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Surviving the Sahara: Ivor Stratford on Conquering the Marathon des Sables
- May 17
- 4 min read
For most runners, completing a marathon is the pinnacle of endurance. For Ivor Stratford, it was just the beginning. In the latest episode of the Sapphire Running Zone podcast, host Tim Rogers sat down with endurance athlete Ivor Stratford to unpack one of the world’s toughest foot races: the legendary Marathon des Sables. Over six brutal stages and 270 kilometres across the Sahara Desert, Ivor battled exhaustion, hallucinations, illness, extreme heat, and relentless terrain, all while carrying his own food and equipment on his back.
Have a listen to the podcast here
What Is The Marathon des Sables?
The Marathon des Sables, often called “the toughest footrace on Earth”, is a multi-stage ultramarathon held in the Sahara Desert in Morocco.
This year’s edition was the longest in the event’s history:
270 kilometres (168 miles)
Six stages
Eight days in the Sahara
Completely self-supported
Runners carry almost everything they need:
Food
Sleeping equipment
Safety gear
Medical supplies
The Training Nobody Sees
While the race itself sounds dramatic, Ivor says the preparation was often painfully repetitive.
For six months leading into the event, his life revolved around training, recovery, and logistics. Weekly mileage peaked at around 100 miles, combined with gym sessions designed to strengthen his legs for endless desert terrain. One of his most demanding workouts? Hours spent on a treadmill at maximum incline wearing multiple layers and carrying a weighted pack.
“You’re staring at a white wall for one to three hours at a time, looking like a lunatic.”
To simulate desert conditions, Ivor and his wife travelled to Dubai, where he spent over a week running 10–18 miles daily in desert heat while testing gear, clothing, and hydration strategies. The physical workload wasn’t the hardest part. Balancing training with business, travel, marriage, and fundraising required relentless discipline.
A Nightmare Before The Marathon des Sables Had Even Started
Shockingly, Ivor nearly didn’t make it to the start line. The day before the race began, he became violently ill in the desert camp. Dehydrated, delirious, and repeatedly vomiting, he collapsed outside the medical tent and spent hours receiving treatment.
“I genuinely thought I wasn’t even going to start the race.”
The culprit appeared to be severe dehydration and heat exposure, despite months of heat training beforehand. Ironically, one of the race’s strangest mandatory items ended up saving him: beef stock cubes. Doctors advised him to consume them regularly for salt and electrolytes. From that point onward, he carried a strict routine, that worked:
One cube in the morning
One at lunch
One at dinner
Running Through The Sahara
The terrain was far more varied than Ivor expected. Some sections were runnable hard-packed trails. Others were deep sand dunes so steep runners had to crawl on hands and knees.
“One dune wasn’t a dune. It was basically a mountain.”
The longest stage, a punishing 100-kilometre effort, began at 5am and pushed runners through the night. That’s when things became surreal. After more than 15 hours on the move, exhaustion triggered vivid hallucinations. Ivor described:
Thousands of imaginary desert mice
A giant “20-foot rabbit”
An entire forest that didn’t actually exist
The Harsh Reality Of Desert Living
The physical challenge was only part of the experience. Runners slept shoulder-to-shoulder in communal tents, waking at 4am in freezing temperatures after nights spent on rugs in lightweight sleeping bags. Food quickly became another battle. Ivor carried dehydrated expedition meals and calorie-dense flapjacks, but struggled to eat enough while burning:
5,000–7,500 calories daily
More than 10,000 calories on the 100km stage
“You’re starving, but you don’t want to eat.”
Even with careful preparation, conditions took a toll on competitors. Some runners suffered severe blisters requiring extensive medical treatment, while others dropped out entirely. Roughly 10% of participants failed to finish.
The Finish Line
After nearly a week in the desert, Ivor crossed the final finish line to cheering crowds, music, camels, and dancing local performers. The emotion was overwhelming.
“It was the most insane feeling crossing that finish line.”
Raising £15,000 For Charity
Alongside the physical challenge, Ivor used the race to raise money for two charities close to his heart:
Dreams Come True
Hospice of St Francis
Through social media updates, local fundraising events, and sponsorship support, he has already raised more than £11,500, with hopes of surpassing £15,000 and eventually reaching £20,000. You can support him here.
What’s Next?
For many people, finishing Marathon des Sables would be enough. Not for Ivor. Next on the schedule:
The North Downs Way 100
A sub-24-hour finish attempt. Qualification for the Western States lottery
And ultimately…Moab 240 in 2027
A 240-mile ultramarathon through the deserts and mountains of Utah. Apparently one desert isn’t enough...
Final Thoughts
What stands out most from Ivor Stratford’s story isn’t just endurance; it’s preparation, resilience, and adaptability. From hallucinations in the Sahara to surviving on stock cubes and sheer determination, the Marathon des Sables tested every aspect of physical and mental toughness. Despite all of it, Ivor’s final message was simple:
“If you’re thinking about doing it, I cannot recommend it enough.”
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