Ille-et-Vilaine: Flora ran across the Moroccan desert

Flora Barry, 47 years old, originally from Châteaubourg, near Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine)participated in the Sand Marathon with her friend Cathy Quenet. She recounts her adventure.

How to describe this event which resembles a succession of 6 marathons?

The Marathon des Sables Legendary is in fact the equivalent of 6 marathonsthere are 6 days of competition with successively distances of 31 km, 41 km, 85.6 km, 43 km, 33 km and 21 km.

It’s a management race, because you have to hold out all week with hydration management, carrying a bag of around 10-12 kg, the heat which rises to 46°C at the hottest, the life at the bivouac, the inevitable blisters, because the sand is very fine and fits into the sneakers despite the gaiters.

We must alternate walking and running, because the route is extremely varied, there are stony plains, dry wadis, ground on which we can run, many sandy dunes or ergs. You have to go up and down constantly and you sink into the sand.

There are also dry lakes, sandy plains with soft ground and jebels, these small rocky mountains with sometimes technical descents and ridges.

Given the high number of participants, can we create special relationships with people?

Whether on the bivouac or on the stages, we are all in the same boat. With 60 nationalities different, all gathered with the same objective, everything is very simple, everyone talks to each other, encourages each other.

On our bibs there is our first name and the flag from our country of origin, when someone overtakes us or we overtake, we immediately know in which language to speak.

We are like a big family, special mention to the staff teams who really take care of us.

Every morning before the start of the race we sing and dance. It is a unique atmosphere in the middle of the desert, at night or at sunrise, a communion of all participants.

At the camp, I was in a women’s tent, there were 8 of us including 5 French women, two Mexico and one from Hong Kongwe hit it off straight away and are going to stay in touch to perhaps meet up again in a few years on other challenges.

The support given to each other during this week created special and unique bonds.

What do you pack in your bag for a day of racing?

We leave in total autonomy for a week, mattress, sleeping bag, outfit, food, bowl, firelighter pellets. Every morning, we have to leave the tent empty.

The bag must weigh between 6.5 kg and 15 kg, mine was 9.5 kg without water and 11 kg with water. The heaviest is freeze-dried food. Everything is calculated, every day we must leave with at least 2000 calories.

From step 3, the bag became lighter and from step 4I was able to put my sleeping bag in the bag (otherwise it was tied under the bag).

For my part, it was carrying the bag that was the hardest, especially on the first two stages.

What are the living conditions at the bivouac?

Everyone brings their own food for a week, there are very good freeze-dried meals, we also had our coffee pods for the morning.

Every day we have a can of 5 liters of water who serves us for our meals, our toilet and our drinks. We use wipes for hygiene and detergents are very limited.

We sleep on our mattresses tires or foam. The first three nights were a little cool from 2 a.m., the following ones rather warm.

Nights were short from 8-9 p.m. to 4 or 5 a.m.

The last two nights we had a sandstormwe were covered in sand and all our belongings too.

Does the cost of participation (around €4,000, including air travel) seem a bit high?

The cost of this race may indeed seem high, but totally justified in view of the deployed logisticsthe bivouac is set up in the middle of the desert every day.

We have to transport tents, medical equipment, runners. There are 20 trucks, 78 vehicles, 1 helicopter, energy, waste, security, circuit marking and medical assistance must be managed.

There are 380 staff members for more than 900 runners, including 80 people from the medical field. This year, the organizer created 80 positions for locals.

To reduce my costs, I had the chance to be sponsored by La Collecte Médicale, the company in which I have worked since 2011, based in Chateaubourg and who trusted me.

What moments stood out to you?

Arrival at the bivouac on the first day. We get off the bus and the staff and Berber make us a guard of honor while singing and we walk on a red carpet.

Each stage finish is a small victory filled with emotion. Then, we refocus for the next day, because anything can happen and nothing is won before the last stage. Every morning in the starting airlock, the musical ritual with all the runners will remain a memorable memory.

Each arrival at checkpoint approximately every 10-12 km with the welcome of the staff taking care of us, it was incredible. The staff fill our bottles then we go to the shower. They douse us with ice water, our hair, the cap, the neck gaiter and we leave fresh for about twenty minutes until it dries.

Any thanks?

Yes of course, I am very grateful to Medical Collectionmy friends from UA Châteaubourg with whom I have been running for 13 years, the Joggers du Couesnon and Je Cours à Rennes for their support during training and of course my husband who supported me in this challenge.

Follow all the news from your favorite cities and media by subscribing to Mon -.