Runners take on African desert

Those taking part will cover at least 30km a day

By the BBC's Stephanie Irvine in Morocco

When the sun rises on Sunday morning over the sand dunes of Ouarzazate in southern Morocco, a group of over 600 people will rouse themselves from their Berber tents and prepare to set off on this year's 'Marathon of the Sands', one of the most gruelling foot races on earth.

It's about pushing yourself to the limit and beyond

Runner Karim Djebli

The marathon takes place over seven days, across 230km of the Sahara Desert, in baking heat.

They say the dunes are the worst, the liquid sand seeping from under your feet with each step, sapping your energy, the slopes reflecting the heat inwards like a satellite dish.

And at this time of year the temperature in north-west Sahara can reach 50 degrees.

Dehydration, exhaustion and blisters are just some of the hazards the runners will face.

'Endurance test'

Then there are the sand storms, and the snakes; all participants are required to carry a snake venom pump in their kit, along with signal flares, in case they get lost.

There will be precious little shade in the desert

It is more like an endurance test than a sport, so why would 630 people from 30 different countries around the world want to put themselves through it?

Karim Djebli from Casablanca, is one of them.

He and his wife ran the race in 2000, and are coming back this year for more. "It's about pushing yourself to the limit and beyond," he said.

" You lose yourself, and forget all your petty domestic troubles. It's remarkable, like living in a dream."

And then there is the beauty of the desert, with its changing colours and the variety of terrain, including mountains, rocky plains and palm groves.

Worthy cause

Most days the runners will cover between 30 and 40 km, except the fourth day which is a gruelling 71km, a race that stretches into the night.

They must carry all their own food and kit - with the organisers providing only water, medical care and open-sided Berber tents, which get whisked away at sunrise.

But it's not all fun; the race also raises money, this year for Facing Africa, a charity fighting against the gangrenous infection Noma.

And at the end, sunburnt, aching and blistered, the competitors are rewarded with a banquet and a night of luxury in a four star hotel in Ourzazate.

'Experience'

But for runners such as Karim leaving the desert behind is not easy.

"You have a sense of loss, and you feel this wrench going back into the modern world with its comforts," he said.

"You feel lost like an orphan, you miss the close friends you've made over the week, and you miss the whole experience a lot," he added.

And when the runners have limped home, and the organisers have packed up their tents and their solar pumps, and incinerated their rubbish, the desert will be left again for another year to the nomads and the shifting sands.