The 40th anniversary edition of the Marathon des Sables concluded on Saturday in the Sahara Desert of southern Morocco, with Mohamed El Morabity and France's Maryline Nakache claiming comprehensive victories across six gruelling stages covering approximately 270 kilometres. The legendary self-sufficiency ultramarathon, which ran from 5 to 11 April, delivered a fitting spectacle for its milestone edition, with both winners demonstrating the kind of total dominance that is rarely seen in multi-stage desert racing. El Morabity won five of the six stages to claim his first MDS title, while Nakache swept all six stages to secure her third victory in the event.
The men's race was defined by a fraternal duel that has become a hallmark of the Marathon des Sables. Mohamed El Morabity and his brother Rachid — the 11-time defending champion — battled across the dunes from the opening stage, with Mohamed emerging from his older brother's shadow at last. The pair were separated by just 21 seconds after the first stage, with Mohamed clocking 2:26:29 to Rachid's 2:26:50, and the gap remained tight throughout the week. However, Mohamed's consistency across the longer stages, including the decisive 100-kilometre fourth stage that serves as the race's centrepiece, ultimately proved too much for even the most decorated runner in MDS history.
Nakache's dominance in the women's race was even more emphatic. The French athlete, who previously won the event in 2023 and 2025, finished in a cumulative time of 25 hours, 54 minutes and 29 seconds — a margin of victory that stretched to nearly three and a half hours over her nearest rival. Morocco's Aziza El Amrany held second throughout but was never able to mount a serious challenge, with Nakache appearing to dance across the dunes with an ease that belied the extreme conditions. Her six-from-six stage record in this edition cements her status as the greatest female competitor in the event's four-decade history.
The 40th anniversary added a layer of ceremony to proceedings. Race founder Patrick Bauer, who conceived the event after walking across the Sahara alone in 1984, was present throughout the week to mark the occasion. The route through Morocco's Draa-Tafilalet region tested competitors with a mix of sand dunes, rocky plateaux, and dried river beds, with daytime temperatures regularly exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. For the hundreds of amateur competitors who make up the bulk of the field, simply reaching the finish line in Ouarzazate represented a life-defining achievement — a reminder that the Marathon des Sables has always been as much about personal challenge as elite competition.
The 2026 edition reinforces the Marathon des Sables' position as the world's most iconic multi-stage ultramarathon, even as the trail running calendar has expanded dramatically in recent years. While UTMB and Western States may attract deeper elite fields, no event can match the MDS for sheer spectacle and cultural significance. For El Morabity, stepping out of his brother's considerable shadow represents the culmination of years of patient effort. For Nakache, a hat-trick of victories places her in rarefied company. Both champions departed the Sahara with their legacies considerably enhanced.