mds ultra | IAN CORLESS

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.

MDS Ultra 100-mile Podium 🏆

🥇 Maryline Nakache — 18:17:10

🥈 Martin Gallardo — 19:23:02

🥉 Jean-Baptiste Bouchoux — 20:11:06

MDS Ultra 100km Podium 🏆

🥇 Sergio Turull — 11:53:27

🥈 Adriana Moser — 12:22:43

🥉 Francesca Canepa — 13:17:27

Full results HERE

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For 40 years, the Marathon des Sables has defined the edge of human endurance. It began as a wild idea, could someone run across the Sahara carrying everything they needed to survive?

That idea sparked a revolution. MDS became the godfather of the ultra-stage racing, a test of self-sufficiency, resilience, and pure grit. In recent years, MDS has expanded beyond its roots: the MDS 120, the exploratory TREK, the demanding RAID, and the mind-bending Crazy Loops.

Each one a new take on the same promise, to push the limits of what a runner can handle.

January 2026, 9th to 14th

MDS returns to Morocco with something raw, stripped back, and different.

MDS Ultra – Morocco

One stage.

One journey.

A single unbroken push across the Sahara.

One race, two distances, the iconic 100-miles or 100km’s. You choose the distance, and, you don’t even have to decide until mid-race… At around 60 km’s (tbc), you’ll face a moment: choose100K or push through to the full 100-miles.

The course is fully marked. You won’t need to navigate. What you will need is focus, patience, and fight. You’ll be moving across the open desert, flatter than the classic MDS route, with firmer, more compact sand underfoot. The terrain will allow for speed, but don’t let that fool you. Weather in the Sahara is unpredictable, especially in January. You could get heat, wind, even rain. And when the sun drops, the temperature will follow. Nights will be cold, and you’ll feel it in your bones.

This is self-sufficiency in its purest form. You carry your own food, survival kit, and race gear. Water is provided at aid stations every 10 km’s, and every 30 km’s, you’ll reach a life base: a checkpoint to rest, refuel, seek medical support, or just sit in silence for a moment. But no outside help is allowed. No pacers. No spectators. Just you and the desert, on your terms.

The race begins with your arrival in Morocco on January 9 2026. You’ll be transferred to a hotel where the countdown begins. The next day, the technical briefing will cover everything: your gear, the course, the conditions, the risk, and the reward. Then, on January 11, you’ll be taken deep into the Sahara for the start. No frills. No countdown show. Just the wind, the sand, and the clock ticking. You have 40-hours to finish. Whether you run 100 km’s or 100-miles, that’s the window. What happens inside that window will stay with you for the rest of your life.

As the race unfolds, time stretches and bends. The sun scorches your back, the wind whistles across the flats, and at night, under the stars, the desert becomes silent and infinite.

Somewhere out there, maybe after 70K, maybe after 90, your mind will try to pull you backwards. That’s when you’ll know you’re doing something real. When your legs ache and your thoughts get loud, you’ll understand what makes this event different. This isn’t just an ultra. It’s a rite of passage.

Cross the finish line, and the pressure falls away. You’ll eat real food, sleep in a warm bed, and look around at the other 199 people who know exactly what you just went through. The next day is yours to rest, recover, and celebrate. An awards ceremony and gala dinner mark the end of the journey. You’ll laugh, maybe cry, and raise a glass with strangers who’ve become something more. Then, on January 14, you go back to the world – changed.

MDS Ultra – Morocco is for those who want more from an ultra than just a finish time. It’s for those who don’t need a crowd to run, who are curious about what happens deep into the night, when the course is quiet and the only thing guiding you forward is the sound of your own breath. This race is designed to be accessible and challenging at once. The course is fast and flat. The cut-off is generous. The experience is massive. You don’t have to be a world-class runner to finish. You just have to want it enough.

Only 200 runners will be accepted. The entry fee is €1750, but the first 40 to register get a €150 discount. Any previous MDS finisher, regardless of which event, gets €200 off. You can defer your entry for free, and the cancellation policy is flexible to protect you from life’s curveballs. There’s no fine print. No hidden extras. What you see is what you get.

This is a return to the roots.

A simple journey.

One course, one finish line, one desert.

No stages.

No shortcuts.

Just the raw, beautiful brutality of a long-distance run through one of the most iconic landscapes on Earth.

This isn’t about medals or social media moments. It’s about becoming part of something that can’t be manufactured, a moment of stillness inside suffering, a glimpse of clarity inside chaos.

Be a pioneer. Be part of the very first MDS Ultra. The stories from this race will be the ones others reference for years to come. In a world of overproduced, overhyped events, this is something real. The desert doesn’t care who you are. It doesn’t care what you’ve done before. But if you show up, if you commit, it will show you something few others will ever experience.