Ready. Set. Sand!

After Saturday's gear checks and pack weigh-ins, Stage 1 of the 25th Marathon de Sables began just after 5AM EST this morning. Following a spirited send off by the Race Director, Patrick Bauer, 1013 runners left the comfort of their first camp, Bivouac 1, and headed south for the 29 kilometer (18 mile) leg. Temperatures were relatively mild at 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit), with 25-30 mph winds. You can click here to check out some video clips of this morning's start, and of portions along the course during stage 1.

The drawing at the top of the post has been provided as an example of supplemental reference material that will appear in various posts to provide background information on various components of the Marathon de Sables. The image depicts a typical layout for a bivouac encampment that will welcome the competitors after each day's point-to-point leg, and this is where they will eat, sleep, and prepare themselves and their gear for the next day's stage. As a point of general interest, here's a typical morning schedule at the bivouac:

• 06.00 to 07.00 am- Staff will dismantle the camp (tents), please do not hinder this process or cause delays- Breakfast : self sufficiency
• 06.30 to 07.30 am- Distribution of mineral water (compulsory check point), water quotas will be distributed to you at beginning of CP1
• Between 08.30 and 09.00 am : start stage (except 1st stage and 82,2 km stage, see Art.10) Every day watch for the organisation paper board

This is also where the tents are located from which the competitors will be able to receive notes from each of you. Should you wish to send either Jennifer (Competitor # 696) or Lane (Competitor # 697) a message, you may do so by clicking here. While the runners do not have the technological capabilities to reply to individual electronic messages while they are in the camp, it would undoubtedly mean a great deal to hear from friends and family with words of encouragement along the way. Please note that this portion of the MdS site is currently available in French only, and that Expéditeur is your name, Adresse de réponse is your email address, Sujet is the subject, and your message goes in Contenu. Please note that contact is only via this webform, and that messages sent by email or posted on forums will not reach the competitors.

According to information provided by the MdS race organizers, Jen arrived at the end of Stage 1 in 4 hours, three minutes, while Lane finished in 3 hours, 51 minutes. I hope to receive more detailed information from Team Vogel soon, and will update the Endurance Spot Blog accordingly. In the meantime, the following description of the Stage 1 route has been provided as another bit of supplemental info, as this provides breakdown of a portion of the course in a narrative format:

• Km 0 : Go South (bearing 197°) until Km 2.2. Not very hilly
• Km 2,2 : Mech Irdane jebel pass. Turn left in the valley, going S/E (bearing 135°)
• Km 3,9 : Cross the stony pass then go E/SE (bearing 116°) until you reach the next pass
• Km 5,1 : Sandy pass
• Km 5,5 : Exit pass. Go South (bearing 177°) until you reach the group of palm trees
• Km 7,3 : Group of palm trees. Return to the foot of the jebel
• Km 7,8 : Small ascent up the jebel
• Km 8,5 : Rheris Bridge. Turn right at the exit then go South (172°) until CP1
• Km 9,1 : Undulating terrain, crevasses on the bed of the Rheris wadi
• Km 9,7 : Exit wadi. Follow the markings attentively to avoid the deep faults on the banks of the wadi
• Km 11,3 : Crevasses
• Km 12,8 : Enter small dunes
• Km 13,4 : CP1. Go S/SW (bearing 198°) to exit the dune fields
• Km 15,1 : Area of relief on left-hand side. Same direction (bearing 196°) through mounds of sand and grass for camels
• Km 16,7 : Way through small rocky cluster. Cross the valley going South (bearing 192°)
• Km 18 : Hilly relief. Follow path to reach the plateau
• Km 19,4 : Top of plateau. Descend towards the sandy pass bearing South (174°)
• Km 22,2 : CP2 before the dunes. Cross the dune field bearing 194°
• Km 24,3 : End of Aitoulhetan erg dunes
• Km 26 : Sandy path, slightly undulating relief. Go South (176°)
• Km 29 : Arrive at B2 after the wadi bed.

You can also check out satellite views of the Marathon des Sables course and retrace the route of the first stage thanks to GPS points: all you have to do is copy and paste on such sites as Google Maps or Google Earth:

• Bivouac 1 : N31 15.005 W4 22.393


• Check point 1 : N31 08.695 W4 20.499


• Check point 2 : N31 04.119 W4 21.053


• Bivouac 2 : N31 00.677 W4 21.309

Stay tuned for further updates as they become available.

All the Best,

Jon Ross