If you want to
win the MARATHON DES SABLES, you have to be in top condition.
But to win it 6 times requires rather more. Lhacen AHANSAL
(M) proved he was precisely of that calibre. Only younger
brother Mohamed kept the suspense going right till the end,
finishing in second place overall just 3mns behind. Hassan
OULMYR ran a fine course, taking third place and ensuring
an all-Moroccan podium.
The women's race was much less clear-cut and no one could've
been sure of the winner until the last day. In the end victory
went to Magali JUVENAL (F) ahead of Ruth Marie MILLIMAN (USA)
second and Marielle COUDER (F) third.
The top team was GEMMA, counting the AHANSAL (M) brothers
and Marco GOZZANO (I) in its ranks.
This was a long, lovely and difficult edition which will rightly
stay in minds of all those involved. Participants have come
back with a range of emotions: a mix of all those faces, landscapes
and sensations plus all the seemingly insignificant things
which make this course so unique.
The 19th edition of MARATHON DES SABLES is scheduled for 09
to 19 April 2004.
Before then, ATLANTIDE ORGANISATION Internationale will have
enabled non-stop race lovers to get their fill in MALI. Maintaining
the principle of self-sufficiency, this new DESERT CUP destination
looks set to satisfy the most demanding of racers with its
beautiful landscapes, welcoming people and the challenges
of the terrain.
Set between Bandiagara escarpment and the area around Mount
Homboril, the race will take place from 29 November to 06
December 2003.
We'll be in touch soon.
AOI
TIMING DESERT CUP
Next edition : 29th novembre to 06th
decembre 2003
REGISTRATION The closing date for reservations is 03 September 2003.
After this date, contact AOI or your representant to see if
there are still places.
OBJECTIVE
In order to set calorie needs, competitors chose between 4
different objectives as set out in a table (see race regulations).
You are advised to evaluate your intended performance well
since over-running your time limit will result in a one hour
penalty. Energy drinks are not taken into account as they
are too complicated to evaluate, particularly once removed
from their original packaging.
Very important : the table of objectives forms part of the
registration file.
TEAM RACING
For this new Malian edition, the number of team-members is
no longer limited to 3. In order to be ranked however, teams
must still be mixed (at least one man and one woman) and have
a minimum of 3 members.
SPECIAL
THANKS
THE
PARTNERS
OUR
REPRESENTATIVES
Anke MOLKENTHIN (D-AUT)
Mary GADAMS (USA- AFS- RPC)
Chris LAWRENCE (GB- NZ- IRL)
Toshio MATSUNAGA (J)
Kana Production (M)
Paolo ZUBANI (I)
Olivier SEPULCHRE(SP)
Sylvain DESCHENES (C)
THE COMPETITORS
special thanks to the 633 COURAGEOUS
participants
AOI
Thanks to an exceptional team of 90
volunteers.
INDIVIDUAL
1er AHANSAL Lahcen (M)
2è AHANSAL Mohamed (M)
3è OULMYR Hassan (M)
4è AIT AMAR Mustafa (M)
5è GOZZANO Marco (I)
6e OLMO Marco (I)
7e PLANTIN Eric (F)
8e ZAID Ahdessadek (M)
9e VALLEE Albert (F)
10e DOUL Ibrahim (M)
1ère JUVENAL Magali
(F)
2e MILLIMAN Ruth Marie (USA)
3e COUDER Marielle (F)
31h 59’ 22’’
32h 03’ 57’’
32h 15’ 08’’
VETERAN 1
1er GOZZANO Marco (I)
22h 02’ 06’’
VETERANE 1 WOMAN
1ère MILLIMAN Ruth Marie (USA)
32h03’ 57’’
VETERAN 2
1er OLMO Marco (I)
22h 43’ 04’’
VETERANE 2 WOMAN
1èreLE CERF Christiane (F)
33h 58’ 09’’
VETERAN 3
1er VILLANO Fulvio (I)
30h 43’ 33’’
VETERAN 4
1er LELOUARN Joseph (F)
41H24’21”
TEAM
1ère GEMMA (M et I)
2e CTM (M)
3e LEGENDRE ULTRA RUN BREIZH (F)
TIMING MARATHON DES SABLES
Next edition : 9th to 19th april 2004
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 65 realized by CIMBALY International
Pépé and Marie - Webmaster : Cimbaly
THIS 18th SPECIAL EDITION
THE FILM
The eagerly awaited film made by Cimbaly production
company will be sent to each competitor on the 18th
MDS at the end of July. Those who were not present this
year will be able to purchase a copy using the order
form in a forthcoming Sahara News.
MESSAGE RECEIVED
The lack of a friendly cocktail for us all during this
year's prize-giving will not happen again. Considering
how disappointed some competitors and volunteers were,
we'll happily be reinstating the custom next year.
ON THE WAY DOWN
Could it be the generally favourable weather conditions
we had this year, or was it the result of even better
preparation? Whatever, the number of racers pulling
out went down yet again. Despite their best efforts,
just 28 participants couldn't carry on and had to make
the difficult decision to withdraw.
RANKINGS, DIPLOMA & PHOTOS
Once the various contested results have been dealt with
by early-June, AOI will send all participants the DEFINITIVE
18th MDS rankings : individual and by category. A choice
of photos along with order form and the official diploma
for all ranked competitors will be sent at the same
time.
Darbaroud.com site statistics during
the 18th MDS Number of connections: 9 372 000
Number of pages viewed :1 685 000
Number of sessions: 152 638
Number of individual visitors: 51 143
During the 18th MDS 15,223 emails from over the world
were received and distributed to competitors on the
bivouac (4,200 more than last year).
WORLD RECORD !
He's done it! Karim MOSTA (F) has run his 100th adventure
race around the world, including 15 MDSs and one DESERT
CUP. Blessed with a fine sporting physique, he's be
up on the podium 26 times and likes to remind us it's
been: "damage-free, no big injuries!".
A GREAT DAME
At 75 years of age, Arlette MOUCHET (F) was one of life's
real globe trotters and never stopped discovering new
horizons. She was visiting the Galapagos Islands when
her earthly roaming ceased in early May. She won the
Veteran 4 category on the 13th MDS, and was widely admired
for her enthusiasm and elegance.
MORE PRECISION
Although the itinerary has already been worked out overall
and calculated at around 190 km, a detailed roadbook
which will give the precise distance of the race is
being finalised in June. Depending on the distance and
the difficulties, the maximum time allowed for finishing
the race could be increased.
MASTERS
They may be few in number but the veteran 4 category
will be ranked and awarded prizes in the Men and Women
Masters 4 categories. Women Masters will return to its
usual age ranges (40/49 years, 50/59 years, 60/69 years
and 70/79 years).
AMBIANCE
For the Malians, no celebration is complete without
music so the beat of djembés and traditional
dances will never be far away on the next edition of
the DESERT CUP. Be prepared for the warmest of welcomes.
DECOR
They may blend perfectly into the landscape but you
can’t miss the distinctive conical straw roofs
of the Dogon village dwellings which have made Dogon
country so renowned. 400 metres below, the plain stretches
out to the foot of huge inselbergs (island/mountain)
that dominate the wooded savannah lands with its baobabs,
tamarinds, acacias etc.
COLOSSAL
The Dogon people created genuine green oases –
a remarkable feat and testimony to sheer willpower.
It took great tenacity and patience to transport earth
to make terraces on the plateau and edge of the escarpment.
MANAGEMENT
In a non-stop race, you don’t pace your efforts
in the same way as for a course in stages. The pace
is slower, rest times are not laid down and as with
pauses for eating, these times impact on the rankings.
So to sum up you have to progress but not too fast,
sleep but not for too long and eat without hanging around
the table. A piece of cake wouldn't you say?
NO ACCOMPANIMENT
To avoid any suspicion of outside assistance, no accompaniment
will be allowed on the new Desert Cup itinerary this
year. In the future a special trip will enable you to
see the competitors at certain points under the organisation's
control. This requires the kind of infrastructure a
first
edition in a new country cannot cater for.
