Marathon des Sables

Results: 2026

1350 of 1435 starters finished.

Cumulative times come from the official LiveTrail ranking linked from the organizer’s live page; DUV’s event record gives the same times and counts 1,350 finishers (1,009 men, 341 women). LiveTrail’s statistics page lists 1,435 starters and 85 withdrawals. Nakache was 13th overall. The 40th anniversary edition covered a record 270 km including a 100 km stage. Around 4 a.m. on April 8, before the fourth stage, an entrant had a medical incident at the bivouac. He was treated on site and taken to hospital in Errachidia, where he died a few days later. The organizer’s statement asked that his family’s privacy be respected, and no cause has been published.

Source: Marathon des Sables — official LiveTrail ranking, 40th edition. Checked October 20, 2026.

Next edition: April 2, 2027. The 41st edition runs April 2-12, 2027, with the six race stages on April 4-10.

Event Overview

A six-stage, food-self-sufficient footrace of about 250 km in the Moroccan Sahara, held since 1986, with a long stage of roughly 80 km and cutoffs set at 3.5 km/h.

Course & Terrain

Six timed stages over seven days on a route that changes every year and is revealed in the road book at the bivouac two days before the start. The long stage, usually about 80 km and partly run at night, is spread over two days, and another stage is marathon length. Runners sleep in a moving bivouac of eight-person Berber tents.

Key course features to know before comparing this race:

• New route each year, revealed in the road book
• Long stage of roughly 80 km, 100 km in 2026, partly at night
• Marathon-distance stage, with the slowest runners starting first
• Final stage of about a half marathon

Routes mix runnable hard-packed ground, soft sand, rocky plateaus and ridges, dry riverbeds and steep dunes. In 2026 the 100 km long stage alone had 721 m of climbing.

The 2026 regulations gave April averages of 30°C by day and 14°C at night. Later dates have run hotter: the organizer says temperatures passed 50°C at the October 2021 edition and nearly half the field did not finish, and the 2023 edition, which started in late April, had 320 withdrawals against 765 finishers on LiveTrail.

Format & Support (as run)

Why This Race Matters

The Marathon des Sables, often shortened to MDS, is a six-stage footrace of about 250 km (155 miles) across the Moroccan Sahara in which runners carry their own food and kit for the week. It grew out of a solo, self-sufficient 350 km desert crossing by Patrick Bauer in 1984. The first race started in 1986 with 23 runners, and Bauer ran the event for its first 37 editions. It has been held every year since, except in 2020, when it was cancelled because of Covid-19; the 2021 edition moved to October. The organizer now calls it the MDS Legendary, the original format in a family that includes three-stage MDS 120 races and the non-stop MDS Ultra. The 40th edition in April 2026 was the longest yet at about 270 km, with a 100 km long stage, and LiveTrail counted 1,435 starters and 1,350 finishers. Since 2011 the men’s race has been won 11 times by Rachid El Morabity, twice by his brother Mohamed (2023 and 2026), and once each by Salameh Al-Aqra (2012) and Mohamad Ahansal (2013). The Marathon des Sables 2027, the 41st edition, runs April 2–12, 2027 and is sold out.

Historical benchmark notes in the directory record (verify current records with the linked official sources):

• Most men’s titles: Rachid El Morabity, 11 (2011, 2014–2019, 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025).
• Lahcen Ahansal won 10 times (DUV lists 1997 and 1999–2007), and his brother Mohamad Ahansal five times (1998, 2008–2010 and 2013).
• Most women’s titles: Maryline Nakache, three (2023, 2025 and 2026). DUV’s winners list also shows three for Simone Kayser-Diederich (2002, 2004 and 2005).
• Nakache finished fourth overall in 2025, according to the organizer, and 13th overall in 2026, when she won by 3:28:05.
• Longest edition: about 270 km in 2026, with a 100 km long stage, the longest stage in the race’s history.
• Most participations: Christian Ginter, 38 (organizer).
• The route changes every year, so winning times are not directly comparable between editions.

Preparing for a Race Like Marathon des Sables

The stage race guide covers the format as a whole. These guides go deeper:

• Stage race packing list: Mandatory kit, daily carry, camp bags, food and foot care.
• Walking strategy for ultramarathons: When and how to walk by terrain, effort and cutoffs.
• Hydration and sodium for ultramarathons: Fluid, sodium, thirst, sweat rate and hyponatremia risk.
• Blister prevention: Socks, taping, lubrication, shoe fit and hot spots.

Best Fit

• Runners and walkers ready to carry their food and kit for a week
• Walkers: the organizer says over 30% of each field walks
• First-time stage racers who train with a loaded pack

Planning Notes

• Study the mandatory gear list early and rehearse carrying the exact pack weight you expect to use on race day.
• Heat, sun, and dry air require event-specific preparation. Test sun protection and cooling, drink in response to thirst, and remember that sodium cannot make overdrinking safe.
• The directory does not mark this as having simpler logistics. Confirm qualification, terrain, support, registration, medical, and withdrawal requirements before planning around it.

Event FAQs

Related Preparation

• Compare this race in the full 2026 calendar
• Browse the multiday stage-race calendar
• Open the Stage Race format guide
• Compare all race formats
• Use the timed-race pace calculator
• Plan checkpoint arrivals and cutoff buffers
• Build a crew and drop-bag plan
• Build a race-specific gear checklist