STAGE 3: THE LONG, LONG-AWAITED AND LONG-DREADED STAGE

It's time for La Longue, the long-awaited and dreaded stage of the 38th MARATHON DES SABLES LEGENDARY: 85.3 km of desert to be covered in 35 hours maximum, with two starting waves.

Distance: 85.3 km

Ascent: 1154 m

Start: 6:00 am (peloton) and 7:30 am (first 50 scratch)

Time limit: 35 hours

Checkpoints: 7

With 85.3 km to cover, the long stage of the 38th MARATHON DES SABLES LEGENDARY is a big one. Fairly classic, it starts with the famous djebel EL OTFAL, climbed in the rocky direction and descended on the sandy side, the magnificent ridges of the djebels JOHA BABA ALI and HERED ASPER, the passage at the foot of the BA HALOU ruins, the crossing of the RHERIS wadi, the sandy foothills of the djebel RAS KHEMMOUNA, the MAI DER salt lake and the crossing of the EL MAHARCH pass. Names that resonate in the history of the MDS, and that bear witness to thousands of personal stories intertwined with the legend of the event.