MDS HANDI 2027

Any wheelchair user who is able to propel their wheelchair using their upper limbs, accompanied by their team (4 to 6 teammates).

The wheelchair user must complete a medical questionnaire, which is reviewed and approved by a physical and rehabilitation medicine (PRM) physician from the organising team. This approval confirms their eligibility to participate.

Each team member must also provide the official MDS medical certificate.

A full team consists of seven people: one wheelchair user and six teammates (friends, family, colleagues, club members, or association members).
Teams can also register with as few as four teammates and will be ranked alongside the other teams.

If you’re short of team members, you can complete your team with other participants. Just get in touch with us.

No, previous desert experience is required. However, team members must be physically prepared. The idea is to share the experience together: a few team training sessions before departure will help you develop your coordination and find your rhythm as a team.

Two options are available. You can arrive at Marrakech Airport, which is well connected to destinations across Europe. Adapted shuttles will take you to Ouarzazate on Friday, October 1 (approximately a 5-hour drive).

Alternatively, you can fly directly into Ouarzazate Airport. The hotels are less than 10 minutes away and you’ll need to make your own way there.
You’ll find out which hotel you’ll be staying at a few weeks before departure.

Two options are available. You can arrive at Marrakech Airport, which is well connected to destinations across Europe. Adapted shuttles will take you to Ouarzazate on Friday, October 1 (approximately a 5-hour drive).

Alternatively, you can fly directly into Ouarzazate Airport. The hotels are less than 10 minutes away and you’ll need to make your own way there.
You’ll find out which hotel you’ll be staying at a few weeks before departure.

Via Marrakech: Arrive on Friday, October 1, 2027, before 12:00 noon (allow approximately two hours to clear the airport). For your return on Saturday, October 9, book a flight departing after 2:00 pm. Shuttles leave Ouarzazate early in the morning and drop participants off at the airport and in central Marrakech.

Via Ouarzazate: Arrive at any time on October 1 and depart at any time on October 9. If you’d like to extend your stay, you can book your own accommodation in Marrakech from October 9 onwards.

We recommend booking flights with cancellation and change insurance.

Any questions? Call us on +33 1 47 05 12 06.

If this is your first MDS, you probably have lots of questions. Once you’ve registered, you’ll receive the full equipment checklist, but here are the essentials.

Mandatory equipment for every team member (teammates and wheelchair user):

• A WAA Ultra Bag 20L backpack or equivalent (except for the wheelchair user)
• A water-carrying capacity of at least 1.5 litres (water bottle, flask, etc.)
• A sleeping bag
• A headlamp, to be switched on as soon as night falls, with spare batteries or a spare battery pack
• 10 safety pins
• A lighter
• A whistle
• A metal-bladed knife
• A skin antiseptic
• A signalling mirror
• An emergency blanket
• Bouillon cubes (2 per day) to help with rehydration
• Toilet paper (not provided by the organisers)
• A tube of sunscreen of at least 50 ml
• €100 in cash
• The official MDS medical certificate, completed by a doctor
• A passport (or national identity card, depending on entry requirements), valid for at least one month after your stay
• Food for the entire race (see the regulations)

Recommended equipment for the wheelchair user:

• Seat cushion: you must bring your own, as no cushion is provided with the wheelchair.
• Protective sleeves for the upper limbs.
• Gloves or mitts to protect against wheel friction and jolts.
• Reinforced waterproof gloves in case of rain.
• A belt or chest support straps, if needed.
• A knee support strap.
• An adapted rain poncho to protect the lower body and wheelchair.
• Gel cushion for the toilets: provided, but you can bring your own.

Recommended equipment for teammates:

• A pair of trekking poles, to share as needed.
• Gaiters to prevent sand from getting into your shoes.
• Gloves or mitts for the puller and during carrying sections.

Soft-sided luggage:
Each team can bring two large soft-sided suitcases from the hotel to the bivouac, containing additional equipment and personal belongings you may need (catheters, spare clothes, etc.). These remain at the bivouac throughout the stages, next to the everyday wheelchair.

During the stages:
Unlike the MDS 120, you won’t have to carry all your belongings. Only the essentials for the day are distributed among team members: mandatory equipment, water, food for the stage, and the team equipment kit.

Everything else (sleeping mat, sleeping bag, spare clothes, etc.) stays at the bivouac in your soft-sided luggage. There is no electricity at the bivouac, so make sure you bring power banks.

At the hotel:
You can leave a large suitcase containing your everyday clothes at the hotel and collect it after the adventure.

Plan for 12 meals: dinner on Day 3, all three meals on Days 4, 5 and 6, then breakfast and lunch on Day 7. The organisers recommend an intake of approximately 2,000 kcal per day.

The ranking is based on each team’s cumulative time across the three stages. Bonuses earned during the Special Stages (5 to 10 minutes each) are deducted from this time.

There are separate men’s and women’s rankings: the category is determined by the gender of the wheelchair user. Teams with fewer members are ranked alongside the other teams.

The team replaces the inner tube or makes the necessary adjustments using the team equipment kit. For any other issue, make your way to the next checkpoint. If that isn’t possible, use the assistance button on your GPS tracker and a vehicle will come to your aid.

In addition to the event’s full medical teams, a PRM (Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine) team, including doctors specialising in disability and its associated conditions, supports the MDS Handi at the bivouac and checkpoints, 24/7.

Throughout the race, the medical teams and organisers support you from the start to the finish of every stage.

The route is marked every 10 to 30 metres, checkpoints are spaced 8 to 10 km apart, and every participant carries a GPS tracker equipped with an emergency button.

Payment can be made by credit card in one instalment or in up to five interest-free instalments, or by bank transfer in a single payment. The number of instalments depends on your registration date. Your registration is confirmed once the full amount has been paid.