THE CONCEPT

PARTICIPANTS

The MARATHON DES SABLES The Legendary is an adventure open to all.

In 38 editions, more than 30,000 people have joined the adventure.

On average, on each edition there is:

• 60 nationalities represented
• More than 30% of walkers
• An average age of 51 years old
• 90% of finishers
• An average pace of 5.2km/h

The cut off times are large enough so you can do the adventure at your own pace and become a finisher. The minimum speed allowed is around 3km/h.

ORGANIZATION OF THE WEEK

Here is how a typical week at the MARATHON DES SABLES The Legendary is organized:

• Day 1: Arrival in Morocco, transfer by bus in the desert, installation and night at the bivouac.
• Day 2: Day of technical, administrative and medical checks, night at the bivouac.
• Day 3:First stage, night at the bivouac.
• Day 4:Second stage, night at the bivouac.
• Days 5 & 6:Third stage - "the long one" - which lasts 2 days. Nights at the bivouac.
• Day 7: Fourth stage, night at the bivouac.
• Day 8: Fifth stage, night at the bivouac.
• Day 9: Sixth stage, award ceremony.Transfer by bus to Ouarzazate, night at the hotel with half board accommodation.
• Day 10: Free day in Ouarzazate, night at the hotel with half board accommodation.
• Day 11: End of the adventure, transfer back to the airport.

USEFUL INFORMATION

PRICE

The prices for the MARATHON DES SABLES The Legendary 2025 are as follow:

1. "Classic" offer: race registration with 2 nights accommodation in a quality standard hotel.
   €3,690/person for the first 500 registrants
   €3,890/person
2. "Superior" offer: race registration with 2 nights at the Berbère Palace, a high-class hotel.
   €4,090/person for the first 500 registrants
   €4,290/person  

Both offers are available to everyone, regardless of their country of residence.

INCLUDED IN THE REGISTRATION

• Bib for the race
• Postponement insurance: Possibility of postponing participation in the next edition free of charge up to 7 days before the start (up to and including March 28, 2025 - 11:59 UTC+1). Conditions available in the race regulations.
• 2 nights accommodation in a double room with half-board in Ouarzazate (classic or superior hotel, depending on package chosen).
• Organization and medical support during the race
• Water supply during the race
• Repatriation assistance
• 8 nights in bivouac
• Medal
• Finisher's t-shirt

HOW TO GET THERE?

The meeting point will be in Ouarzazate on Friday morning, April 4, 2025, to join the organization and take transfers to the desert. Various meeting points will be available, so you can choose the one that suits you best. We'll let you know later, but don't worry, all the city's main places are within easy reach.

To get there, you can arrive at different airports:

1. Ouarzazate airport
   Fly to Ouarzazate before the race and spend one or more nights in a hotel (at your expense), then come to one of the meeting points on the morning of April 4. You must arrive no later than April 3.
2. Marrakech airport
   Fly to Marrakech the days before the race and go by bus to Ouarzazate.

Shuttles will be organized on the morning of April 2 and 3, 2025, between Marrakech and Ouarzazate (5-hour journey).

Timetable for the Marrakech / Ouarzazate shuttles on April 2 and 3 :
- 07:00 am: From the center of Marrakech (meeting point at the Kenzi Rose Garden hotel).
- 10:00 am: From Marrakech airport.
- 12:00 pm: From Marrakech airport.

You can either :
- Book a flight to Marrakech airport and, on arrival, take one of our shuttles directly to Ouarzazate.
- Spend one or more nights in Marrakech, and take the 07:00 am shuttle bus from the center of Marrakech, on April 2 or 3, to Ouarzazate.

You'll need to book one or more nights at a hotel in Ouarzazate, depending on when you arrive.
These nights are to be booked on your own and at your expense. Here's the contact details of our local travel agency partner who can help you with your reservations: [email protected].

The return trip at the end of the MDS follows the same logic.

If you wish, you can take advantage of the bus service provided between Ouarzazate and Marrakech. These buses will leave Ouarzazate at 06:00 am on April 14, so you'll need to book a return flight from Marrakech after 2:00 pm.

If you take a return flight from Ouarzazate, then you are free for the hotel-airport transfer, or you can book your flight at your convenience.

All this information will be available on your MDS account, once you have registered. You will receive a detailed schedule by e-mail once you have registered.

IN WHICH HOTELS DO THE PARTICIPANTS SLEEP AFTER THE RACE?

Depending on the offer you choose, you have 2 options for the 2 nights following the race:

Option 1 - “Standard” package:
Participants are assigned to several hotels in Ouarzazate, all within a 5/10-minute walk of each other.

Option 2 - “Superior” offer:
You will stay at the Berbère Palace in the city center.

At the hotel, the participants are divided in double rooms with another person of the same sex and who speaks the same language (as much as possible).

It is possible to indicate the person with whom you wish to share the accommodation before the race, on your registration account.

PAYMENT TERMS:

You can pay by:

• Credit card
  • From 1 to 5 instalments
• Bank transfer
  • 1 instalment

The number of installments may depend on the registration date. The registration will be 100% validated once the total amount of the registration is paid.

WHAT IS THE MATERIAL REQUIRED?

If this is your first MARATHON DES SABLES The Legendary, you probably have a lot of questions. Once registered, we will send you a complete list of recommended and mandatory materials, but in the meantime, here is the main one to have per person:

For information*:

• A backpack with a water capacity
• A running outfit (t-shirt + shorts)
• Trail shoes + anti-sand gaiters
• Cap and sunglasses
• Change for the bivouac: T-shirt + light shorts / leggings
• Windproof jacket for the evening and morning
• Sleeping bag + mattress for the night
• Hygiene products (sun cream, soap, antiseptic...)
• Toilet paper
• Food and kitchen utensils (cooking utensils, fire pellets...)
• Mandatory equipment not mentioned above (compass, lighter, whistle, head torch, metal blade knife, safety pins, signal mirror, survival blanket, AOI medical certificate + EGC...)

You will leave your suitcase with your non-racing belongings with the organization during the technical-checks, and you will find it after the adventure for the last days at the hotel.

*As a reminder, this list is not exhaustive - you will receive the exact list once you have done your registration, or by consulting the race regulations (soon be available here).

FOOD

You will need to bring your food from April 4 to 12 as follow:

• April 4 - Day 1: dinner
• April 5 to 11 - Days 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8: breakfast, lunch, dinner
• April 12 - Day 9: breakfast, lunch

Each participant must have a minimum of 2,000 k/calories per race day, from April 6 to 12 included. It will be necessary to select the food that seems to be the most adapted to the efforts made, the climatic conditions, the transport and the weight.

More information in the race regulations (soon be available here).

SAFETY

During the race, participants are surrounded by the medical and organization teams from the beginning to the end of the stages.
The routes are marked with stakes every 200m, so it is normally impossible to get lost.
The competitors are all equipped with a GPS beacon with an alarm button, allowing the organization to locate them at any time.
A medical tent is present at the bivouac where competitors can go at any time.

REGULATIONS

For even more details, including the fees withheld in case of cancellation, the penalties awarded in case of non-compliance with the race rules, etc., we invite you to carefully read the race rules (soon be available here) as well as the terms and conditions of sale (soon be available here).

MORE ADVENTURE?

Discover the MARATHON DES SABLES, a week-long adventure in a format of 70 to 120km, divided into 3 stages, with editions in Jordan, the Canaries, Cappadocia, Morocco, etc.

Find out more