The Marathon des Sables is ranked by the Discovery Channel as the toughest footrace on earth.

Known simply as the MdS, the race is a gruelling multi-stage adventure through a formidable landscape in one of the world’s most inhospitable climates - the Sahara desert. The rules require you to be self-sufficient, to carry with you on your back everything except water that you need to survive. You are given a place in a tent to sleep at night, but any other equipment and food must be carried.

The MdS is a multi-day ‘ultra-marathon’ or ‘ultra’ run in six days over a course of between 150 and 156 (254km) miles

As an example of what lies beyond the starting line, the longest single stage in 2012 was 51 miles (81.5km). Typical distances are 156 miles (251 km) broken down as follows:

Day 1 - 33.8 km

Day 2 - 38.5 km

Day 3 - 35 km

Day 4 - 81.5 km

Day 5 - 42.2 km

Day 6 - 15.5 km