ATLANTIDE ORGANISATION International news being less than
joyful of late, we have to hope the inhabitants of this planet
learn to love one another a bit more. May we also suggest
that those with an aggressive streak come and run the MARATHON
DES SABLES. It's an excellent way to find the kind of virtues
the others would seem to have forgotten.
When you're in the desert, with as many grains of sand underfoot
as stars above your head, you end up feeling a bit insignificant;
certainly it encourages a sense of humility. And then there's
the fraternity and solidarity between the runners which goes
far beyond notions of countries or religion. We could also
mention the mutual respect shown between winner
and the last one to cross the finish line. These are all simple
values that participants in the 17th MDS will share in April
2002.
To date, around 630 competitors from all over the world have
chosen to freely live out their passion in the
Southern Moroccan Sahara. In the midst of fabulous scenery,
they'll be forging friendships with people they never even
knew existed before the race.Some will coverkilometres together without knowing a word of their
companion's language, but they'll still communicate. Basically
they'll be stocking up high on lasting memories.
There are still 3 months to prepare before the big day. We're
now into the period of trying out dehydrated food
(after the Christmas festivities of course...), training regularly
with the ruck-sack, and sale-time will provide the prefect
opportunity to buy some equipment. It's also a rather good
moment to buy the MARATHON DES SABLES book whether as a gift
or as a personal treat.
We'll be in touch soon and in the meantime have a very happy
Christmasand
all good wishes for the New Year !
AOI
OBJECTIF ATTEINT
Tout au long de l’année 2001, Nathalie FIRMIN
(F) a enchaîné les courses afin de se préparer
au mieux pour la DESERT CUP. Avec parfois 130km d’entraînement
par semaine, dont beaucoup d’endurance, elle est arrivée
en Jordanie en pleine possession de ses moyens. Elle a parfaitement
géré sa course et remporté l’épreuve,
ce qui pour un coup d’essai est un coup de maître.
GROSSE FATIGUE
Il est évident que beaucoup de concurrents vont au-delà
de leurs limites habituelles, ce qui a pour conséquence
de leur faire perdre une partie de leur lucidité. En
fin de parcours, ils ont du mal à rester vigilants,
ils deviennent irritables et quelques fois sujets aux hallucinations.
Alors prudence, mieux vaut se reposer que s’égarer
ou voir des forêts dans le site de Petra…
TOUS ENSEMBLE
Si les deux sœurs jumelles, Lama et Dima HATTAB (JOR),
expliquent courir pour la paix dans le monde, l’ensemble
des concurrents représentant 21 pays donnait une belle
image de fraternité entre les peuples. D’où
qu’il vienne, chacun a ressenti le bonheur de partager
les mêmes émotions en dépit des tensions
du moment. Ca sert aussi à cela le sport.
ELLES SONT FORMIDABLES !
De N. FIRMIN (F) à S. POWER (IRL) elles sont 27 à
avoir franchi la ligne d’arrivée. Qu’elles
courent seules ou en équipe, elles sont moins nombreuses
que les hommes à abandonner. Et puis, tout comme au
volant de leur voiture, elles s’énervent beaucoup
moins après leur entourage. Bref, elles assurent !
EN EQUIPE
La mixité obligatoire en équipe de 3 offre bien
des attraits. Les plus machos constatent que le 3e à
finir n’est pas toujours une femme… Même
quand le classement individuel s’est envolé à
titre personnel, on se motive pour les 2 autres ; car rien
n’est joué avant la ligne d’arrivée.
Et puis, sur le podium, les bisous remplacent les accolades
viriles
ATLANTIDE ORGANISATION Internationale
BP 98 - 10003 TROYES Cedex - FRANCE
Tél. : (33) 03 25 76 57 77 / Fax : (33) 03 25 76 87
75
E-Mail : aoi@darbaroud.com
- WEB : http://www.darbaroud.com
Sahara News number 52 realized by CIMBALY International -
Pépé et Marie
Webmaster : Cimbaly
Watch
out for penalties !
The race regulations (Art. 27 et 28) forbid the throwing
away of energy product wrappers which are often made
of plastic or aluminium-based. Plastic takes 20 years
to disappear and the aluminium layer 80 years. By keeping
the wrapping till the next CP, you won't be carrying
much extra weight but you will be helping to protect
the environment.
FROM Czech Republic
Very often the only representative of his country, Z.
PRIVRATSKY (TCH) will be coming from the Czech Republic
to run the MDS for the 5th time.
10 YEARS
D. AUBERT (F) has waited 10 years before coming back
to “experience unique emotions”. This time
he's coming from the Côte d'Ivoire.
TEAM ENROLMENTS Tri Running Rennes : J.
SERAZIN (F), D. GUILLERM (F), D. CAILLIBOT (F), Y. ROSSIGNOL
(F) and A. GUTTIEREZ (F) perfectly reflect the spirit
of many Breton runners who enroll in MDS. They want
to discover new horizons and are aware that "doing
sport is a duty towards those who can't". Batibois Alsace : K. CORNE
(F) is from Brittany, L. SCHILLINGER (F), C. HAGENSTEIN
and H. CLAUSER from Alsace. One woman and three men,
they've come together to discover the desert and share
the team spirit of the company that's backing them. Exxon Mobil Runners :
It's all about getting away from road races and to live
the adventure other than in front of the tele. After
2 MDS and 1 DESERT CUP, S. HEMARD (F) is doing just
that along with two colleagues D. LEVASSEUR (F) and
H. LE BON (F). Sapeurs pompiers Seine et Marne: Like all good firemen, E. LENOIR (F), N. BREUGNOT
(F) and M. VATIN (F) intend to do honour to their profession.
After several adventure races, they can't wait to taste
the joys of the desert and try out being self-sufficient
in food ... GAN : For this one woman
and four men from the Paris region, the aim is clear:
cross the finish line. G. FOREST (F), C. PERROT (F),
J. MARIAS (F), L.GRENET (F) and L. GODARD (F) are counting
on having a great time meeting others crazy enough to
come and live out the same passion. Vinci : Present in 2001,
J.C. RAYMOND (F) and L. MARTIN (F) are delighted to
be back to relive the team experience. They're taking
up this new challenge along with C. COURTALON (F), J.
MAUGENDRE (F), A. SOARES (F) and X. de VARINES.
DESERT CUP
They're
amazing !
From N. FIRMIN (F) to S. POWER (IRL) 27 women crossed
the finish line. Whether alone or in a team, they are
less likely than the men to abandon the race. And then,
just like behind the wheel, they're less inclined to
vent their anger on those around them.
Let's say they handle the situation ... very well!
Objective reached
Throughout 2001, Nathalie FIRMIN (F) piled up the
races in preparation for the DESERT CUP. With sometimes
up to 130km of training per week including a lot of
endurance work, she arrived in Jordan in top shape,
ready for the race. She paced herself perfectly and
won, which considering she was just trying her luck
really is a master stroke.
Major fatigue It's clear that many competitors
push themselves much further than they're used to doing.
As a result they lose a bit of lucidity. Towards the
end of the race, they find it hard to keep on the ball,
becoming irritable and sometimes starting to hallucinate.
So a bit of prudence please, it's better to rest than
to get lost or start seeing forests in Petra...
All together now
Twin sisters Lama and Dima HATTAB (JOR) run in the name
of world peace, but it's true to say the competitors
as a whole, representing as they did 21 countries, gave
a strong image of fraternity between peoples. Regardless
of origins, the sharing of similar emotions despite
tensions around at the current time is a great pleasure
indeed. Sport goes a long way in serving that function.
In teams
The necessarilymixed nature of teams of 3 has its advantages.
Firstly it puts an end to gender segregation. Macho
guys will notice that the 3rd to finish isn't always
a woman... Even when that prized place in the individual
ranking has been lost, you can still be motivated for
the 2 others: there's everything to play
for until you actually cross the finish line. And then
on the podium virile accolades give way to kisses.
