Posts tagged #mountains

The 2015 Morocco Race 65k Race Report

This past November I ran the first edition of the Morocco Race 65km Ultra Marathon. While this wasn't the first ultra race I had ever ran, it was my first in Morocco so I wasn't sure what to expect.

Before I get into my race report let me just say that I wasn't expecting to run an ultra last year. I had been training for the 2015 Casablanca Marathon and was surprised one afternoon when my wife told that she had found a new race online and it was going to be only a month after finishing the Casablanca race. Realizing that even though there would be enough time to recover (sort of) but not really enough to retrain for the extra distance, I went ahead and registered. It also helped that the start and finish of the race were only about 45 minutes from Marrakech where I live.

Registration was simple enough. They offered online registration for anyone coming in from out of country or for those of us who live locally we were able to register at the new Decathlon sports store right here in Marrakech. I filled out the paper, paid the entry fee and that was it. The only other thing they needed was a doctor's release form saying I was ok to run a long race.

All that was left for me was to run the Casablanca Marathon and not get injured.

Pre-race and check-in

This is the registration area as well as the start and finish area for the race

The day before the Morocco Race my family and I drove up to Teres Armanar. It's a hotel/events/zip line/retreat center located at the foothills of the Atlas Mountains and also was playing host to the start and finish area for the race. We had booked a room online and once we got there we were very pleased with the quality of the room. In fact I was impressed many times during our stay at the quality of the place.

Next was check-in for the race, which again was super simple as the total number of runners was quite small. I got my race number and a bag with some swag in it. Then it was off to bed.

The Race

The fire to warm up at was a nice touch for the 5am start

The 65km event was set to begin at 5:30am, so after getting ready and having a small breakfast I headed to the starting line. After introductions and some pictures the race was off just a few minutes after the planned starting time. The first hour of the run was in the complete darkness with the only light coming from the headlamps we were all wearing.

One of the beautiful views during the race

If I had had any apprehension that this was going to be an easy run that was all taken away very early. While not crazy steep the trail pretty much was nothing but climbing around 1,800 feet in just the first hour. In fact by just four hours in I had climbed more than 3,600 feet with very little decent and reached the second highest peak of the race at 7,246 feet. I came to the highest point only an hour later at 7,311ft.

However, for the majority of the race one of my unfounded worries was about getting lost. Out in the Moroccan Atlas Mountains there may not be a lot of people but there are a lot of trails made by shepherds and their animals. Thankfully, the race course was actually rather well marked. The race organizers used a mixture of bright orange spay paint and flags on trees to mark the way. I only missed one turn, because I was messing with my pack, and got back on track relatively quickly. There was only one place where myself and another runner were unsure of and that was because there were some markings from another race.

This was one of the best aid stations during the entire race

After climbing for the first four+ hours I came to the first big aid station and took about seven minutes to sit down and refuel. Many of the aid stations just had water, juice, and a selection of dates and bananas, but every few ended up being very well stocked with soup, Moroccan cakes, Coca-Cola, Nutella, fruit, and more.

The second half of the Morocco Race, while being mostly downhill still had some massive climbs in it which coming in the second half the race really wiped me out. Since I hadn't really been training in the mountains, that really did me in. By the last four miles I was exhausted. I would manage to jog on some of the downhills and a few of the flat parts of the trail (very rare) but was moving very slowly on the final up-hill climb.

Getting my finishers metal after crossing the finish line

Thankfully the final stretch of the race is all down hill coming into the finish area. This was nice because as I came back into the hotel area I was actually "running" and was able to cross the finish line running with my 4 year old son. My final time 10 hours and 48 minutes with my Garmin saying a total elevation gain of 12,877 feet.

Final Thoughts

One of the many mountain villages we passed through during the race

The trails that the Morocco Race took us out on were amazing. I have spent some time in the Atlas before but the views I got during this race were almost unmatched. We ran through villages, forests, bare Rocky Mountain tops, past flocks of sheep and goats, and saw glimpses of the tallest peaks in North Africa. This is definitely a race I will be running again in the future.

One note about gear. I would highly recommend that whatever shoes you choose to run in rate well on rough rocky terrain. Much of the trail is covered by pointed rocks that can wreak havoc on a runners feet.

Posted on September 20, 2016 by Jonathan W and filed under Race Reports and tagged race running trails trail running mountains morocco.

Hiking Mount Toubkal 2015

Not all of my adventures are spent just running around Marrakech or running in other big cities around Morocco. Living here (or this would also be true if I were just visiting here) has given me the opportunity to get outside of my comfort zone in so many ways. One of those ways has been to go climb mountains. I am from a place in America that is very similar in a lot ways to Marrakech, it's weather is hot and the ground is flat. Growing up I just didn't spend a lot of time on mountain trails, it just wasn't an option.

So, a few years ago when a mountain guiding friend of mine invited me to tag along on a trip up Mount Toubkal near Marrakech I was like, "Sure, why not? I'm in decent shape I won't have any issues doing a two day hike up a mountain." It wasn't until he started telling me the gear I would need for the trip that I started to get a little nervous. Such as, many multiple layers, a bottle that will keep your water from freezing, crampons, and an ice ax. Being the smart guy I am with zero experience with snow and ice and despite my internal Jimmy Cricket screaming "no!" I said I was game. Lets just say while I made it close to the summit that trip I didn't go all the way. Snow, cold, and ice that November kept me from Toubkal's summit.

That failure learning experience has stayed with me for the last few years and I've been waiting for the right time to try again. Well, that right time came this past summer, right in the middle of the summer, the hottest part of Morocco's year. Yes, my thought was if I'm going to summit this mountain I need to do it when there is the least likely chance of there being snow or ice up there. That is why a friend of mine and I set out from Marrakech early one morning with temps already closing in on 100 degrees at sun up for the start of the trail in Imlil.

For most people climbing Toubkal takes 2-3 days round trip, one day to the refuge at 10,000 feet and another day or two to summit and return to the trail head in Imlil. We were aiming for two. We parked the car, strapped on or packs and headed out. Typically along the trail up to the refuge there are little stores that are occasionally open where you can buy water or a soda, but since we were doing this hike during Ramadan (a month of fasting for Muslims worldwide) we weren't sure if we'd get that opportunity so we were carrying a little extra.

The trail up to the Toubkal refuge is not necessarily well marked but it is very well worn from the thousands of hikers that use it every year and from the donkeys and porters that travel it daily as well. Meaning that when you leave Imlil it would be hard to get lost, you just follow the trail up. At the start there are several small farms you walk past and a dry river bed and even a small town called Sidi Chamharouch. After this the only buildings you pass until the refuge are the shacks that are for the men selling water.

From Imlil to the refuge it took us about 4-5 hours to hike the 6ish miles there. Since we left early in the morning, we made it to where we'd spend the night mid afternoon, with plenty of time to check into the refuge, take a nap, and explore the start of the summit trail a little of the way up. For me the nicest thing about the refuge we stayed at is that included in the price is dinner and breakfast and it was a big dinner. By the time I hit the bed that night I was very full and very tired, but excited to finally conquer the summit.

Because of the time of year we chose to climb Toubkal there were very few people spending the night at the refuge. In fact at dinner there was only one other group, they were experienced climbers from Germany.

We decided to leave before dawn the next morning to give us plenty of time to make it to the top and all the way back down to the trail head in Imlil. Since they don't really run the lights in the refuge for very long after dark (I think they use a generator) we went to bed early enough that an early wake up time didn't really matter.

What did matter was the huge rain and lightning storm that rolled through the valley that night. It was crazy loud with heavy amounts of rain pounding the mountain. Thankfully we had opted to bunk in the main stone building of the refuge rather than camp out in the tent area they have set aside. Off to sleep I went just hoping that the storm didn't drop any snow overnight near the summit.

The trail leaving the refuge to the summit immediately lets you know that while you're still on a well worn path it's not going to be anywhere as near as easy hiking as the previous day. Within the first half an hour we crossed a small river, did switch backs on a steep gravel slope, and walked across a decently inclined scree field. It's as if the mountain is reminding us to stay attentive and watch our steps.

After reaching the top of a small ridge that sits just above the refuge area there are really only two more challenges to reaching the main ridge line; a bolder field and then an impressively high (for me at least) scree covered portion of trail. As you paying attention to both your footing and the spray painted rocks that serve as unofficial trail markings the boulder section is really quite easy to navigate through. Once we passed through it we got a nice section of relatively easy hiking as a reward.

Then we came to the section of trail that when I had come to on my last attempt is what worm me out.

Thankfully this time there was not a lot of snow where we had to climb the switchbacks other than a small layer that had been dropped by the massive rain storm the previous night. And by this time of the morning the sun was already about to crest the ridge line above us and was starting to melt it all away. There are actually two trails that lead up this steep scree field, one on each side of the valley. The one on the right takes a gentler approach making the ascent easier and the one on the left is not as nice. I didn't know this until the way down so we ended up on the left side.

After two hours of climbing up from the refuge we finally made the ridge line and were greeted with a wonderful view and also our first sight of the summit. Now this is where on my last attempt I stopped. While the trail ahead isn't the most difficult portion of trail it can be some of the most treacherous. The trail is narrow and next to a ledge and while during the summer this was easy enough for me to navigate carefully it still freaked me out when it was just a snowy incline next to a drop.

From there its only took us about half an hour of following the ridge line until we were at the summit. It was an awesome feeling for me to summit the 35th highest mountain never really having done anything like this before. We took a lot of pictures/video and just rested there at the second highest point in Africa taking it all in.

The descent was equally challenging and in many ways it was more challenging than the ascent. Once we reached the refuge, changed out of our jackets and gloves, we power hiked the trail almost all the way down stopping only twice for breaks. From the time we left our car at the trail head until we got back to it the round trip took us 29 and a half hours. Not bad.

Final Thoughts

We really enjoyed our trip up Toubkal and are already planning another trip for 2016, it's just that kind of experience. If you're into this kind...... We did it this time without a guide but I wouldn't recommend it if it is your first time visiting Toubkal or if you're not an expert mountain climber. There are just too many things that could go wrong. Just this past month I heard that a German climber was caught out on the mountain during a snow storm and ended up losing her life. Some might say that we went over prepared (over packed) but after being up at the refuge during that storm, knowing how remote you really are, and knowing that you could possibly get stranded, I was glad that we had packed a little more than we used.

Most importantly I recommend using caution. While Toubkal is pushed in Marrakech as a great and an easy tourist experience it is challenging and dangerous. Hire a guide, pack enough food and water, stay on the trail, and use common sense. Summiting Toubkal is very rewarding and will be something I will never forget but if there's something I've learned from trail running in the mountains recently is that the mountains always have a trick up their sleeve for the unprepared.

Doing pull-ups on the Toubkal summit marker

Posted on April 21, 2016 by Jonathan W and filed under Adventure and tagged mountains morocco toubkal summer hiking.

Trail Running in Morocco: A trip near Lake Takerkoust

Over the past few months I have had several opportunities to drive a little ways past Lake Takerkoust up to a plateau which has a gorgeous view of the snow covered Atlas Mountains. This Plateau is about 60 km from Marrakech and is an awesome remote place to run or hike.

For a while I had really been wanting to get out and run some trails. I loved trail running when I was in the America. This past winter I spent most of my runs for the month I was there running in the woods near my family's home. So, when a friend called me up and offered to show me some nearby trails I said let's go! Thursday, with our schedules finally clear, we headed out of town.

About 35 miles outside of Marrakech we reached Lake Takerkoust and took a left toward the mountains. Around 15 km later we began to drive up a bunch of switchbacks. At the top of the climb we finally reached the top of the Plateau du Kik (I think this is its name). After driving a little bit more we reached a little village went onto some dirt roads and finally found a place to park.

This is where the hour and half of driving became worth it. We headed down to this cliff edge and ran along it for a little bit. While I have some experience running in mountains, cliffs are a new thing for me so needless to be said I was a little nervous but the view quickly took my thoughts away from my fears. From these cliffs you can see, down back in the direction of Marrakech, the lake and miles and miles of awesomeness.

After running the cliffs for a while we reached another small village. When I say small village I mean small and rural. I saw several old-school wells, the kind with a rope and bucket, being used to give water to animals. Once through this village we met an old shepherd who called us over and seemed like he just wanted to talk. He talked about several things and we began to think he wanted to walk with us for a while. Thankfully after about five minutes we were able to talk our way out of his conversation and get back to running.

From here we doubled back toward the car via a dirt road and then decided to head up some kind of ravine. About fifty yards in I began to hear scurrying among the brush at our feet and knowing that in this area there are some snakes we scampered out onto the rim of the ravine. Finally after about fifteen more minutes of running we reached what was likely the second highest hill in the area and we were rewarded with the most spectacular views of the mountains.

In total we ran for a little over an hour and covered quite a bit of ground, I forgot my Garmin so I do not know exactly how far we went. What surprised me was the altitude. I guess because when you drive out there the increase in elevation is so gradual that you do not really notice it but after doing some hard running I was deffinantly working to catch my breath.

I enjoyed the area so much I decided to go back that weekend and bring my wife and son with me. This meant no running but I enjoy being with family more anyways. So, I borrowed a child hiking carrier and off we went. A word of advice here: if it has rained recently do not try and drive a small car on wet muddy roads at an incline. It is just a bad idea. After we slowly drove our way back the paved roads we parked in front of a small school in one of the villages.

We, went back along the cliffs and enjoyed our time together. We were expecting sun and heat, but once we were out hiking we began to see clouds threatening rain for the rest of our hike. We even had one young shepherd offer us to use his jacket and return it on our return hike.

The people up there are very hospitable. Of the fifteen or so people we came upon while hiking every one, after kissing my son, asked up to go with them to their house and drink tea or eat something with them. These people have nothing, many of their houses are made of the surrounding stone and they were kind enough to offer what they had to strangers.

On our way to the car, school had let out (some schools here have class on Saturday mornings) so there were lots of kids just hanging out. I guess there isn't much for the kids to do in the mountains, but when they saw us coming they mobbed us. They all wanted to talk to us and play with our son. We felt a little bad because we had no candy to give them and our son is still too small to play with them.

The Plateau du Kik near Lake Takerkoust is definitely a spot I will be running again soon and hope to take some of my friends. Running on the plateau was so strange. Not because I did not enjoy myself but because it felt like I was not in Africa. Green farmland one way and snowy mountains the other, that's not what most people think of when they think of Morocco. Well, this has been one of my longer posts so I will end here and remind you as always to leave you comments in the section below. Now, go for a run.

Below are a few additional pictures I took on one of my trips out there... enjoy.

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Jonathan W and tagged morocco places to run mountains trails trail running.