Marathon des Sables

The Marathon des Sables, or 'Marathon of the Sands', is a 6-day ultra marathon (250 km) through the Moroccan area of the Sahara desert. Some 1000 runners from all around the world – 86% of them men and 14% women – take part in the event. The race is always held in April, and the temperature variations are huge, from 0ºC to +50ºC. Rob Plijnaar (57) from Utrecht, Holland took part in the Marathon des Sables edition 2008 and finished in 42 hrs. 22 min.