Errachidia (Morocco) (AFP)

The raw flesh, the empty entrails, a trying heat, and yet.

The competitors of the 35th Marathon des Sables suffer, sometimes to the point of abandonment, but those who go to the end of each stage of this long adventure in the Sahara, are exulting.

"But p ... what's hot! It's unbearable. I cry while walking. I'm exhausted, my head is spinning."

Sixtine Morizot, a thirty-something Parisian, sinks her feet in the sand as best she can.

There is not a breath of wind.

The sun is overwhelming, she has just crossed the famous Jebel El Otfal, the highlight of the long stage (92.5 km) of the Marathon des Sables, an extreme endurance race of 250 km over 6 days in total autonomy.

And this year the temperatures are particularly high.

During the second stage, it was 52 degrees.

A competitor died of a heart attack due to hyperthermia.

In the aftermath of this tragedy, many let go: 35 competitors gave up after 10 km.

Sixtine Morizot, she hangs on.

Especially since she does not suffer from the feet.

A boon.

At the bivouac of the race, the podiatrists are not idle.

A little background music just to make the eosin injections and the application of bandages a bit bearable, and the runners lying on their backs stretch their legs towards their benefactors of the evening to present their traumatized feet.

Their faces tighten, they clench their teeth, sometimes cry out in pain and start walking again, almost refusing to put their feet on the ground.

Light bulbs can turn into a nightmare.

Frédéric Compagnon, chief doctor at the head of a team of 45 people, has just seen a man unload whose skin on the soles of his feet had completely disappeared, leaving the flesh bare.

Care after the 4th stage of the 35th marathon des Sables JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK AFP

- Jurassic Park -

The most complicated for the doctor to manage is the massive abandonment.

“It's special this year, because there are a lot of dropouts, the main cause of which was dehydration. The temperatures are high but not extreme. It's hot and people weren't well prepared enough. has + exercise heatstroke, which, associated with high temperatures, also cause hallucinations, even comas ", underlines the doctor, who identifies nine comas.

Participants in the 35th edition of the Marathon des Sables JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK AFP

Alix Noblat, candidate for the Koh-Lanta game show, lost consciousness during the 3rd stage.

The young woman had literally emptied, like almost half of the camp, due to an epidemic of gastro that spread like wildfire.

Vomiting and diarrhea enliven the nights.

"It's Jurassic Park so much we hear vomiting!".

Night has not yet fallen and there are still competitors expected at the finish line.

While the elite - led by the Moroccan brothers El Morabity - completed the long stage in around ten hours, it took three times as long for the last, amateurs welcomed like champions.

Christine Taieb and Valérie Angot run, hand in hand, the line of this long stage after more than 31 hours spent in the scorching Sahara, its landscapes as far as the eye can see, between sand and rocks, with camel grass as only approval.

The two women are acclaimed by a large majority of the competitors.

- "I will not do it again" -

“I wasn't expecting this welcome!” Says Christine Taieb, who is taking part in the Marathon des Sables for the first time ... at 70 years old.

"I am an average woman, I have extra pounds, I have 70 brooms, I worked a lot and even at 70 years old, we can have fun. I had it down, but I feel very good , I want to go dancing! But hey, I know that I will have a bit of slack when I do my little laundry tonight ", confides Christine Taieb, followed by Nadjib and his two camels, whose mission is to close the race.

Participants in the 35th edition of the Marathon des Sables JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK AFP

The long step left traces in the organisms.

Of the 672 runners in this edition, 351 are present at the start of the marathon stage.

Sixtine Morizot, the 30-year-old Parisian, is sparkling.

"In the end, this morning I'm in good shape. It's just the mind," said this account manager, whose first participation. "" And this is my last.

It's the hardest race of my life.

Truly.

I accomplished something, I came to surpass myself, push my limits, the contract is fulfilled, I will not do it again ".

© 2021 AFP