MDS LEGENDARY 2028 - 42ND EDITION

Two arrival options for participants travelling by plane:

• Marrakech: many flights, with transfers to Ouarzazate organised on the mornings of 29 and 31 March 2028 (4-hour journey).
• Ouarzazate: fewer flights, but direct arrival.

The name of the hotel will be shared a few weeks before the start of the adventure.

If you are arriving at and departing from Marrakech:

• Outbound: you can arrive earlier, but no later than 30 March.
• Outbound transfers to Ouarzazate: transfers will run from Marrakech on 29 and 30 March, throughout the morning until 12:00 (meeting points and times below).
• Return: you must book a return flight departing after 14:00 on 10 April, to allow enough time for the transfer from Ouarzazate.
• Return transfers to Marrakech: the return transfer buses will leave in the morning.

If you are arriving at and departing from Ouarzazate:

• Outbound: you can arrive earlier, but no later than 30 March.
• Return: you can book your flight at any time on 10 April.
• Ouarzazate transfers: participants make their own way from the airport to their hotel on arrival, and back again on departure.

Marrakech / Ouarzazate shuttle times on 29 and 30 March:

• From Marrakech city centre (meeting point: Kenzi Rose Garden hotel).
• 10:00: from Marrakech airport.
• 12:00: from Marrakech airport.

You will therefore need to book one or more hotel nights in Ouarzazate, depending on your arrival date. These nights are to be booked and paid for by you. Our local partner travel agency can help you with your bookings: ltstravel.maroc@gmail.com. The return journey at the end of the MDS works the same way.

If you wish, you can use the buses provided to travel between Ouarzazate and Marrakech. These buses will leave Ouarzazate at 06:00 on 10 April, so you will need to book a return flight from Marrakech departing after 14:00. If you are flying home from Ouarzazate, you are free to organise your own hotel-to-airport transfer and can book your flight at whatever time suits you.

All this information will be available in your MDS account once you have registered, and you will receive full details of the schedule by email.

If you have any doubts about booking your flight, feel free to call us (+33 1 47 05 12 06). You will find our flight recommendations in our FAQ.

Please make sure your plane tickets include cancellation and change insurance, given the travel restrictions that some countries may apply.

Here is the schedule for a typical week at the MARATHON DES SABLES Legendary:

• Day 1: Transfer by bus to the bivouac in the desert, setup, and overnight at the bivouac.
• Day 2: Technical, administrative, and medical checks. Overnight at the bivouac.
• Day 3: First stage. Overnight at the bivouac.
• Day 4: Second stage. Overnight at the bivouac.
• Day 5: Third stage. Overnight at the bivouac.
• Days 6 & 7: Fourth stage – “the long stage” – spread over 2 days. Overnight at the bivouac.
• Day 8: Fifth stage. Overnight at the bivouac.
• Day 9: Sixth stage, medal ceremony. Bus transfer to Ouarzazate, overnight at the hotel with half-board accommodation.
• Day 10: Free day in Ouarzazate, prize-giving ceremony, gala evening. Overnight at the hotel with half-board accommodation.
• Day 11: End of the adventure, transfers to the airport.

If this is your first MDS, you probably have a lot of questions. Once registered, we will send you a complete equipment checklist, but here are the main items to bring per person:

• Backpack + 2 water bottles: minimum 1.5 L (e.g., Ultrabag 20L)
• T-shirt + running shorts
• Trail shoes + sand gaiters
• Cap and sunglasses
• Change of clothes: light T-shirt + shorts / long pants
• Windbreaker jacket for mornings and evenings
• Sleeping bag + mat for the night
• Hygiene products (sunscreen, soap, antiseptic, etc.)
• Toilet paper
• Food and cooking utensils (camping stove, lighter, fire tablets, etc.)

You can also bring a large suitcase with extra clothes, which you will leave at the technical checks and retrieve after the MDS adventure.

Here is the list of mandatory equipment for the MDS Legendary. This equipment will be checked during the technical checks.

• Backpack with a water-carrying capacity of at least 1.5 L, such as the Ultra Bag 20L
• Sleeping bag
• Head torch (minimum 400 lumens) + a full set of spare batteries
• 10 safety pins
• Compass with an accuracy of 1° or 2°
• Safety items: a whistle, a knife with a metal blade, a survival blanket, a signalling mirror, a lighter, skin antiseptic, your passport and €200 or 2,000 dirhams
• Sunscreen (minimum 50 ml)
• Sunglasses
• 14 stock cubes (Knorr type), to be taken twice a day
• Original medical certificate and original resting ECG with its trace (PPS certificate not accepted)
• Food: you must have at least 12,000 kcal (around 2,000 kcal per day). To save weight and space, repackage your food, write down the number of calories (you will be asked for this at the technical checks) and note how much water to add.

The MARATHON DES SABLES Legendary is a self-sufficient food event. Throughout the adventure, participants must carry all their equipment and food, except for water and the tent, which are provided by the organization. Participants are also responsible for their own food from the moment they arrive at the bivouac on Day 1.

On the course, checkpoints are located approximately every 10 km to provide water resupply. These checkpoints also serve as rest and food stations. Participants also receive a water ration upon arrival at the bivouac for the evening and the following morning.

You will need to plan your food requirements from 2 to 10 April, as follows:

• 31 March - Day 1: dinner.
• 1 to 7 April - Days 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
• 8 April - Day 9: breakfast, lunch.

Each participant must have a minimum of 2,000 kcal per race day, i.e. from 3 to 8 April inclusive*. Choose the foods best suited to the effort involved, the climate, and the constraints of carrying and weight.

*There is no minimum calorie requirement on the last race day (8 April). However, each participant must plan for a breakfast and a lunch.

2027 MDS Legendary prices, shown for information only. 2028 prices will be announced when registration opens.

• Classic offer: race entry with 2 nights in a standard hotel. €3,990 per person
• Superior offer: race entry with 2 nights at the Berbère Palace, a luxury hotel. €4,390 per person

Both offers are open to everyone and do not vary according to your country of residence.

• Race bib.
• Deferral insurance: option to defer your participation to another edition free of charge up to 7 days before the start (i.e. until 24 March 2028 at 23:59 UTC+1 inclusive). Conditions are set out in the race rules.
• 2 nights’ hotel accommodation in Ouarzazate, double room, half board (standard or superior hotel, depending on the offer chosen).
• Organisational support and medical assistance during the race.
• Water supply during the race.
• Repatriation assistance.
• 8 nights at the bivouac.
• Finisher’s medal.
• Finisher’s gift.

Note: the non-finisher offer does not apply to the MDS Legendary.

To take part in the MDS Legendary, certain medical documents are mandatory. They must be presented as signed and dated paper originals, with your first name and surname clearly stated on each document:

• The official MDS Legendary medical certificate, available to download from your personal account from 28 February 2028, one month before the start of the event (PPS certificate not accepted).
• A resting electrocardiogram (ECG) with its trace, carried out within the month before the start of the event (on or after 28 February 2028).

No digital documents or photocopies will be accepted.

During the race, you will be supported by the medical and organizational teams from the start to the finish of each stage.

The courses are marked with stakes every 50–100 m, so it is impossible to get lost. Each participant will also be equipped with a GPS tracker with an emergency button, allowing the organization to locate you at any time.

A medical tent is available at the bivouac, where you can go at any time.

Depending on the offer you choose, there are 2 options for the 2 nights following the race:

• Option 1 – "Standard" Offer: Participants are accommodated in several hotels in Ouarzazate, all within a 5–10 minute walk from each other.
• Option 2 – "Superior" Offer: You will stay at the Berbère Palace, located in the city center.

At the hotel, participants are placed in double rooms with another person of the same sex and, as much as possible, who speaks the same language. If you wish, you can indicate in advance on your registration account the person you would like to share the room with.

You can pay by:

Credit card: 1 to 5 installments

The number of installments may vary depending on the registration date. Your registration will be fully confirmed once the total registration amount has been paid.

For information, here are the 2027 MDS Legendary race rules: Consult the rules and the General Terms and Conditions of Sale for MDS Legendary 2027