An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 37 CompLeting the toughest raCe on earth By SGT RENA KENNEDy, DF PRESS OFFICE T he 254km Marathon des Sables is a six-day ultra-mar- athon held annually in the Moroccan Sahara in tem- peratures that can reach 50°C. It is mandatory that each participant carries sufficient equipment (on average weighing 10.5kg) to sustain them for seven days and the only item provided to runners is a daily ration of fresh water. Sgt Ann Marie Larkin (DFhQ) took part in the 29th Marathon des Sables in April. Ann Marie, who is from Rahan, Co Offaly, and who joined the Defence Forces in 1996, started her adventure on April 2nd, flying to Gatwick airport for an onward flight to Errachidia in Morocco. Her first two nights at the race bivouac were primarily focused on admin, with mandatory kit inspections and check- ing of medical certificates. She also got to know the people she was sharing the bivouac with, two other Irish competitors and a couple from Canada. In the tradition of this event Ann Marie and her 'bivvy buddies' would become each other's family, supporters, nurse and friends. The route and format change each year, with race director, Patrick Bauer, and his team meticulously planning routes that are held secret until the day before the event starts. There is only one day's rest in the marathon and the longest stage in this year's event was 81.5km. Its difficulty has made the race legendary, with Discovery Channel branding it "The toughest race on Earth". here is how Ann Marie got on: Day 1: 34km – 6hrs 52mins Day 2: 41km – 7hrs 08mins Day 3: 37.5km – 7hrs 9mins Day 4: 81.5km – 19hrs 40mins Day 5: Rest Day 6: 42.2km – 6hrs 49mins Day 7: 7.7km Charity run Temperatures during the day averaged 47°C throughout the week and of the 1,038 competitors who started, 917 finished. The race lost 29 participants on day one, the highest number to fail to finish the first stage in the history of the race. At the end of the marathoin Ann Marie finished in 505th place overall with a total running time of just over 47 hours. Asked for some of the highlights of her experience Ann Marie recalled being given a rousing rendition of 'Happy Birthday' at the start of Stage 4 and again at the 50km checkpoint, and receiving a cold can of Coke at the end of the same stage; receiving her medal from race organiser Patrick Bauer; and reading the mes- sages of support that she received daily from her family and friends at home via the race support staff. Would she do it again? yes, but she says there are a few more things she wants to try before a repeat performance. Ann Marie is no stranger to challenges, choosing one annually to focus on. To date she has achieved the following milestones: completed a 50-mile race in 11hrs 14 mins (2010); completed five marathons in five days (2011); finished a 100-mile run in 22hrs 43mins (2012); ran 10 marathons in 10 days (2013). Her targets this year were to do the Marathon des Sables and complete her 70th marathon, while she is targeting reaching her 100th marathon in 2015.

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