38TH MARATHON DES SABLES LEGENDARY – THE LEGEND IS ON

At exactly 7:30 a.m., in front of the Governor of the Province of ERRACHIDIA, 842 people took the start of the first stage of the 38th MARATHON DES SABLES LEGENDARY. The objective for the vast majority of the peloton: to tame the desert and draw as little from its reserves as possible. And at the end of the afternoon, with only 0.24% of people out of the race, we can say that it is a very nice collective success.

There were 842 of them this morning stamping their feet with impatience in front of the starting banner of the 38th MARATHON DES SABLES LEGENDARY. At 7:30 a.m., the peloton set off for the 31.1 km of this first stage. Mainly on hard ground, with little difference in altitude, it is a perfect step to gently enter the adventure.

CAUTION IN THE PELOTON

Yesterday's briefing and this morning's recommendations bore fruit: apart from the elite, who had a blast on the rolling course of the day, the vast majority of the peloton used this first stage as an acclimatization in the desert. Gabriel MONNIER (D137-FRA), 663rd in 5h52, is a perfect example: “I listened to all the advices of the Race Director, and I walked steadily throughout this stage. I wanted to understand the heat, the wind, the speed of refueling, and the weight of the bag. And I arrived in great shape, just a little sore in my shoulders, back and legs.“

The advantage, when you control your race rather than enduring it, is that you can appreciate every moment of it, like Adrien LOLLY (D786-FRA): “It's only the first stage, but we have already had magnificent landscapes. I can't wait to see how far I can go. That's the challenge: having as much fun as possible and seeing if I have the physical and mental capacity to reach the end.“

99.76% AT THE end of STAGE 1

And at the end of today's stage, practically all the starters arrived: 99.76% to be exact. An unprecedented percentage on a first stage of the MDS LEGENDARY, proof that the invitations to caution are not in vain. The front runners completed the 31.1 km at an average of 14.2 km/h, the middle of the pack at 8 km/h, and the last finishers at 3.5 km/h.

But no matter the speed, at the end of the day, everyone feels the same satisfaction!