Oman Desert Marathon 165km 2025 – Stage 5

Posted on January 23, 2025 by talkultra

The 2025 Oman Desert Marathon came to a conclusion with a 21km stage finishing at Al Jawharat Resort in Bidiyah.

Mohamed El Morabity and Aziza Raji were crowned champions.

The stage, in comparison to those that had gone before was considered ‘easier,’ with less soft-sand making for a faster pace and easier running. However, a beautiful dune section started the day with impressive 360 views.

It was one last big effort before receiving a finishers medal that was hard earned.

Saleh and Mohamed – Photo by Ian Corless

At the front of the race, Mohamed and Saleh pushed a hard pace, no doubt worried that Rachid was on a charge after his previous stage victory and win by a big margin. Mohamed was constantly looking behind fearful for his elder brother. However, Rachid looked relaxed and content that he would be second on the overall finishers podium.

In the closing km, Mohamed put his foot on the gas and pulled away taking the final stage victory by 22-seconds. Rachid would finish 4-minutes and 28-seconds later.

Men’s final results HERE

For the women, Aziza Raji was a clear and stand out winner. She once again won the final stage and was crowned the 2025 champion. Lydia Oldham finished second and Tanja Schoenenborn third. The final women’s podium would be Aziza Raji, Lydia Oldham and Sally Ford.

Top three women’s results HERE

Complete results HERE

The 2025 edition of the Oman Desert Marathon will remembered for cold nights, hot days and relentless soft-sand. At 165km’s over 5-stages, the race is a tough one, Mohamed completed the whole route in 15:44:25, Aziza in 22:39:17 and for perspective, the last person concluded in 33:21:18, twice as long as the race winner.

While a tough challenge, the ODM appeals and caters for runner or walker, especially with the option to take a 100km option, basically broken down as 20km’s per day.

Planning will now start to take place for 2026, if you enjoy stage racing, the desert and making new friends, the Oman Desert Marathon provides a perfect experience for experienced or novice.

Oman Desert Marathon website HERE

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Oman Desert Marathon 165km 2025 – Stage 4

Posted on January 21, 2025 by talkultra

It was a morning of relaxation in bivouac, today, stage 4, has the participants starting at staggered times based on ranking. The first departure 1400, the second 1500 and lastly, the fast group at 1700.

The start times are designed to allow all participants to experience the Oman Desert under darkness.

The 30km stage starts with 6.8km’s of dunes and then after a left turn, the route takes a direct line to the finish line and final bivouac night before the final stage tomorrow.

In the 1500 departure, the top women raced head-to-head and unsurprisingly, Aziza Raji once again dominated in 03:59:21 followed by Lydia Oldham, 04:20:23 and today Tanja Schoenenborn, 04:46:13, had a very strong day finishing 30-minutes ahead of Sally Ford.

In the men’s race, it was all guns blazing from the off with Rachid El Morabity setting a super fast pace. It came as a surprise as he has taken the first three stages very relaxed.

He pushed ahead and at cp1 had an 8-minute lead. He continued the charge and crossed the line in 02:37:43.

Behind, Saleh Alsaidi and Mohamed El Morabity chased both pushing each other hard. The elastic eventuall snapped and Mohamed pulled away to cross in 02:44:22, 6-minutes 39-seconds behind his brother. Saleh secured third in 02:50:06.

The final and fifth stage tomorrow will have the participants run a 21km stage. It’s a flat and fast stage with just a short section of dunes to start the day.

Stage 4 results HERE

Full results HERE

Oman Desert Marathon website HERE

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Oman Desert Marathon 165km 2025 – Stage 3

Posted on January 20, 2025 by talkultra

These Omani nights are cold. Dare I say that last night was colder than the night before? It’s tough for the runner’s, especially those that are minimum with kit, particularly lightweight sleeping bag and no down jacket.

Stage 3 at 40km is the second longest of the week and arguably the toughest, compensated for with incredible beauty.

The Oman Desert Marathon is very much a sand race. Every step is on varying decrees of soft-sand and stage 3 adds the spice of a rollercoaster of dunes. There is even a dune section to the finish line.

Starting just after sunrise, the early morning light and views in the first and second dune sections were spectacular. Up high, you really get to see the enormity and expanse of the sand here in Oman, it is relentless.

Early km’s of the day saw many wearing a windbreaker, trying to get warm after a cold night and chilly start. The heat soon came though and it would keep rising to a high of 27-degrees.

Rachid feeling the chill – Photo by Ian Corless

The top male contenders ran much of the day together, nobody seemed particularly eager to push the pace. Rachid took it very easy wearing a windbreaker and gloves for the whole day, he was a long way back early on and then little by little he moved up the field as the race progressed.

Mohamed playing a waiting game – Photo by Ian Corless

Mohamed and Saleh are inform and the duo finished first and second on the stage just 11-seconds apart, 4:14:39 and 4:14:50 respectively. Rachid moved up to third by the finish line crossing nearly 10-minutes behind his brother.

For the women, Aziza finished 11th overall in 5:52:44 and a long way ahead of Lydia Oldham in second, 6:30:49. Sally ford was third nearly 50-minutes behind second.

Stage 3 results HERE

Full results HERE

Tomorrow is the penultimate stage of 30km. With three starts, 1500hrs, 1600hrs and 1700hrs, the participants will go into the night and finish in darkness.

Oman Desert Marathon website HERE

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Oman Desert Marathon 165km 2025 – Stage 2

Posted on January 19, 2025 by talkultra

Stage 1 was a tough day, the talk in bivouac was all about the relentless sand and how the final 10km was relentlessly tough.

It was an early sleep for most and the night was a cold one. Temperatures plummeted, especially in the early hour of the following morning.

Bivouac came to life around 0500 and stage 2 eventually started at 0700.

The early km’s were relatively easy and cool. So cool that Rachid wore a windbreaker and gloves… He actually did not remove them all day despite the temperatures rising to 27-degrees.

The highlight of the day was a dune section with sunrise. Pure magic with high views of the surrounding landscape.

While there is no ‘easy’ running here in Oman, the km’s after the dunes were relatively flat and easy.

With Mohamed taking victory on stage 1, a slender 4-seconds ahead of his brother, Rachid, all the action would be around the Moroccan.

The local Omani runner’s, especially Salah Al Saidi did all they could to put him under pressure but Mohamed is too strong. In the final 10km’s he made his move and opened a gap for the stage win in 3:05:54.

Stage 2 of the 2025 Oman Desert Marathon was full of action and spectacular dunes. Mohamed El Morabity and Aziza Raji took the stage wins! — Mohamed – Photo by Ian Corless

Rachid did an amazing job to finish 2nd, 3:09:26 and Saleh 3rd in 3:10:01.

Rachid by contrast was taking it easy, with 20km’s covered he was 5-minutes behind the leaders, however, the attack came and he closed the gap effortlessly and then forged ahead with on of the Al Said.

For the women, Aziza Raji was once again making the sand and the dunes look easy. Lydia Oldham, Sally Ford and Tanja Schoenenborn are all close together, but they are fighting for second.

Tomorrow is another 40km stage, followed by stage 4 which starts late afternoon and goes into the night.

Race results are HERE

Oman Desert Marathon website HERE

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Oman Desert Marathon 165km 2025 – Stage 1

Posted on January 18, 2025 by talkultra

The 2025 Oman Desert Marathon got underway today in Bidiyah, Oman with music, dancing and a lively atmosphere. Stage 1 of the 165km race also includes all the one day races of 2km, 5km, 10km, 21km and 42km taking part on the same track. It was most certainly a lively start!

Starting from the Oasis of Alwasil and finishing at Al Jawharat Resort in Bidiyah. The 2025 Oman Desert Marathon is a five stages of 42 km, 32 km, 40 km, 30 km and 21 km.

Five stages to experience the different perspectives of one of the most beautiful deserts of the world.

A unique journey to discover the most remote, untouched sands and the highest dunes of the Omani Desert while on the tracks of the ancient caravans.

Stage 1 at 42km’s was a tough first day. One thing is notable here in Oman is that the desert is pretty much ALL soft-sand which makes for very tough and tiring days.

The weather at this time of year is considered ‘mild’ by Omani standards,, however, the 25-deg highs surely took a toll on the runner’s during the stage.

The main protagonists of the day were Rachid and Mohamed El Morabity and Aziza Raji.

Aziza took the lead from the start and slowly but surely opened up a gap that just kept getting bigger as the day went on. Sally Ford and Lydia Oldham chased but were almost 45-minutes behind.

For Rachid and Mohamed, they played a waiting and watching game for the first 30km’s and then opened up the throttle to pull away. The main challenge, once again came from Ghaith Al Saidi and Saleh Al Saidi, brothers against brothers.

For Aziz, Rachid and Mohamed, there results were even more impressive as the trio only had approximately 3-hours sleep the night before after long travel and a 0300 arrival at the race hotel. I am sure they will sleep well tonight!

For the other participants, it was a day of acclimation and hopefully taking the desert and conditions calmly, especially with 4 tough days to come.

Stage 2 at 10km’s less, I am sure will be welcomed with open arms.

Race results are HERE

Oman Desert Marathon website HERE

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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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Oman Desert Marathon 2024 – Stage 1

Posted on January 20, 2024 by talkultra

Navigating a different route to the 2023 Oman Desert Marathon, stage 1 of the 2024 edition proved to be a tough challenge and one that saw the lead change in the latter stages to provide victory for Aziza Raji and Rachid El Morabity.

Starting in Bidiyah with a gala presentation of local dignitaries and local music, the event had a mass start for the 4-stage race, marathon, 21km, 10km and 5km.

The main event, the 4-stage 165km race navigating an almost circular route back to Bidiyah was initially lead with a charge from last year’s champion, Mohamed El Morabity with Khalid Al Jabri and Evgenii Glyva.

For the women, an in-form Aziza El Amrany forged away at the front looking very strong and focused.

As per usual, Rachid El Morabity paced himself with a relatively slow start keeping the other three protagonists in sight.

Behind Aziza, Aziza Raji and the French lady, Kathleen Leguin were both looking strong and relaxed.

The opening 25km, post-race, was considered to be ‘easy’ in comparison to the tough and challenging terrain that followed; relentless soft-sand, dunes and rollercoaster terrain that sapped the body of strength, especially as the heat of the day came.

It was here that Aziza El Amrany relinquished the lead to Aziza Raji who looked much more relaxed in the challenging terrain.

Kathleen was also suffering, climbing a steep dune she had continuous moments of sickness and at the summit, she sighed, just 9km to go.

Rachid had now made his move and behind Mohamed El Morabity was fighting hard to hold a very strong Salah El Saidi, no doubt hampered by long travel and a very late arrival before race day.

The 2023 champion could not match the pace and finished 3rd, 3:39:20, 3:39:54 and 3:41:29 separated the men, making for an exciting stage 2.

Aziza Raji was super strong in the latter stages of the day and crossed the line in 5:22:36. Aziza El Amrany arrived in a surprising 5:49:18 and Kathleen was overtaken by Veronique Messina to finish 3rd in 6:18:55.

While the fast raced at the front, as in every race, stories begin to form behind. A notable one, Albert Jorquera who raced here in Oman in 2023, who this year runs with Pol Makuri who has Cerebral Palsy in the right side of his body. An inspiration to watch!

The duo finished the day in a brilliant time of 7:41.49, 19th and 20th.

As darkness arrives, the battle for the line continues. It’s been a tough first day here in Oman.

Full results HERE

Oman Desert Marathon website HERE

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Episode 237 – Corina Sommer

Posted on July 21, 2023 by talkultra

Episode 237 of Talk Ultra has an interview with Corina Sommer who won Oman Desert Marathon early in 2023 and went on to place 4th at Marathon des Sables.

Corina at Oman Desert Marathon ©iancorless

Now in its 8th edition, the Oman Desert Marathon took place January 21^st to 24^th. A self-sufficient race, the event took place over 4-stages with a total distance of 165-kms. Corina Sommer battled hard to take a convincing victory.

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If stage racing, fastpacking or multi-day adventures are your thing, check out THIS Camelbak Octane 25.

Marathon des Sables 2024 entries are due to open on June 30th. Moving forward, some changes will be made to the race. Read a summary of points HERE.

HOME of the GIANTS goes live August 1st. A multi-day adventure through the magical and amazing playground that is Jotunheimen, Norway. Unlike a race, this journey is a finely balanced exclusive trip for just 12 participants. A challenge at a more relaxed pace, taking in an amazing route whilst moving light in a semi self-sufficient mode. More HERE

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Oman Desert Marathon 2023 Stage 3

Posted on January 24, 2023 by talkultra

Stage 3 of the Oman Desert Marathon followed a long stage 2 of 55-km. For perspective, Mohamed won the stage in 5-hours 11-minutes, while the last runner came in close to the midnight cut-off. When you consider the 06:30am start, that is a long day on the feet.

Corina Sommer recovering before stage 3©iancorless

Morning of stage 3 was rest in camp and the scheduled 3 start times would commence at midday, followed by 2pm and the final wave of top-12 runner’s departing at 4pm. Ahead 42km with all runner’s spending time in some darkness before arriving at the finish.

With a flat section to start the day, a small and beautiful dune section, and then a relatively flat run in to the line, on paper, stage 3 was by ODM standards an easy one.

If Rachid had agreed with his brother that victory was Mohamed’s to take, Rachid did not run the last stage without a fight. Actually, the contrary, he seemed to be pushing hard and looking for the advantage.

Mohamed followed at all times looked relax.

The duo exchanged the lead at multiple times and it was during darkness that Mohamed took the lead and finished strongly ahead of his brother 3:23 to 3:40 elapsed respectively, the 2023 Oman Desert Marathon is now almost certainly his!

Behind Saleh Alsaidi once again ran a very strong stage, he never came close to the Moroccan’s but his podium place is secure.

Corina and Aziza head-to-head ©iancorless

If Aziza El Amrany thought stage 3 would be an easy one, she would need to think again… Corina Sommer had the bit between her teeth and the duo pushed a hard pace. Just before CP1 Aziza got a gap, was the writing on the wall?

No! Corina fought back, caught and passed her and then opened up her own lead. As darkness came, the lead extended and it was a nail-biter to the line, Corina crossing in 4:21:09.

The clock ticked, Aziza was losing her huge lead, eventually she came and crossed in 4:36:06. Now Corina is just 10-minutes behind with one stage to go… Is it possible to get back that time in ‘just’ 22km?

Aziza Raji was off-the-pace today and finished 3rd.