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.
Running Ouarzazate? Do your long runs with the gel you will race on. Get them on Amazon Amazon partner link
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Marathon des Sables
At a glance
- Race day
- The 2027 race
- Distance
- 250.0 km155.3 mi
- 250 km
The course
The MDS Legendary is a self-sufficient stage race of about 250 km in six stages, run or walked over eleven days in Morocco, nine of them in the desert.
- About 250 km in six stages across the SaharaAbout 250 km in six stages, eleven days in Morocco, nine in the desert.
- Bivouacs, a long stage and a 3.5 km/h limitBarriers at 3.5 km/h; nights in 8-person Berber tents at the bivouac.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
Whole courseTacticsAbout 250 km in six stages across the SaharaAbout 250 km in six stages, eleven days in Morocco, nine in the desert.
The exact stages are in the road book handed out in Morocco. For the 2025 edition the stages were 32 km, 40 km, 32.5 km, 80 to 90 km, 42 km and 21.1 km. The 2027 race is the 41st edition, and the Sahara race has run since 1986.
Sourced
Whole courseTacticsBivouacs, a long stage and a 3.5 km/h limitBarriers at 3.5 km/h; nights in 8-person Berber tents at the bivouac.
The organiser reports an average edition at more than 30 percent walkers, 27 percent women, an average age of 47, 90 percent finishers and an average pace of 5.2 km/h. The long stage of about 80 km is described as the ultimate challenge of the adventure, and the shorter MDS 120 formats are offered as preparation.
Sourced
Race weekend
Friday 2 April 2 days before
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Time not published
Transfer to the bivouac Participants are transferred and settle into the bivouac.
Saturday 3 April The day before
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Time not published
Technical and medical checks Equipment and medical checks at the bivouac, with the bivouac shop open.
Sunday 4 April Race day
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Time not published
Stage 1 First of six stages, run or walked, in the Sahara.
Monday 5 April The day after
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Time not published
Stage 2
Tuesday 6 April 2 days after
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Time not published
Stage 3
Wednesday 7 April 3 days after
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Time not published
Stage 4, the long stage The long stage of about 80 km runs over two days, with a rest day on 8 April.
Thursday 8 April 4 days after
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Time not published
Stage 4 continues and rest day The long stage carries on from the day before; rest at the bivouac.
Friday 9 April 5 days after
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Time not published
Stage 5
Saturday 10 April 6 days after
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Time not published
Stage 6, the final stage The last stage ends the race; the night is in a hotel.
Sunday 11 April 7 days after
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Time not published
Prize giving and gala evening Prize giving and gala evening, with the shop at the Karam.
Monday 12 April 8 days after
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Time not published
Participants depart
Times as published by the organiser, in Ouarzazate time, checked . Confirm on their site before you travel.
The forecast for Sunday
Race morning, on the record
We hold no start time for this race, so the record is read at 09:009:00 AM, local time.
Add to calendar .ics file, times in Ouarzazate time
Entry
Race fuel
Energy gel
Gels for Ouarzazate, between the aid stations
Over 100 km a gel every 40 minutes stops being a plan: most runners eat real food at the aid stations and take gels between. Practise what you will eat on your longest runs.
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. Enough for race day and two test long runs.
Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.
Get it on Amazon
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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, 8 ml
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
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.
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Electrolytes
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
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.
Keep exploring
More races to look at after the Marathon des Sables.
