The Marathon Des Sables 2007 

The Marathon des Sables is a 6 day / 230km endurance race across the Sahara Desert in Morocco, taking place each year at the end of March / beginning of April. I'm running it in 2007.

During the race the competitors (myself included!) have to carry all food, cooking equipment, survival equipment, etc over ground ranging from sand dunes to uneven rocky ground in temperatures up to 120°F.

This is, of course, completely stupid! However, I've never been known for being sensible. In 2005 I ran a marathon 3000m up to the top of Mount Olympus and back down again, I then trekked to Everest base camp at 5200m and ran a marathon from there.

Over the last year I've had a fairly quiet time with only Prague and Snowdon run in 2006. (having said that I blitzed Prague in May and knocked 8 minutes off my PB!). Also I skied down the Vallee Blanche and Mer de Glace earlier in the year - no big deal from a skills point of view, but still one of the outdoor adventures of the world.

Oh - and I will be nearly 60 yrs old when the Marathon Des Sables takes place. Can you use free bus passes in Morocco?