Matt Hayter’s Marathon des Sables Adventure

Well I have done it. After 2 years of training I completed the 24th Marathon des Sables on Friday 3rd April 2009.

Unseasonable floods in the Sahara meant the original route had to be abandoned, but the organisers worked around the clock to provide a new race a little different from previous years. Whilst the overall distance covered was shorter, the event was much more intense covering 200km (125 miles) in just 4 days, including the longest ever Long Stage in Marathon des Sables history, a mammouth 91km (57 miles). 

The lads from Tent 92

(l-r back: Ivan, Jeremy, Dan, Keith, Jamsie; front: Me, Seamus, Rab)

A full race report will follow once I get my head round the floods, evacuations, ameobic dysentary, sand, dunes, rocks, Philharmonic Orchestra’s………………

I am running the Marathon des Sables in 2009 in aid of Yorkshire Cancer Research.

The Marathon des Sables (MdS) is a 6 day 150 mile endurance race across the Sahara Desert. Competitors have to be self sufficient and carry all of their provisions for the race, with the exception of water which is distributed daily. The MdS is well known for being the “Toughest Foot Race on Earth” and was the brainchild of Patrick Bauer. The race was first run in 1986 and its popularity, not to mention its reputation, has grown year on year. In March 2007 235 places went on sale for British competitors and within 30 minutes all places had been sold, I was ‘lucky’ enough to secure one of those places. The adventure starts here!!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2530022143304269892>

click the link above to see Eurosports coverage of 2007’s event

click for race details

Bond Bryan are proud to sponsor Matt’s Run 

  

Please feel free to have a look around my site and find out about my training, upcoming events and most importantly how to sponsor me and donate to Yorkshire Cancer Research.