Moroccan runners dominate leaden Marathon des Sables

After hundreds of kilometers through the desert, only one conclusion is a fair one: Moroccan runners were very dominant during the famous and infamous Marathon des Sables. Of the six podium places, no fewer than five were occupied by Moroccans.

In the women’s race, the win went to Moroccan Aziza El Amrany, who crossed the finish line after 27:06:27. Aziza Raji, also Moroccan, was second in 29:09:04, while Britain’s Gemma Game was third in 32:18:58. Game was thus the only non-Moroccan on the podium this year.

In the Marathon des Sables, participants complete several stages, all lead-heavy and self-supporting. In the men’s race, the complete podium was Moroccan: Rachid El Morabity won in 20:42:19, Mohamed El Morabity was second in 20:42:44 and Aziz Yachou was third in 20:44:37.