Big Day in Marrakech and Website Update

    Today was a big day in Marrakech, the 2013 edition of the annual Marrakech Marathon and Half Marathon. We had great weather for running and the city showed out with enthusiasm along the course to show their support of all the runners. I ran the full marathon and set a new personal best for the marathon distance. If you check back later this week I will be posting a full race report, going into all the details of this great run.

Sunrise just before the start

A few seconds after going across the starting line

    Also, one quick website update. I had been told that some people have tried commenting on some of the posts here at runninginmorocco.com and have been unable to. I did some investigating and I think that the problem is fixed. So, please go back and try again.

   Well, that is all. I am going to go put my feet up and hopefully drift off into a nice sleep and dream about my next race.

Packet Pick-up at the Marrakech Marathon Village

    Alright, the day is almost here. We are less than two days out from 24th annual running of the Marrakech Marathon and half marathon in Morocco. I will not admit that I am starting to get those pre-race jitters, nope I won't admit it. 

    Today was the first of two days that the marathon village was open, it was in the center of town near the main post office. This is what in America is called the race expo or packet pick-up. So, after lunch I decided I would try to beat the crowds and head on down to get my race number. I choose to do my race registration online through the link that was provided on the race website (marathon-marrakech.com). I had heard that there was a possibility of doing registration on race weekend at the marathon village but no one could tell me for certain.

Marrakech Marathon Village

    When, we arrived at the village there where quite a few tents set up in the plaza. There were the sponsors, traditional Moroccan crafts, other races advertising their events, a stage was set up for some live entertainment in the evening, and two other important tents. The first of those two tents was the main race organizer's tent. Here there was a place for foreigners and a place for Moroccans to register for the race. So it turns out that what I had heard was correct, you can sign up on race weekend. Also, at this tent you can buy several official race t-shirts, key chains, and pins. 

 Moroccan Registration Table

 Foreigner Registration Table

Marrakech Marathon Key Chain and Pin

    The second important tent was a tent that a few days ago I got an email telling me about. The email said that because I registered online I would not find my race number at the official tent but instead at the "Escapades"/sport-up.fr tent. Escapades.fr is some sort of French travel company and sport-up.fr is the website that the Marrakech Marathon uses for online registrations. At the tent I showed my passport and was given my race bib, with timing chip attached, and a technical t-shirt. The t-shirt was a nice surprise. On the registration form they asked for shirt size but never said that one was included. I do not know if a shirt was included with race weekend sign ups since they were selling shirts at that tent.

 The tent where I got my race packet

    When all was said and done I was very happy at how organized the marathon village was. I got what I needed, received a shirt, and I found out about some races to look into, a 10k in March and a four part stage race in the mountains in May. Well, all that is left is to "toe the line" in a couple of days. After we left the marathon village we drove a large part of the marathon course and confirmed that this really will be a flat course. I did my last training run today and tomorrow is pasta and rest. I can not wait for race day.

Race Packet (the key chain I paid for)

    Do not forget to check back next week for the full race report of the Marrakech Marathon. Also, if you will be running this year please leave a comment below and good luck on race day. 

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.

Marathon Training with a European

    Yesterday I was out for my last long run before race day. The Marrakech marathon is this coming weekend. It was a simple, nice and slow 14 mile run and as I set out I had no real route in mind. I normally like to map out my route and know where I am going to run so this is unlike me. As it turned out, this lack of planning turned out to be a good thing. 

    About three or four miles into my run I caught up to a a guy who is from Europe and we ended up running for about six miles together. While running, I found out that this new European friend of mine 

was on vacation in Marrakech for a week. He said that he came to Morocco for a short vacation and to be able to do a weeks worth of longer runs in a warmer climate as he trains for a 100 kilometer ultra marathon in Europe. Being an ultra marathoner myself made our conversation even more fun.

Check out my awesome photo skills

    Since I have started running I have learned that it is very easy to make friends while out on a run, whether that be a long training run or a race. Some of my favorite runs of all times are the ones where I started off by myself and ended up running for a long time with someone I met on the run. In a half marathon I ran this past December I ran for the last 6 miles with a guy from California who flew across the USA only to run that race. Over a year ago in my first ultra marathon, a 50k, I ended up running for about 4 hours with a husband and wife couple from Alabama. My point is this, i

f you are new to running, one of the things you will learn quickly is that it is easy to become friends with someone out on a run. And, if you are in Morocco who knows where some of those people will be from.

    Running by myself is fun, but running with someone even if you have just met the person can often make a run very enjoyable. Morocco has given me the opportunity to meet many people while running and something I have discovered is that for the most part the people that share this hobby/addiction/healthy lifestyle are some of the nicest people out there. 

    If you are living in a colder climate like the friend I met yesterday, I do recommend a getaway to Marrakech! Not only will you enjoy the warmer weather to run in, you can explore the exotic culture of Marrakech!

Marrakech Marathon Race Poster

    I was out driving around Marrakech this morning, running some errands, when I began to see posters for the Marrakech Marathon posted on some light poles along one of the main roads which is part of the full marathon route. 

Here is the poster

    Upon inspection, I do not see anything important that I left out of my last post. The race is on January 27, 2013, with the full marathon starting at 8am and the half marathon starting at 9am. I did learn that this is the twenty fourth (24th) annual running of the race. Also, after using my amazing French translation skills, (Google translate) I discovered that the phrase under the runners reads, "A sport, a hobby, a challenge, Come and experience all the emotion, A great international competition."

    Well, I guess that as the city begins to gear up for the race, all of us runners will begin our tappers, after this weekend, preparing for a wonderful race next weekend.