The first Marathon des Sables in Peru concluded

The original Marathon de Sables is held every year in the Sahara Desert in southern Morocco and is known to be the toughest long distance running race in the world. For the first time a replica of the ultramarathon was held in the Ica desert of Peru, one of the driest regions on earth, from November 26 to December 4, 2017.

Divided into 6 stages participating high endurance runners made it through 250 km (155 miles) conquering the scorching heat, soft sand, enormous dunes and sandy plateaus.

And the winners of the Marathon de Sables in Peru are:

In the Men category

1. Rachid El Morabity (Morocco) with 21:35:55
2. Aldo Ramirez (Peru) with 23:39:56
3. Erik Clavery (France) with 23:50:45

In the Women category

1. Nathalie Mauclair (France) with 25:55:26
2. Melanie Rousset (France) with 29:29:59
3. Rocio Carrion (Peru) with 32:17:16

Find below some amazingly beautiful pictures by Jean-Philippe Ksiazek (AFP).