Apparently, this is the main topic of conversation among the 849 participants of the 26th MDS.
The runners from the Iberian Peninsula left on Saturday on the Madrid–Errachidia flight. Buses then took them from oasis to oasis to Erfoud and on to Rissani, 15 km from the Dar Kaoua dunes, where the race would start. Honestly, I do not even know how Pere manages to remember all these names.
After a long day of checks, certificates and tedious paperwork, everyone’s main concern is how much weight the others are carrying. The minimum permitted weight is 6.5 kg, but the competition veterans seem to greet anyone carrying more than 8 with astonishment and laughter. As if nerves and anxiety were not enough…
Pere says arriving at camp is like entering a Hollywood film. After a full day on a bus through the desert, you suddenly find 120 traditional tents for runners, 100 organisers’ tents, 44 doctors, and 719 men and 130 women dressed like Joan in the previous photo (though without croquettes) bustling around. What an atmosphere!