all accounts - so there was quite a high finisher rate.

[@Jurgen_mandel]

@@TalesofAdventure yes, it was a great run through the sahara. But now I had a new adventure. rode alone with my bike from Germany to China. 12,000 kilometers by bike 🚴💪

[@TalesofAdventure]

Awesome stuff,@@Jurgen_mandel! We’ve been bitten by the bikepacking bug also and are now in training for the Silk Road mountain race. When do you set off on this fantastic endeavour?

[@Jurgen_mandel]

@@TalesofAdventure Marathon des Sables 🐫💪 kzbin.info/www/bejne/m3XSo6pjip2SqKs

[@TalesofAdventure]

@@Jurgen_mandel 😎👌🏃‍♂️🐪