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Marathon des Sables: Rachid El Morabity leads after stage one

Stuart Dick
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Nine-time winner of the Marathon des Sables, Moroccan Rachid El Morabity, heads the field after the first stage of the 2023 race following a 36.3km jaunt through the Sahara Desert. In the women’s race, 2019 champion Ragna Debats has opened up a near 10-minute lead, with the Great British pair of Jodie Moss and Catherine Young in the top seven.

Dubbed the ‘toughest footrace in the world’, the six-day, 251km desert ultramarathon is on the bucket list of any endurance runner, but competitors face gruelling conditions coupled with an unforgiving landscape in their quest to complete the event.

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Rachid starts strong

Rachid El Morabity, who is gunning for a record-equalling 10th Marathon des Sables victory – Lahcen Ahansal currently holds the record – completed stage one in a time of 2:46:15, a minute ahead of his brother Mohamed El Morabity (2:47:15) and fellow Moroccan Aziz Yachou (2:47:16).

The leading trio were four-and-a-half minutes clear of the lead European in the race, France’s Mathieu Blanchard (2:51:48) – one of four Frenchman in the top 10 – Geoffrey Plisson (2:58:03), Erik Clavery (3:01:51) and Pierre Meslet (3:06:50) also in contention.

[Photo credit CIMBALY/MDS2021]

A further four minutes back from Blanchard was the fourth of five leading Moroccans Abdelkadar El Mouaziz (2:55:57), with Hamid Yachou (2:59:40) the last of the quintet. Russian Vasilii Korytkin (3:04:33) also crossed the finish line of stage one in the top ten.

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Debats leads, Moss in contention

Dutch runner Ragna Debats has opened up a commanding lead in the early stages of the women’s race, completing stage one in a time of 3:26:40. Her nearest rival is Maryline Nakache (3:36:29) of France who sits nine minutes and 49 seconds behind the leader. Aziza El Amrany of Morocco rounds off the top three a further 17 minutes 25 seconds back.

Jodie Moss, who has ambitions of finishing in the top ten – as she did in the 2019 race – following a devastating injury scare, is among the contenders in fourth (3:57:47), but is currently over 30 minutes off the pace. Fellow Brit Catherine Young (4:20:18) resides in seventh, almost an hour off the lead.

Standings after stage one

Men:

  1. Rachid El Morabity (MOR) – 2:46:15.
  2. Mohamed El Morabity (MOR) – 2:47:15.
  3. Aziz Yachou (MOR) – 2:47:16.
  4. Mathieu Blanchard (FRA) – 2:51:48.
  5. Abdelkader El Mouaziz (MOR) – 2:55:57.
  6. Geoffrey Plisson (FRA) – 2:58:03.
  7. Hamid Yachou (MOR) – 2:59:40.
  8. Erik Clavery (FRA) – 3:01:51.
  9. Vasilii Korytkin (RUS) – 3:04:33
  10. Pierre Meslet (FRA) – 3:06:50

Women:

  1. Ragna Debats (NED) – 3:26:40.
  2. Maryline Nakache (FRA) – 3:36:29.
  3. Aziza El Amrany (MOR) – 3:53:54.
  4. Jodie Moss (GBR) – 3:57:47,
  5. Elise Delannoy (FRA) – 4:08:41.
  6. Tomomi Bitoh (JPN) – 4:17:52.
  7. Catherine Young (GBR) – 4:20:18.
  8. Manuela Soccol (BEL) – 4:21:29.
  9. Brunilde Girardet (FRA) – 4:22:39.
  10. Corina Sommer (SUI) – 4:25:19
Stuart Dick
Written by
Stuart Dick
Stuart is a graduate of the University of Sunderland with a masters' degree in Sports Journalism. He spends a lot of his time running and cycling around West Yorkshire, England.

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