Marathon of the Sands. From Lyon to Morocco, “the call of the desert” (video)
Patrick Bauer, founder and director of the Marathon des Sables ?. In 2022, 47 runners from Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, including 7 from Lyon, will take the start.
Patrick Bauer is the guest of 6 minutes chrono. The founder and director of the Marathon des Sables (250 km in the Moroccan Sahara) looks back on the 36th edition (March 25 to April 4) that 47 runners from Lyon and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes will experience.
47 runners from Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, including 7 from Lyon, will start the Marathon des Sables 2022, which will take place in the southern Moroccan desert from March 25 to April 4. 250 kilometers in six stages in food self-sufficiency.
“It’s a race out of time, in the middle of nowhere, it’s another planet, you find yourself stripped of everything, you find the original man in his simplest device.” explains Patrick Baurer, boss of the “1st desert raid in the world”.
“An Inner Journey Happens”
Patrick Bauer
A trip to the Sahara, where “everything is only appearance loneliness and destitution” , (Saint-Exupéry). This “there” gives meaning and substance to our lives. Life, as Alfred Hitchcock would say, is not just about breathing, it’s also about having your breath taken away.
The story is beautiful. In 1984, Patrick Bauer, then 28 years old, decided to reach the Sahara in order to walk, alone, 350 km of an inhabited desert where he would encounter no village, oasis or water point. It is in total autonomy, with a 35 kg backpack containing water and food, that he took the start of this crossing which will last 12 days. This is the starting point of what will become the Marathon des Sables.
“An inner journey occurs. It’s a real introspection that allows you to find answers. It’s a journey that allows you to rise spiritually, the desert helping a lot with that.”
Solidarity
When we talk about solidarity at the MDS, it is not an empty word: the Solidarité Marathon des Sables association, based in Lyon, works to help the disadvantaged populations of Ouarzazate: a concrete and effective action. 250 children registered from 3 to 5 years old in sports awakening, 1,2000 hours of teaching sports activities, a reception center for women with reserved breasts are given support for women and 400 hours of literacy…
> Every day, Lyon Capitale will make you fr video and Pictures this 35th edition of the Marathon des Sables on www.lyoncapitale.fr.
The 36th Marathon des Sables in figures
250
The number of kilometers to travel in the southern Moroccan Sahara
6
the number of steps
75
Age of the oldest runner registered in the 36th Marathon des Sables
16
Age of the youngest registered in the 36th Marathon des Sables
1100
The number of registered runners
50
The number of nationalities present
420
The number of people behind the scenes for the smooth running of the event
6
The number of specially chartered planes from Paris and London
120 4×4 vehicles and trucks, 2 helicopters, 1 cessna aircraft, 25 bus, 5 quads, 1 because governed… and 1 incinerator truck.
30
The number of military trucks requisitioned by the Moroccan royal forces
3
tons of material transported on site.
70
members of the medical team,
515
The number of Berber and Saharan tents erected and dismantled each day of the race
162,000
The number of liters of bottled water distributed to runners (recycling on site)
350
People affected by the media around the world
1 satellite images of the station, 2 camel….