mds fuerteventua | IAN CORLESS

A rest day made all the difference for the participants of MDS Fuerteventura and stage 3 was eagerly anticipated.

An early departure from bivouac and then a bus transfer to the start at Sotavento Beach, ahead 26.3km with 587m+ to La Pared.

A beautiful day of sand and path passing through Jandia National Park and concluding with epic coastal cliffs and an ocean backdrop.

Today, was all about the medal gladly, all achieved there goal finishing before the cut-off time of 16.45, a huge success.

After the bad weather in 2022 and the missing 2023, MDS Fuerteventura is well and truly back!

In the 120km race, SANTANA FERNÁNDEZ was crowned the winner with an elapsed time of 9:36:35. FOULQUIÉ PADILLA and ROGER PÉREZ placed 2nd and 3rd, 9:40:37 and 9:48:15 respectively.

For the women, DEL RIO VALLES, BOLLENGIER and NACHARD placed 1, 2 and 3, 13:54:20, 14:47:42 and 15:47:08 respectively.

PÉREZ DE LA CRUZ 10:23:12 and MUJICA GONZÁLEZ 11:53:49 were the male and female winners of the 100km and RODRÍGUEZ MORENO 9:02:44 and MAHIQUES 8:47:49 were the male and female winners in the 70km class, with MAHIQUES the outright winner.

Full results are available HERE for 120km, HERE for the 100km and HERE for the 70km.

Now it is time for a shower, fresh clothes, a good dinner and bed with clean sheets. Tomorrow is a day of relaxation and then a gala dinner with awards ceremony.

Marathon des Sables website HERE

Since 1986, the MARATHON DES SABLES has crossed the world’s most stunning deserts with several unique concepts: the MARATHON DES SABLES THE LEGENDARY (252 km in the Sahara Desert in Morocco), the MARATHON DES SABLES (70, 100, or 120 km spread over 3 stages), and the new 2024 concept, the MDS TREK (4 stages with a total distance of up to 120 km), offering an accessible adventure with optimal comfort. These international events have seen over 50 editions in various countries such as Morocco, Fuerteventura Island, Peru, Jordan, Turkey, and offer adventures that combine running/hiking in the desert with tourism.