Running Races in Morocco Flyers

  Last weekend when I was at the Marrakech Marathon Village picking up my race number, I also picked up a few flyers for some up coming races here in Morocco. I love running races in new places so I am excited about these races and I hope to eventually do most of the races here in Morocco. Okay, so here is some basic information about these three races that I learned from reading the flyers and a cursory look at their websites.

  First up, In order of race date, is the Taroudant Asta Footing International 10km, on March 10, 2013. Taroudant is city that is about an hour and a half west of Agadir.

  After reading over the race flyer The thing that immediately jumped out at me was the fact that there does not seem to be a race entry fee! Seeing as my French reading skills are a little rusty, I used Google to do some translating and I confirmed that both the Arabic and the French say that it free to participate in this race. That is awesome and rare. Also, making sure that the race is a little more attractive, their website says that not only is it free but all who participant will receive a t-shirt and a finisher medal. The website, running.ma, also says that the course is 100% flat. Which makes a not so difficult distance even more enjoyable. Finally, you can register online at the website and since it is a free race no credit card info is requested.

  That's really all the info I have about the race. It is a free race in what I hear to be an awesome city.

Key Info:

• Free race entry
• Free t-shirt and finishers medal
• Sign-up online @ www.running.ma

  Next up is the Planet Sport 15km of Bouskoura, on March 24, 2013. Bouskoura is a town that is half an hour south of Casablanca.

  The official race website is www.15kmbouskoura.com. According to the site, this race is open to 2,500 runners both Moroccan and foreigners. Also, this race will run through a forest nearby. I do not think that it is a trail race, but I could be wrong. Also race registration can be done online at the website and the fee is 100 dirham.

  Ok, so here is where this race becomes really appealing to anyone who lives in Morocco, instore race registration. While anyone can do the registration online, this race has a really awesome instores option. Planet Sport is not only the name sake of this race but also possible the largest chain of sports stores in Morocco. The race organizers have opted to allow race registration to be done at many of their store locations across morocco.

  There are about 13 stores that you can register at. The website says that if you register at a store then beginning the week of Monday, March 11 you will be able to return to the store you registered at and pick up you race number. So, why do I think that this is amazing? This race is pretty close to a midway spot from most major cities in Morocco and can be driven to on race morning. Being able to drive (although it would work out to be an early morning for some) to the race on race morning and not having to get a hotel room is a very appealing option.

Key Info:

• Race fee is only 100 Dh
• There is race registration online and in stores

  The final race I learned about is the "Ceders International Marathon" or the "trail d'ifrane." This is a stage race on the trails in the mountains around the city of Ifrane, Morocco. 

  This is possibly the race that I am most excited about, because I have always wanted to do a multi-day stage race. The total distance of the race is 88.5 km covered in four stages over four days.

Here are the stage lengths:

1. 22 km
2. 17.5 km
3. 31 km
4. 18 km

  The website for the race is www.marathondescedres.com. On the website are videos, pictures, map, and several other things. Race cost is 1,500 Dh and registration can be done online. As much information as I have found online and in the in the flyer, I still have several questions that I will be looking for answers about. The biggest question that stands out to me is, is there a camp at the end of each stage or are the participants transported back to Ifrane for the evenings and back to the next days start? I will be looking for answers and when I find out I will post my answer here on the blog. The answer could be on the website and I am just missing it because it is in French, but either way when I find out, I will let you know.

Key info:

• This is a 4 day 4 stage race that is 88.5 km total in length
• The cost is 1,500 Dh
• Registration can be done online
• This is the races fifth year

  So, here are three more running races in Morocco that you should look into doing, I know I hope to do at least one of them. As the race dates draw closer, if I find out any new information I will continue to put updates on the blog and hopefully I will be able to run one or two of them and let you know how it goes. 

  As always if you have any questions, comments or info please leave a comment below or email me at runningmorocco@gmail.com. Now get up and go for a run!

Getting Spooked on a Run in the Woods

    I mentioned in an earlier post that my time running in Morocco and in general has given me many opportunities to meet people I would not have otherwise. Sometimes those meetings are others that are running, sometimes they are people in a convenience store, and other times they are people I do not even speak to but will never forget. 

    I was running about six months ago in a forest between Rabat and Temara, Morocco. I was on some of the smaller trails that crisscross that forest (mule trails) and I had not seen anyone the whole time I was out there. As I came around a bent in the trails there was a guy walking by himself so I stepped off the trail as I passed him. 

    This is where this guy, who would have normally faded away from my memory without a second thought became someone I will never forget. As I passed him this quiet man who did not even acknowledge my "passing on your right" (in Arabic) suddenly came alive. He turned toward me, threw his arms up in the air like a mother bear defending her cubs, contorted his face into quite an interesting expression, and screamed a blood curtailing screech at the top of his lungs. 

    I was in total shock, in fact I was likely screaming myself (in a manly way). I jumped and then took off not knowing what this man was doing. After about ten meters I looked behind me to see if he was gaining on me only to see him walking with his hand back in his pockets, head down, smiling.

    Do you have any similar experiences with people who you met on a run that you will never forget? You can leave your story below in the comments. Then get out for a run.

Best Places to Run: Rabat Part 3

    This final installment of Running in Morocco's Best Places to Run Rabat edition is going to be a little different than the last two. Instead of writing about just one of the many great places to run in Rabat, I am going to write briefly about two places. Before we get into it, if you have not read Part 1  about the Hilton Forest or Part 2  about the route that goes along the river and ocean front in Rabat, I hope that you will go back and read them as well. 

    Since I have two places to cover I am not going to waste time with a long introduction but just dive into it. First up, a hill with a rewarding view at the top.

Name:

The Chellah Hill (there really is not a name for it.) 

Location:

The Administrative Quarter,starting near the Marjane (giant grocery store) and ending at the historic Chellah ruins.

Points of Interest:

• The route is approximately 1.2 miles (1.9 km) long
• It climbs about 132 ft (40m)
• Ends at the historic Chellah, where there are ruins from a Roman settlement, and an awesome view of the valley and the river.

Description:

    I mentioned in Part 2 that there are very few big hills in Rabat. I think that this might be the biggest one you will find that is easily accessible to run within the city. I ran this hill during a couple of my 20 mile long runs on Saturdays mornings and because I was out early enough I did not have to deal with the car exhaust. I would have loved to use this hill for my hill workouts but I lived to far away. It really is perfect for these kinds of work outs because although it is really not that high, it is still a formidable hill.

The Chellah Walls

    There is a good size sidewalk all the way up and it is well maintained. There are a lot of embassies in this area and the Palace is near by so the whole area is well kept up and safe. Sadly, there is not anywhere nearby to buy water except for the grocery store at the base of the hill. So, make sure you keep that in mind.

Directions:

    It is nice to have so many inexpensive taxis in Morocco, because it makes getting to places very easy. To get to the base of the hill you simply need to ask a taxi to take you the the "Marjane" close to Quarter Hassan. From there run up the hill, if you come to a bridge then you have gone the wrong way. If you are driving this grocery store is near downtown on the river and there is plenty of parking.

    Next, is another park. This park is not technically in Rabat (I think that the border between the two cities runs through the park), but lets just say that it is in the greater Rabat area. 

Name:

Forest in Temara

Location:

The main entrance and parking area is in Temara

Points of Interest: 

• Large park away from traffic and the hussle of the city
• Lots of trails
• There are more than five miles of different trails

Description:

    OK, although this park may not be the easiest for a visitor to the city to find or all that close to the center of town, I am including it because of its size. In the metro areas of many large cities it would be hard to find the number of miles of trails that are at this park. On the far south-west side of the park in Temara, is the main entrance with a parking lot as well. However, around the perimeter of the park is a low wall and in several places there are gates that are open and can be used as alternate entries. 

    If you look at the forest on a map you will notice how large it is. Just keep in mind that the park is only a small section of that forest. If you start getting close to an area not part of the park you will probably notice that the trails aren't nearly as well used and my advice would be to turn around and find another path. If you go on the weekends or in the afternoons there are normally enough people there that you should be able to see where everyone else is running.

    This park was is one of my favorite places to run when I am in Rabat. I love trails that are remote and out in the middle of nowhere or in the mountains. Being a city dweller this park is the next best thing when I can't just get away. It's close enough to Rabat as not to take forever to get there but when you're there it is remote enough to lose yourself to the trails and your own thoughts. Just be careful that while you're lost in your thoughts not to let the occasional sheep, goat, or cow hearder with their livestock scare you as you turn a bend in the trail (which can also happen in the middle of any city in Morocco). 

    Also, unlike the Hilton Forest there is no where inside this park to get water, so you're on your own.

Directions:

    This one is a little tricky. My best suggestion to get here would be to ask a taxi to take you to the "Aswak Al Salam in Hay Riad." That is another grocery store and it is less than half a mile from one of the entrances through the wall. 

    Once you are at the grocery store you will want to cross over the large road at the round-about (this is part of the auto route that goes around the city). Once you cross the auto route you will have villas on you left hand and across the road will be what looks like a forest, thats not it. Continue down this road (Avenue Mehdi Ben Barka) until you reach the park on your left, it is about 3/10 of a mile after that huge intersection. 

    Well, that finishes it up for our series about the best places to run in Rabat. I only covered four of what I considered to be the best, most accessible and scenic running routes in Rabat. There are still many other great places to run. In all the time I spent in Rabat, I was never at a loss for a good place to run. Sometimes it is even good to just run through the different parts of town to observe and enjoy the wonderful culture that makes up Morocco. 

    I love running in Rabat and I hope that this series will help you the next time you are out for a run in this great city. As always, if you know of any other places to run in Rabat or have any comments or questions about the places I have mentioned, please write in the comment section below.

Here are links to the other two articles in the 

Best Places to Run: Rabat

 series: 

The Best Places to Run: Rabat Part 1 - The Forest Hilton

The Best Places to Run: Rabat Part 2 - The River and Ocean Front Route