Chasing Morocco’s Sunrise
The Joy of Running Early
Morning runs are the best and seeing the sunrise while running in Morocco is a not to miss experience. Now had you asked me about early morning runs fourteen or fifteen years ago, I would not have had the same answer. But after moving to Morocco and getting to experience the joy of morning running, I find that when I do run later in the day, I don’t get the same kind of enjoyment as in those morning runs.
I used to love running in the afternoons and evenings. I enjoyed sweating while running in the heat and sun. Maybe it made me feel like I was accomplishing something more or maybe I thought it was making me a tougher person. Whatever the reason, after moving to Marrakech, I began to realize that the heat here during certain parts of the year can be dangerous and I would be only hindering my training rather than helping me.
So, I started getting up earlier and earlier during those first few years here as I trained for several marathons and ultra distance trail races. I realized that a 2-3 hour run around sunrise was much more achievable than in the heat of Marrakech’s late morning sunshine.
Then something happened. These early runs for convenience and comfort slowly began to become my new obsession. Not just for the cooler weather but for the experience it offered. Marrakech is a different place pre and post sunrise. The traffic is different, the weather is very different, the colors are different, and in some ways even the people are different.
Before the sun rises there is a sense of calm and peace about the city. The hustle and bustle that is part of the vibe of every large city is replaced with silence (an almost silence because you never really get away from the sound of motocycles in Marrakech) and emptiness. I’ve come to appreciate the sense of hope and anticipation that the sunrise will bring.
Then as the sun begins to rise everything changes. The previously illuminated walls of the old city take on their true brilliance of the earthy orange that only the Marrakech sun can truly bring out in them. The peace and calm is broken by the slowly growing surge of people and movement that each new day brings.
The sunrise itself is rather unique, especially during the summer months, as the days are mostly cloudless which means the sun’s brightness is unhindered from the moment it comes over the horizon.
Running in the city or on the trails (which is my preferred location to experience sunrises in Morocco) every sunrise I have experienced brings with it a chance to see something new and exciting. Training for goals and races is good but I find that the experiences are what keep me running year after year.
I hope that on your next visit to Marrakech, you too will be able to experience the joy of running early. There is so much to see and experience that it will definitely be worth the effort. And don’t forget to check out the runs we offer to help you keep training and healthy while here in Marrakech. Most of our runs start in the early mornings and are perfect for enjoying all that Morocco has to offer runners.
