Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight. I’m Rebekah Schipper.
Voice 2
And I’m Liz Waid.
Voice 1
The Sahara desert. It is the world’s largest desert. It covers a third of the African continent--an area about the size of the United States. The Sahara desert is one of the hottest, driest places on Earth. Temperatures may rise over fifty-seven [57] degrees Celsius. And it receives less than eight [8] centimetres of rain a year.
Voice 2
Over thousands of years, rising and falling winds created the desert. The winds evaporate water from the sand. But these winds rarely bring rain. Natives to the Sahara have given some of the winds special names. “Haboob” is the Arabic name for a wild sand carrying wind. “Khamsin” means fifty [50] days. This wind blows across the Sahara from March through May. The Khamsin wind fills the air with sand.
Voice 1
The Sahara’s climate is unkind and cruel. Not many people can survive in such extreme conditions. So, imagine racing two hundred forty-three [243] kilometres across the Sahara sand. Imagine fighting the hot sun, the dry air and the high winds - all while running! Today’s Spotlight is on the Marathon Des Sables.
Voice 2
The Marathon Des Sables is an extreme race. It started in 1986 in Morocco, in Africa. Since then over six hundred [600] people compete in the race each year. And they come from over thirty [30] different countries. But, only those people seeking a great challenge enter the race. And only those in the best physical condition finish it. People call the Marathon Des Sables the “world’s toughest footrace.” And it is easy to understand why!
Voice 1
The Marathon Des Sables is a seven [7] day race. The race is separated into six [6] different parts. The first three [3] parts involve running about thirty-two [32] kilometres each day. In the fourth part people run about eighty [80] kilometres. The people get forty [40] hours to run these eighty [80] kilometres. The fifth part is a full marathon. The people must complete just over forty-two [42] kilometres. And finally, in the sixth part, runners must run fourteen [14] to nineteen [19] kilometres to the finish line. In all, runners complete a total of five [5] marathons.
Voice 2
People competing in the race must run across all kinds of land. They must run up sand dunes, or hills. They must run over salt flats and dried up river beds. They must run through rocky, flat desert fields and ancient dried up lakes. Sometimes the runners may even pass through a small desert village.
Voice 1
The people competing in the race must also carry all of their own supplies. They carry a backpack filled only with things they may need. The runners do not want to bring too much. They want the backpack to weigh as little as possible. Many of the runners carry food, a sleeping bag and clothing for the week.
Voice 2
The runners also carry a snake bite kit, to treat snake bites. They carry an emergency blanket. It is not always hot in the desert. At night temperatures can quickly drop to three [3] degrees! Runners also bring a signal mirror and distress flare. They use these things if they get lost. The mirror catches the light of the sun. It shines the light back up so other people may see it. The flare is a fire. Runners can shoot it high into the air.
Voice 1
Finally, and most importantly, the runners also carry their own water. The race officials supply the water. They give the runners only nine [9] litres of water each day. That is not a lot of water, especially if you are running through the desert! But, the runners do not want to carry much more than that. Water adds a lot of weight.
Voice 2
The Marathon Des Sables is truly the world’s toughest footrace. Each year many runners must stop early. Their feet are too swollen and painful. Many runners become dehydrated. Their bodies lack enough water to go on. Some runners lose their toe nails. Other runners lose their minds. Their minds just stop working. It becomes dangerous for them to stay in the desert. The heat of the desert is too much for some runners. Other runners do not prepare enough for the cold desert nights. And some runners just give up.
Voice 1
However, many runners do make it to the end of the race. And they have stories to share about their experiences. Here are a few runners with their experiences running the Marathon Des Sables.
Voice 3
“When we set off on the first (part) of the race, the first shock was the heat. By nine [9] a.m., it was over thirty-two [32] degrees. It reached fifty-two [52] degrees when we were running across the sand (hills). (In the beginning) I did not drink enough water. I finished the (first) day with a headache. I could not imagine six [6] more days of this.”
Voice 4
“The land is bad. Really bad. Hard, rocky, sandy, and never-ending. The size of the Sahara desert will scare you if you are smart.”
Voice 5
“The wind was (blowing). I could barely see anything. And I was surrounded by ninety metre high sand (hills)...That is when I had (a little) mental breakdown.”
Voice 6
“I did the Marathon Des Sables because I thought it would be a (hard) race. I was wrong. It was nearly impossible. Everything (about the marathon) is the (hardest), longest, coldest, hottest.”
Voice 1
Not everyone can run in the Marathon Des Sables. But some people believe we are all running a hard race - the race of life! Some people compare life to running a race. We are all running our own races. Sometimes the race is easy. And sometimes the race can be very difficult. We may even feel like we are running the Marathon Des Sables! We may feel like giving up.
Voice 2
The Bible speaks of this race, the race of life. In the Bible it says that when the race gets difficult we should not give up. Instead, we should look to Jesus for help. It says,
“Let us throw off any sin that holds on to us so tightly. Let us keep on running the race marked out for us. Let us keep looking to Jesus. He is the creator and perfecter of our faith. He suffered on the cross because of the joy he was looking forward to. Then he sat down at the right hand of God. He put up with attacks from sinners. So think about him. Then you will not get tired. You will not lose hope.”
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