The slarha desert marathon is called the most difficult hike on earth. Contestants must carry 6 marathons in 5 days with the necessary items. 18 months ago, I signed up with several friends and worked hard for this.
After 6 hours of deep car travel in southern Morocco, we arrived at the camp. I arrived at the same time with my good friend Su Xichen. She is an endurance runner and has run three times in the Sahara marathon. Our backpack must be checked and weighed to make sure that we have enough food. We must also carry some necessary equipment such as sleeping bags, compass, venom pump and whistle.
The game begins in a legendary way. About 1000 athletes took part in the competition, of which only 175 women. The helicopter hovered overhead. The Frenchman, Patrick Bauer, who first held the game 33 years ago, waved us into the "hell" game from the freeway.
On the first day, we ran 18 miles (about 29 kilometers), most of which were on the dunes. I don't have much experience running on sand in London. The sand drained our leg strength. We didn't run very far, because it was clear what we were waiting for in front of us. Someone ran too hard in the heat wave, and finally had to receive infusion treatment in the camp's medical tent.
The camp is huge and is always moving. Every morning, as we lined up on the starting line, a Berber team came over to pack up the tents and drove the tents to the next station 20 or 30 miles away.
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Tent life is almost as important as running. You share the open tent with 7 other long-distance runners and sleep side by side on a stone desert floor. Every day, after 5-6 hours of long distance running, we will fall to the ground in the tent. We are too tired to move. Life has become very simple. There is no signal on the phone. You live in an isolated environment full of aches and pains, banter and laughter.
Food is obviously very important. According to the rules, contestants must carry at least 2000 calories per day. I brought a small stove and a pot, so that boiled water could be used to eat the freeze-dried breakfast. Lunch is eaten on the way, mainly snacks and powdered energy drinks. We consume far more calories than we can carry. After I returned to London, I was about 6 kilos lighter.
In the desert, you must learn to forget your worries as soon as possible. This is the way our toilet is. Every day, after crossing the finish line, you will get two brown plastic bags. Each compartment has a plastic chair with holes in it for plastic bags. The rest is left to your imagination. It is impossible to take a bath in the desert. We wear the same clothes for nine days in a row.
I was shocked by the desert landscape. It's so big and diverse. We climbed many mountains - at least 600 meters per day, and along the ridge. The whole process is exciting.
The most frightening part of the Sahara marathon was fourth days - we had to run 54 miles (about 87 kilometers) a time, and the organization didn't make it easy. We climbed 1200 meters that day, and when night fell, we found ourselves in the depths of the dune. It's hell.