You may be signed up for the Marathon des Sables the Legendary, or you may be thinking about doing it in the future. Many people who have not done a stage race before, let alone one in the unforgiving Sahara, have many questions about how to get ready for this undertaking. It can easily feel overwhelming. Where do you start when training for Marathon des Sables the Legendary?
Don’t Panic
First of all, it’s important not to panic. The approach of doing as much training as possible is unlikely to work. It will probably leave you fatigued, injured, and unable to reach the start line. Instead of worrying about how you will be able to cover 250 kilometres or more in the Sahara, take a deep breath, and look more closely at what it actually means to take part in the Marathon des Sables the Legendary.
Analyse the Facts
There are ways to break this challenge down and understand the facts rather than worry about fiction. After all, this is a desert race surrounded by many myths, most of which are not entirely true. So what facts am I talking about?
Firstly, there are no superhumans taking part in this event. Most people are just regular, average athletes with day jobs, family commitments, and limited time to train. They want to test themselves with a bigger challenge, and they have enough confidence and the courage to sign up.
Therefore, your regular running or walking ability will translate to this event. What do I mean by that? If you take part in other races, whether 5km Parkruns, marathons, or ultra-marathons, you know roughly how you perform. Are you fast, mid-pack, or towards the end? Look at the results of previous editions of the Marathon des Sables the Legendary. See how people did. How long did it take the top runners, the middle group, or indeed the back of the pack? Here you have a very rough estimate of the time you can expect to spend on the course.
Secondly, break it down. The Marathon des Sables the Legendary is not a non-stop multi-day race. It is a race with defined stages, and you get to spend a night in camp between each stage. So nobody is asking you to run 250km or more non-stop here. You “just” need to run each stage—one at a time. Even the long stage can be completed over two days if you so desire or need it.
The towering dunes are what you see in many photos, but the truth is that you will not be hauling yourself and your backpack over endless dunes for 250km. The terrain ranges from smooth, road-like terrain to more technical, rocky passages. The sand is a recurring theme, but not the only surface. Study photos and videos from previous events and note the variation.
Once this picture is painted, you can better plan your training.
Create Consistent Habits
I believe that you want to enjoy the race. And you should enjoy the training for Marathon des Sables the Legendary too. Or at least try. Why should you put yourself through months of pain? One of the opportunities that comes with multi-stage racing is a profound experience, often one of personal transformation. But if you hate every day of your training, you will never create lasting change. As soon as the race is done, you might hang up your running shoes.
This is why it is important to me to help my clients create a training schedule that integrates with their life as a whole. One that can help foster meaningful habits that stick. And here is the thing: you really do not need to do crazy long runs or walks to complete the Marathon des Sables the Legendary. You do not need to have 100-kilometre weeks or 100-mile weeks. In fact, most people I coach don’t, and they do just fine. A few exceptions exist, but these are often experienced runners who have built the habit of running most days for years and can tolerate the volume.
A training schedule is also individual. Some people do well on mostly running, some people need a more varied training. This can include strength training, walking, cardiovascular training other than running, yoga, breathwork, and other forms of training.
Honour Recovery
People new to training often fail to understand the role of recovery. Training breaks you down, and recovery builds you up. Training without adequate sleep, rest days, and proper nutrition is not sustainable. When your plan has a rest day, honour it. If your life is filled with other “stuff” that might hinder recovery from training, it might be worth seeing if something can be eliminated. Can you de-clutter your life?
The Sacred Zone
Adaptation does take some time. You cannot have a wake-up call a month pre-race and then start training. This is when your training should be done. I call the period that is five to four weeks out from the race a “sacred zone”. What does that mean? It means it is not the time to run races; it is not the time to set any personal records in training. In this period, focus on acclimating to the heat, make your final arrangements for your kit and food, rehearse packing your bag, and gradually reduce training to arrive at the start line well-rested and healthy.
Pay Attention to the Whole Picture
The Marathon des Sables the Legendary presents numerous challenges to the competitors. If you are unprepared for them, it doesn’t matter how good a runner you are. You need to understand the whole picture and how you will thrive in the harsh camp life environment. Therefore, your training needs to include: running or walking with a backpack; learning to adequately and effectively prevent and treat foot problems; acclimating to the heat; learning to fuel well both on and off course; being prepared for unexpected weather, injuries, illness, or other challenges; testing your equipment, shoes, and clothing; and being mentally prepared for sleeping rough and coping with a very basic toilet situation. For some, it is also a challenge to share a small space with seven other people and to deal with queuing and frequent gatherings in big crowds.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Marathon des Sables the Legendary is tough, but it is a manageable undertaking with some planning and proper preparation. It is a walkable event, but you need to be able to walk at a good pace. Both runners and walkers should expect to slow down compared to when they would move on easier terrain, without a backpack, and in many cases at lower temperatures.
I hope these broader brush strokes helped organise your thoughts and plan your training. Some people prefer to be self-coached, but if you would like me to coach you through this journey, I would be more than happy to do so. You can read more about how to work with me, and what running coaching I offer for Marathon des Sables the Legendary here.
If you want to hear me talk in detail about the 2025 edition, you can listen to my interview with Ian Corless here.
Photos in this article are by by Ian Corless.