My marathons

Bataan Memorial Death March

The organiser has not published a date. White Sands
Organ Mountains
Organ Mountains. Photograph by Bureau of Land Management, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The march runs along trails and washes on White Sands Missile Range, and the organiser keeps spectators off the route, so the start and the finish line are where to watch.

The course in short 2 lines
  • Desert trails and washes, with spectators at the start and finishTrails and washes on a missile range: watch from the start or finish line.
  • Two days of packet pickup, 13 or older for the full marchPickup 18 and 19 March, 8:00 to 18:00; full march from age 13, with a parent or guardian.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
Whole courseConditionsDesert trails and washes, with spectators at the start and finishTrails and washes on a missile range: watch from the start or finish line.

The FAQ gives the rugged nature of the course, which runs along trails and washes, together with security and accountability as the reasons spectators are not allowed on the route. The safest and most comfortable place for them is at either the start or the finish line. Food and drink are on sale at various places on White Sands Missile Range. The march is a memorial event with in-person and virtual versions; the in-person march is on 20 March 2027.

Sourced

Whole courseConditionsTwo days of packet pickup, 13 or older for the full marchPickup 18 and 19 March, 8:00 to 18:00; full march from age 13, with a parent or guardian.

Marchers pick up their packet on 18 or 19 March 2027 on White Sands Missile Range, where a sponsor exhibition and souvenir sales run at the same time; the organiser recommends the Las Cruces gate. Without a packet and bib on the day a marcher is removed from the course by security. The minimum age is 13 for the full march and 9 for the honorary march, with a parent, guardian or family member who is 18 or older, and every marcher must be off the route at 8:00 p.m.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for White Sands, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, by the clock:

  1. km 7mile 4.4
  2. km 14.1mile 8.7
  3. km 21.1mile 13.1
  4. km 28.1mile 17.5
  5. km 35.2mile 21.8

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
distance
42.2 km26.2 mi

Race week

Bib pickup at White Sands Missile Range

Timetable

Thursday 18 March Bib pickup

  1. 08:008:00 AM–18:006:00 PM

    Packet pickup White Sands Missile Range. Two-day pickup, with a sponsor exhibition and souvenir sales. The organiser recommends the Las Cruces gate for packet pickup.

Friday 19 March Last bib day

  1. 08:008:00 AM–18:006:00 PM

    Packet pickup White Sands Missile Range. Second day of pickup. Marchers without a packet and bib on the day are removed from the course by security.

Saturday 20 March Race day

  1. 20:008:00 PM

    All marchers off the route Maximum time: all marchers must be off the route at 8:00 p.m.

Times as published by the organiser, in White Sands time, checked .

Add to calendar .ics file, times in White Sands time

Trip

Getting a place

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

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