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Errachidia (Morocco) (AFP) – Moroccan Rachid El Morabity won the Marathon des Sables for the ninth time on Friday, an emblematic extreme endurance race that takes place in the Moroccan Sahara desert, 230 km over six days.
The 40-year-old runner won with a total time of 18 hours 33 minutes, one minute ahead of his ten-year-old brother Mohammed El Morabity. Moroccan Aziz Yachou finished third (6:37 p.m.).
“I’m very happy to have won, the ninth victory was the goal. God willing, I hope to be able to win next year for the tenth time,” Rachid El Morabity told AFP. adding that he had made friends among the contestants.
The runner has in his sights to beat the record of victories (10) held by his compatriot Lahcen Ahansal, whom he had encouraged as a child on the Marathon des Sables when he passed through Zagora, where he is from.
Rachid El Morabity crossed the finish line of the last stage as the winner, with the national flag flying above his head. He won this 42.2 km marathon stage in 3:07.
He has completed two editions of the Marathon des Sables in just six months; the 2021 edition having been played uncharacteristically in October due to the covid pandemic.
“It was really difficult. We couldn’t rest much in between. Normally we need a month and a half to recover before going back to training. And there I didn’t have all that time” , he explained.
The season is far from over for the champion, who will line up in the coming months for ultra distance races in Algeria, Oman, Dubai, Jordan and Iran.
© 2022 AFP