2023-05-01 20:13:19
It is one of the toughest endurance events in the world. With its 250 kms to be covered in seven days in the heat of the Moroccan desert, in self-sufficiency, the Marathon des Sables offers its share of twists and failures each year. But the 2023 edition, the 37th, will remain marked by another event: a story of cheating around the experienced Moroccan athlete Rachid El Morabity, 41, accused by the organization of having benefited from outside help.
It was during an unexpected check in the athlete’s tent that the organization found foodstuffs outside the bivouac and in fact prohibited. If water is provided, runners must indeed carry their own food in their backpack for the duration of the competition, and the bags are checked before the start of the event. “Bag checks are regularly carried out in order to verify that food has not been provided to the competitors, justified the organization in a press release notably linked by the Team. However, yesterday, checks among the elite unfortunately gave positive results”.
Leader of the event after the first four stages, Rachid El Morabity then received a three-hour penalty. And finally decides to give up. On social networks, the title holder quickly denied any cheating. “To all my friends and loved ones, it is with a heavy heart that I have decided to abandon the marathon des sables because I was being unfairly punished for a mistake I did not make,” wrote- he on Instagram this Friday, April 28, as the penultimate event started.
“By respecting the rules, he would still win”
“When you are wrongly accused, it is better to leave with your head held high than to remain to suffer an injustice even if I miss out on my dream”, he continued, hoping that “the organization will do the necessary verification work before the beginning of the Marathon Des Sables”, during the next edition.
The Frenchman Mathieu Blanchard, second in the last ultra-trail of Mont Blanc behind Kilian Jornet, long at the foot of the podium finally recovered third place in the event, for his second participation. Questioned by L’Equipe on this subject, he says: “We learned (…) that some runners did not do the same Marathon des Sables as us, it’s a bit annoying”.
And to add: “Despite this, I have the humility to say that even by respecting the rules, Rachid El Morabity would still win. It’s just frustrating to see this kind of behavior. Rachid El Morabity’s record is indeed substantial: he was aiming here for a tenth title on the “MDS”, after nine victories acquired between 2011 and 2022. He would then have equaled the record for the number of victories, held by another Moroccan, Lahcen Ahansal. It was finally his brother, Mohamed El Morabity, long accustomed to the place of runner-up, who imposed himself on this new edition.
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