Marathon des Sables – The Legendary : Podcast Two with Marie-Christine Barnett-Lonergan

Posted on March 11, 2024 by talkultra

Episode two of the Marathon des Sables – The Legendary podcast is with Marie-Christine (MC) Barnett-Lonergan.

Prepare yourself, this is quite a story from MC and one that I firmly believe will bring a tear to your eye.

Listen to the podcast on Apple HERE

Spotify HERE

When I reached out for MDS stories, I knew I would find some remarkable people and MC is most definitely remarkable.

“I am MC, a 37-year old mum of two. I’m a terrible runner and not an athlete. I have never done a half-marathon until late 2023. But I am doing MDS in April.”

It was one of those introductions that had me asking, why?

“In 2015 my mum suffered a very sudden and horrific illness which left her paralysed from the neck down and reliant on a ventilator to breathe. My mum is locked in her body and has little outdoor space, so, I am doing MDS to raise funds for the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability”

But, the story does not stop there!

Listen to the podcast and be inspired.

Listen to the podcast on Apple HERE

Spotify HERE

If you would like to MC in her fund raising goals Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability Please go HERE.

“I am running to raise money to build a new and safe garden, where residents can sit independently and share time with their families. You don’t need me to tell you that being outdoors, surrounded by nature is so incredibly important to our mental health. This new garden will change lives (my mum’s, her fellow residents’ and all the families’) and take a huge pressure off the staff who so lovingly dedicate their lives to caring for others.”

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Oman Desert Marathon 2024 – Stage 4

Posted on January 24, 2024 by talkultra

The 2024 Oman Desert Marathon concluded at Jawharat Bidiah Resort, 165km’s travelled over 4-days and Rachid El Morabity and Aziza Raji are the champions covering the total race in 16:06:49 and 23:13:32 respectively.

Going into the last 21km stage, the end result was never in question, both Rachid and Aziza had built 20-minute plus leads and all they had to do was run a calm and measured last day.

However, Saleh Al saidi pushed the pace continuously, maybe, just maybe in the back of his mind he thought he could break Rachid?

In the closing km, Rachid eased back and gave Saleh a final stage victory for the home crowd and the Army Team which he respresents.

In third place, Ghaith Al saidi. The brothers ran an incredible race and at times placed Rachid under pressure, however, Rachid for now is just too strong and experienced.

For the women, the Aziza Team were dominant and after Raji built the lead early on, El Amrany was content to run by her side.

In third place was Veronique Messina who each day consistently covered the km’s with commitment, determination and a smile. A great run in 25:38:53.

In total, thirty participants completed the race from twelve nationalities. With the race almost completely sand, the race is considered considerably harder than Marathon des Sables. This was confirmed by Rachid, “Here it is all sand, it’s slower and more tiring. Only the last day has some easier and harder terrain on which to move quicker and easier.”

While it is difficult to pick out individuals in such a tough race, Pol Makuri has inspired everyone during the week. His commitment and dedication has been an inspiration. His completion of the event brought tears to many an eye, especially his friend and teammate, Albert Jorquera.

Rachid and Aziza may well have crossed the finish line the fastest, but a winner and champion comes in many forms and Pol Makuri is a prime example.

Each medal was hard earned and yes, as in many races some did not reach the finish. However, they were there at the finish line to cheer the others on, no doubt being inspired to return and try again.

Stage results HERE

Full results HERE

IMAGE GALLERY HERE

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Oman Desert Marathon 2024 – Stage 2

Posted on January 21, 2024 by talkultra

Day 2 of the Oman Desert Marathon and after day 1, there was some anxiety. At 55km’s long, the stage was set to be tough. A planned 0630 start with sunrise, would provide participants with extra time in daylight. However, the weather had different plans. An inversion came in during the night and early morning reducing visibility in the valley to zero, the start was delayed 1-hour.

At approximately 0730, the runners were on the way despite some lingering mist. However, the mist was guaranteed to disappear quickly and it did. While it lasted, it gave an eerie feeling to the desert.

Sadly, Mohammed El Morabity was a DNS today. He was tired and feeling under the weather after long delayed travel and a tough first day. Although sad to see a competitor leave, I am sure Salah Al Saidi and Evgenii Glyva were somewhat happy to have one less El Morabity brother to deal with.

Having run a very strong stage 1, Salah Al Saidi took the race to Rachid pushing the pace. As always, Rachid started easy and looked relaxed while following and Evgenii was pushing to hold the pace.

For the women, Aziza Raji must have felt very confident after her stage 1 performance and huge gap. By contrast, Aziza El Amrany was probably wondering how she could pull back any time? Kathleen Leguin who was a pre-race favourite had suffered with sickness on stage 1 but started the day feeling better and the trio ran together with Veronique Messina behind.

Despite 55km’s, stage 2 was billed as a more runnable and easier day, it wasn’t. There was a great deal of soft-sand, several dune section and lots of heat. It was all too much for Kathleen and sadly she withdrew from the race at cp3.

It is never easy to tell if Rachid is suffering, but today there seemed some signs of fatigue and tiredness at cp3. He left with Saleh but looked happy to hold back and let the pace be dictated.

However, in a typical Rachid move, he finally applied pressure and opened a gap crossing the line in 5:47:24 to Saleh in 6:07:43. Evgenii finished 3rd in 6:23:13.

The two Aziza’s were playing truce today and duo ran together all day, Raji happy not to loose anytime to El Amrany and at the same time share the desert with a friend.

With Kathleen out of the race, Veronique finished 3rd, the times of the top 3 8:31:06 and 8:31:07 for El Amrany and Raji, 9:04:37 for Veronique.

Results HERE and GC ranking HERE.

Albert Jorquera and Pol Makuri were battling the day and due for an early evening finish, in darkness.

A long stop at cp3 allowed Pol to get some treatment for his feet and recharge ready for the push to the line; he’s one tough guy!

Tomorrow is stage 3, the night stage. The runner’s will start in two waves. The first around midday, the second early afternoon and they will go in to the night over roughly a marathon distance.

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