Category: mds
-
Marathon des Sables – Part 2
Arrival at the Marathon des Sables The journey to the legendary Marathon des Sables (MDS) began at Heathrow Airport, where a chartered flight, exclusively for participants, awaited. The presence of MDS staff at the airport added a reassuring touch, ensuring a smooth start to the adventure. Their guidance continued as…
-
Marathon des Sables 2024 – Part 1
This is the first in a series of posts documenting my experience completing the 38th edition of the Marathon des Sables—one of the toughest footraces on Earth. Origin story The Marathon des Sables (marathon of the sands) is a six-stage, 252 km (157 mile) ultramarathon race held every year in…
-
My gear for the Marathon des Sables 2024
The Marathon des Sables is a 250 km, multi-stage, self-sufficient foot race in the Sahara desert. This means I am required to carry all of my gear and food for the entire 6 stages over 7 days. The only things that the race organisers provide is water and a Bivouac,…
-
The sweat test
Everyone knows to rehydrate when exercising but many don’t consider the amount of sweat and sodium they lose (sodium is the key electrolyte lost in sweat). Cramp is every athlete’s nightmare and can ruin a race. The exact cause of cramp is debatable, but dehydration and loss of sodium is…
-
The MdS Expo. in London 2023
In April 2024 I will compete in the Marathon des Sables (MdS), a six-day, 250 km (160 mile) ultramarathon race in the Sahara Desert, dubbed ‘the toughest foot race on earth’. In preparation, I attended the MdS expo in October 2023, in London. There was a range of presentations and…
-
Hope for Children and Marathon des Sables
When I initially signed up to run the Marathon des Sables (MdS), it was for purely selfish reasons. I wanted to test my mental and physical capabilities of running a six-day, 250 km (160 mile) ultramarathon race in the Sahara Desert. I had not intended to raise money for a…
-
Why I’m running the ‘toughest race in the world’
In April 2024 I will undertake my most challenging ultramarathon race to date. The Marathon des Sables (MdS) is a six-day, 250 km (160 mile) ultramarathon race held every year in the Sahara Desert, in southern Morocco. It was the brainchild of French concert promoter Patrick Bauer. In 1984 he…
Chris runs ultras 