MARATHON DES SABLES The Legendary, is an extraordinary race and adventure, taking place in the southern Moroccan Sahara since 1986.
A sublime and mythical crossing of the desert, 11 days of adventure in Morocco, including 9 days in the desert, a course of about 250 km divided into 6 stages, to be done by walking or running.
New!
Join the adventure with peace of mind and benefit from free postponement insurance up to 7 days before the event, included in your registration.
The total distance of the MDS The Legendary is about 250 kilometers, divided into 6 stages - this may depend on the ground and the elevation of each edition.
As example, below are the distances of the 2024 edition:
The exact route and distances are given to you at the latest in the road book which is distributed in Morocco at the bivouac.
The MARATHON DES SABLES The Legendary is an adventure open to all.
In 38 editions, more than 30,000 people have joined the adventure.
On average, on each edition there is:
The cut off times are large enough so you can do the adventure at your own pace and become a finisher. The minimum speed allowed is around 3km/h.
Here is how a typical week at the MARATHON DES SABLES The Legendary is organized:
The MARATHON DES SABLES The Legendary is a self-sufficient adventure. During the whole week in the desert, the competitors must carry all their equipment and food, except the water and the tent, which are provided by the organization. Participants are also self-sufficient in food from their arrival on Day 1 on the bivouac.
On the course, check-points are located every 10 km approximately to ensure the water supply. These check-points are also intended to rest and feed. Participants receive a water ration when arriving to the bivouac, for the evening and the morning.
The prices for the MARATHON DES SABLES The Legendary 2025 are as follow:
Both offers are available to everyone, regardless of their country of residence.
The meeting point will be in Ouarzazate on Friday morning, April 4, 2025, to join the organization and take transfers to the desert. Various meeting points will be available, so you can choose the one that suits you best. We'll let you know later, but don't worry, all the city's main places are within easy reach.
To get there, you can arrive at different airports:
Shuttles will be organized on the morning of April 2 and 3, 2025, between Marrakech and Ouarzazate (5-hour journey).
Timetable for the Marrakech / Ouarzazate shuttles on April 2 and 3 :
- 07:00 am: From the center of Marrakech (meeting point at the Kenzi Rose Garden hotel).
- 10:00 am: From Marrakech airport.
- 12:00 pm: From Marrakech airport.
You can either :
- Book a flight to Marrakech airport and, on arrival, take one of our shuttles directly to Ouarzazate.
- Spend one or more nights in Marrakech, and take the 07:00 am shuttle bus from the center of Marrakech, on April 2 or 3, to Ouarzazate.
You'll need to book one or more nights at a hotel in Ouarzazate, depending on when you arrive.
These nights are to be booked on your own and at your expense. Here's the contact details of our local travel agency partner who can help you with your reservations: ltstravel.maroc@gmail.com.
The return trip at the end of the MDS follows the same logic.
If you wish, you can take advantage of the bus service provided between Ouarzazate and Marrakech. These buses will leave Ouarzazate at 06:00 am on April 14, so you'll need to book a return flight from Marrakech after 2:00 pm.
If you take a return flight from Ouarzazate, then you are free for the hotel-airport transfer, or you can book your flight at your convenience.
All this information will be available on your MDS account, once you have registered. You will receive a detailed schedule by e-mail once you have registered.
Depending on the offer you choose, you have 2 options for the 2 nights following the race:
Option 1 - “Standard” package:
Participants are assigned to several hotels in Ouarzazate, all within a 5/10-minute walk of each other.
Option 2 - “Superior” offer:
You will stay at the Berbère Palace in the city center.
At the hotel, the participants are divided in double rooms with another person of the same sex and who speaks the same language (as much as possible).
It is possible to indicate the person with whom you wish to share the accommodation before the race, on your registration account.
You can pay by:
The number of installments may depend on the registration date. The registration will be 100% validated once the total amount of the registration is paid.
If this is your first MARATHON DES SABLES The Legendary, you probably have a lot of questions. Once registered, we will send you a complete list of recommended and mandatory materials, but in the meantime, here is the main one to have per person:
For information*:
You will leave your suitcase with your non-racing belongings with the organization during the technical-checks, and you will find it after the adventure for the last days at the hotel.
*As a reminder, this list is not exhaustive - you will receive the exact list once you have done your registration, or by consulting the race regulations (soon be available here).
You will need to bring your food from April 4 to 12 as follow:
Each participant must have a minimum of 2,000 k/calories per race day, from April 6 to 12 included. It will be necessary to select the food that seems to be the most adapted to the efforts made, the climatic conditions, the transport and the weight.
More information in the race regulations (soon be available here).
During the race, participants are surrounded by the medical and organization teams from the beginning to the end of the stages.
The routes are marked with stakes every 200m, so it is normally impossible to get lost.
The competitors are all equipped with a GPS beacon with an alarm button, allowing the organization to locate them at any time.
A medical tent is present at the bivouac where competitors can go at any time.
For even more details, including the fees withheld in case of cancellation, the penalties awarded in case of non-compliance with the race rules, etc., we invite you to carefully read the race rules (soon be available here) as well as the terms and conditions of sale (soon be available here).
Discover the MARATHON DES SABLES, a week-long adventure in a format of 70 to 120km, divided into 3 stages, with editions in Jordan, the Canaries, Cappadocia, Morocco, etc.
We have implemented flexible cancellation and deferral policies to allow you to register with confidence.
Here are the cancellation conditions for MDS Legendary 2025:
New this year:
Benefit from a free postponement insurance up to 7 days before the event, included with your registration.
39th EDITION - 4 - 14 April 2025
250KM IN 6 STAGES
39th EDITION - 4 - 14 April 2025
250KM IN 6 STAGES
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