MDS Ultra Morocco

Event Overview

Course & Terrain

Non-stop desert ultra in Ultra-Trail format with two distances, 100 miles (about 160 km) and 100 km, on a fully marked course along parts of the MDS Legendary route. The two courses share the start, the first section and the final section, with one finish line. The organizer’s format page puts the split at around 60 km. There is no bivouac.

Key course features to know before comparing this race:

• Sections of the MDS Legendary route in the Moroccan Sahara
• Shared start and finish for both distances
• Distance choice at the split between the 100 km and 100-mile courses

Sand rather than climbing is the main difficulty. The organizer says the course includes fully sandy sections, strongly recommends gaiters and says poles are optional.

In January the organizer expects sunny days of 10 to 25°C and nights sometimes close to 0°C, and asks runners to plan for heat, cold and rain.

Entry & Logistics

Why This Race Matters

MDS Ultra is the Marathon des Sables organization’s non-stop format, launched in January 2026 for the brand’s 40th year. Instead of stages and a bivouac, runners cover 100 miles or 100 km of the Moroccan Sahara in one push on parts of the MDS Legendary route, with a 40-hour limit. It is food self-sufficient: the organizer supplies water about every 10 km and hot drinks, soup and snacks at aid stations about every 30 km, but runners carry their own food for the whole race. Both distances share the start, the first section and the finish, and runners can choose their distance up to the split. At the first edition, on January 11–12, 2026, LiveTrail listed 67 starters and 56 finishers on the 100-mile course and 103 starters and 88 finishers at 100 km. Maryline Nakache, the Marathon des Sables women’s champion in 2023, 2025 and 2026, won the 100 miles outright in 18:17:10, 1:05:52 ahead of the first man, Martin Gallardo.

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

• 100 miles, first overall and first woman: Maryline Nakache, 18:17:10 (2026).
• 100 miles, first man: Martin Gallardo, 19:23:02 (2026).
• 100 km, first overall and first man: Sergio Turull, 11:53:27 (2026).
• 100 km, first woman: Adriana Moser, 12:22:43 (2026).

Preparing for a Race Like MDS Ultra Morocco

The fixed-distance race guide covers the format as a whole. These guides go deeper:

• Walking strategy for ultramarathons: When and how to walk by terrain, effort and cutoffs.
• Crew and aid-station strategy: Crew tables, aid stops, drop bags and runner preferences.
• Hydration and sodium for ultramarathons: Fluid, sodium, thirst, sweat rate and hyponatremia risk.
• Tapering for ultramarathons: Plan the taper and race week around your own recovery.

Best Fit

• Runners who want one non-stop desert effort rather than a week of stages
• Trail 100-mile runners looking for a sand-based 100
• Marathon des Sables finishers trying the organizer’s non-stop format

Planning Notes

• Prepare for sleep decisions, weather swings, and aid-station discipline. The distance is only one part of a multi-day fixed-distance race.
• 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.
• Nights can be near freezing, so a rain jacket and a warm long-sleeve layer are mandatory
• Food for the whole race is carried from the start
• The 4 km/h minimum speed is stricter than the 3.5 km/h cutoffs of the MDS stage races
• Missing mandatory kit at the technical checks can bring a penalty

Event FAQs

Related Preparation

• Open the Fixed-Distance 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