PORTRAITS OF THE DAY
A promise of 23 years
Arnaud and Ines BEERNAERT (D495 & D496 - BEL)
Arnaud completed the 16th MDS LEGENDARY in 2001, a challenge he took up on a whim when he was not at all a runner. The experience had a profound effect on him, and when he left the desert he promised…
View the portrait"I never give up"
Eliott SAGEAT (D233 – FRA)
At 28, Eliott is a sports coach, former top-level judoka and author of a book on sport, diet and mental health. Born into a family of sportsmen and women, he shares his knowledge on Instagram: https…
View the portrait“I wanted to come back for the magic of the event”
Sarah GREY (D188–SWE)
Sarah is Swedish, but she lives in New York where she works as a Producer. This is the fifth time that she has participated in the MARATHON DES SABLES LEGENDARY: “I started running late, at 40, in…
View the portrait“You must always be humble”
Christian GINTER (D364–FRA)
Christian GINTER is one of the Legends of MARATHON DES SABLES: he has participated in all editions since the third, and is thus lining up for the 36th time, at 70 years old. This is obviously the…
View the portrait“MDS is really another sport”
Yohann STUCK (D851–FRA)
Yohann STUCK can be satisfied with his start to the race in this 38TH MARATHON DES SABLES LEGENDARY: 8th on the first stage, 14th on the second, and without drawing on his reserves: “I'm trying to…
View the portrait“I will be with him throughout this journey”
Frédéric GAUTHIER (D44–FRA)
Frédéric is taking part in the MARATHON DES SABLES Legendary for the third time, as usual in a team sponsored by his company. This year, there are 12 of them, and they are defending ARSLA, the…
View the portrait“The main thing was to be at the start”
Patrick LOCQUET (D97–FRA)
At 67, Patrick returns to the MDS for the third time. After a success in 2011, the 2021 edition very quickly mistreated it; sick, Patrick was forced to stop. Affected in the same year by a long Covid…
View the portrait“Life is a succession of experiences, and this is going to be a beautiful one”
Stéphane RICARD (D30-FRA)
Trailer for a dozen years, Stéphane has made a specialty of 60-65 km events, such as the famous and competitive 6000D which he won twice. But Stéphane's particularity is that he threw himself…
View the portrait“This coaching responded to a real need”
Laurence KLEIN (D160–FRA)
Laurence KLEIN is a monument to French running, and it is also a monument to the MDS. European 100 km champion in 2007 (7h26), French Marathon Champion in 2008 (2h37), French Trail Champion in 2010,…
View the portraitCécile VASMER (FRA)
“I don’t know how my body will react”
Cécile VASMER (FRA) is a novice in the MARATHON DES SABLES; she will participate for the first time in MDS The Legendary next April. And 240 km to cover in the South Moroccan Sahara in 5 stages is…
View the portraitJonas DE GROOTE (BEL)
"The hardest part is to always keep focus"
The MARATHON DES SABLES welcomes into its peloton each year men and women with unusual life paths. Jonas DE GROOTE (BEL) is one of them: he will be present for the first time at the start of the MDS…
View the portraitHugo NICOLAS (FRA)
“This bib brings me so much pride!“
Hugo NICOLAS, 28 years old, has not yet recovered: it was he who won the draw during the 37th MARATHON DES SABLES allowing him to obtain a bib for the 38th edition! “I'm not particularly lucky, but…
View the portraitEdivaldo MACIEL (BRA)
“It was a mix of emotion, caution and concentration”
A lifelong sports lover, Edvaldo MACIEL took part in the MARATHON DES SABLES for the first time in 2023: "Knowing that we are going to take part in the MARATHON DES SABLES is a mixture of joy and…
View the portraitAlexandra HEINTZ (FRA)
"To return by avoiding all the errors of beginner"
At just over 40 years old, Alexandra HEINTZ (FRA) lined up for the second time in the MARATHON DES SABLES during the 34th edition. During her first participation in 2016, she had finished the event,…
View the portraitKristina KALLUR (SWE)
« Sand, it’s all about sand »
Early stopping is what every participant in the MARATHON DES SABLES fears, and that's what happened to Kristian KALLUR (SWE) in 2021. Before that, she had only participated in a 10 km, and at the…
View the portraitAngélique HUE (FRA)
“Winning is surpassing yourself”
Angélique HUE took part in the 37th MARATHON DES SABLES with her brother, a first for both of them, and a first that hadn't been won in advance: "My brother has been familiar with the event for more…
View the portraitChaz KABANUCK
No one can tell you that you're not number one
Bib number 850, Chaz, lives in Texas but grew up on a farm in North Dakota, USA. He is first generation military and says, “the military was my outlet out of North Dakota to go seek adventure. When I…
View the portraitAziz YACHOU
The man who wants to end the reign of the El Morabity brothers
After narrowly missing the podium in his first Marathon des sables in 2021, Aziz Yachou earned a spot the following year by placing third behind the El Morabity brothers, Rachid and Mohamed. After…
View the portrait
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