One question I am often asked by people visiting or planning to visit here is, "Are there running stores in Marrakech?"
The direct answer is, no.
The technical answer is, not really. There are no running specific stores here in town that I know of. I say "that I know of" because in my more than three years here in Marrakech I've never found one.
The good news is that you can still find running gear in Marrakech. The city is growing very rapidly and new kinds of stores are opening all the time. When I moved here a few years ago there were only a few small sporting good stores (think general purpose sports gear), now Marrakech has several modern sports stores but still no "running specific" stores. Many of these stores now carry running clothing and shoes most of which is Nike and Adidas. Also, very soon there will be a small Decathlon (European sports store chain) opening next to the Marjane on the way into town from Casablanca.
If you're currently in Marrakech and looking for some running shoes or clothing, your best chance of finding what you're looking for is to go to the new mall in the middle of Guiliz (the new part of Marrkech built by the French) called Carre Edan. This is the mall that has the only Starbucks in town. There right next to the Starbucks is an Adidas story and if you go up the stairs found inside you'll find the sports store Planet Sport.
My recommendation is that if you're planning a visit to Marrakech bring what you need. A lot of us runners are very particular about the kinds of shoes we run in or clothes we wear so it's best to be prepared but in the case you do accidentally forget something you need there is still a chance you'll be able to find it for your run in Marrakech.
If you've visited in the past and happen to know of a running specific store in Marrakech let us know in the comments below.
