Scotsman Becomes First Ever Estonian to Finish Marathon Des Sables
A Tallinn-based expatriate from Scotland has become the first competitor representing Estonia to ever complete the infamously grueling Marathon Des Sables, widely considered the toughest foot race on earth.
Alan Findlay (39), a Glasgow native who has been living in Estonia for most of the last eight years, completed the six-stage, 254-kilometer race through the Moroccan Sahara with a combined time of 65:28:25.
The result put him in 750th position out of the 938 competitors. Findlay told ERR News that he had been hoping to finish at least in the first half, but ran into trouble with health and supplies.
"If I had known more about the race I would have been faster. I had diarrhea the whole way through and I didn't have enough food," Findlay said, noting that competitors are required to carry all their supplies with them as they run or walk the race.
"The hardest thing in this race is that you've got to manage your nutrients, what's going into your body and what you're actually doing," he said.
Findlay said he had packed enough for 1,600 calories per day, whereas the minimum needed was 2,000. He lost 11 kilograms during the course of the race.
Organizers supply water, albeit in limited amounts, which participants have to use sparingly as desert temperatures reach 55 degrees Celsius.
Alan said he registered as an Estonian competitor partly to avoid a two-year waiting list for UK participants and partly because he lives in Estonia and no Estonian representative had ever entered.
Steve Roman