It always promised to be the pivotal stage but the 82.2km epic on day four at the Marathon des Sables still wasn’t able to separate Morocco’s El Morabity brothers to any great extent.
Last year remember there were just seconds between them at the finish, with Rachid just pipping his younger brother Mohamed on the last stage.
The double-distance stage four and the intense heat actually saw things close up between them this year – read on to find out more – but in the women’s race, France’s Maryline Nakache does look to have taken a huge step towards overall success.
Men’s race – Rachid move pays dividends
Mohamed had the clear advantage going into stage four but that was not just wiped out but overhauled by Rachid, who looked to have taken it relatively easy the day before, no doubt with an eye on the 82.2km to come.
And the damage was done in the middle of the stage – Rachid going 13 minutes clear at that point.
Mohamed was able to peg things back slightly, though there was still almost exactly 10 minutes between them at the finish line, Rachid crossing it in 07:08:13, followed by Mohamed in 07:18:22.
All of which means that Rachid now has an advantage of nearly four minutes on the overall standings, with the pair of them well over an hour clear of their nearest rival, fellow Moroccan Ahmed Ouikhalfen.
Women’s race – All about Maryline
It was altogether more clear-cut in the women’s race as Maryline Nakache dominated the stage with a time of 07:55:35, finishing an impressive third overall.
That saw the 2023 winner dramatically extend her outright lead over defending champion Aziza El Amrany (MAR), who finished in 08:49:20, to an hour and 37 minutes.
Stage four also saw the withdrawal of third-placed Ragna Debats of the Netherlands, the 2019 victor.
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