MDS ULTRA : One Push, Two Distances, and a New Desert Legacy

Forty years after the first chapter of desert racing was written, a new one opened in the Merzouga region of Morocco with the inaugural edition of MDS ULTRA. This was not a return to the past, an acknowledgement of history but also a clear statement of intent – one race, two distances, no stages and no reset. Just a single, continuous effort across the desert, with runners committing to either 100 kilometres or 100 miles within a strict 40-hour time limit.

Set against the wide, open landscapes surrounding Merzouga, the race introduced a different way to experience the Sahara. Held in winter, the conditions reshaped the challenge. Days offered pleasant, manageable heat that allowed athletes to settle into rhythm and pace. Nights told a different story. Temperatures dropped fast, the cold biting through fatigue, turning the long hours of darkness into a test of preparation, focus, and resolve. Managing layers, energy, and morale became as important as managing speed.

The course reinforced a stripped-back philosophy. Predominantly flat and designed with less soft sand, for some, it encouraged sustained running, for others, the distance and challenge required survival marching. But flat did not mean easy. Over such distances, the lack of variety became its own challenge. Every mistake was amplified, every slowdown hard to recover from. The desert demanded patience and discipline, hour after hour, the cold nights bringing the greatest challenge.

On the ground, the scale of the operation matched the ambition of the format. Five life bases were positioned across the route offering a place to sleep, food, a warm fire and incredible support. Nine water stations filled the gaps in-between and a team of 147 staff working across logistics, medical care, safety, and race control made the whole thing tick. Organisation was tight, communication clear, and participant safety central throughout.

The racing itself gave the event its heartbeat. Athletes from 30 countries lined up, bringing an international energy to the desert, with women making up 30 percent of the field. What followed were two races and countless individual battles. In the 100-mile event, Martin Gallardo charged ahead in the early stages of the race, but after 40km’s, Maryline Nakache delivered a standout performance, coming from behind taking the outright win. In the 100-kilometre race, Adriana Moser claimed second place overall behind Sergio Turull, Francesca Canepa placing third – a podium underlining the depth and quality of competition across both distances and the dominance of women in the ultra distance.

But beyond the podiums, MDS ULTRA was 40-hours of stories. The glory of victory played out at the front, while deeper in the field some runners faced the agony of a DNF – forced to stop by injury, exhaustion, or the quiet accumulation of small failures.

For others, the reward was simpler and just as powerful: survival. Reaching the finish after a single, unbroken push through heat, cold, daylight, and darkness.

This first edition of MDS ULTRA established its own identity – it honoured Morocco’s and the MDS desert racing heritage without trying to recreate it. Fast but unforgiving, simple in concept and demanding in execution, it proved that even after four decades, the desert still has new ways to test those who dare to cross it.