MdS #2: Morocco Arrival

Getting to the Marathon des sables is its own challenge. The journey starts from Ouarzazate, the gateway to the Sahara. Ouarzazate felt like a tiny city, its streets mostly empty save for some street vendors and stray dogs. It craws some local tourism because most Sahara tours begin here. The Cinematography Museum shows that a number of blockbuster movies were film out here, notably Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, and Alexander. But the Museum also demonstrates how so many things in this town are "close" to being complete, but not quite fully ready to be a busy commercial tourist city.

Pre-race, I was cautious with my gut and didn't explore the food scene too much. The most important fact that I missed was that couscous is only traditionally made on Fridays. Thus, some restaurants will only serve it on Fridays as well. Friday is a day for the family to get together for a good time, and couscous is the meal for the family to share together. Sometimes close friends are invited. And if there are leftovers, they are commonly brought to the temple afterwards.

The other traditional dish is the tajine, usually cooked with chicken or minced meat (beef), and the stewed meat is commonly made with egg and tomato sauce. Moroccans love their bread too, especially as it is integral for scooping up the meat and sauces from the tajine. Many of the spices used are very similar to those used in India. There are rarely pork dishes, likely because the community is predominantly Muslim.

The beef surprises me because on the long drives through the country side, I saw many sheep, check, cats, and dogs, but never any cows or cattle.

Moroccan Tea must be mentioned as well. I always recommend it sweet. At its core, the tea seems to be Chinese green tea steeped many times over with mint. And if you order it sweet, they will dump a ton of sugar in it, which definitely makes it taste very good. Surprisingly, the hot drink is refreshing even the midst of the Moroccan desert heat.

As I ran around exploring the city, it was easy to spot many of the other athletes who had come for the race. Even the street vendors know about the race. Every time I leave without buying anything, the seller yells to me, "Com back after marathon!"

I ended my first run in the city at the the very swanky Berbere Palace, where I met my tent mate Ivor for the first time We were introduced by a mutual friend from NYC. We relaxed by the pool over pizza and tea as we began to really mentally process that this was happening. After relaxing a bit, I went searching for some last minute provisions, starting from the nearby local souk (market), but eventually going to the Carrefour. At the eleventh hour, I started to get anxiety about the food I had packed for the race. Was it enough? Was it appropriate? Will it last? Etc, etc...

Tomorrow morning, the runners will all be shuttled to the bivouac location outside of Sidi Aldi. This may be my last chance at getting anything I will need during race week. I give my pack one final check , fully loaded, equipped with everything the I will carry. I strap it on to my back, and I take one last look in the mirror before bed.