Trail Running in Morocco: A trip near Lake Takerkoust

Running with my friend

  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. 

Panorama of the ledge

  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. 

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Unique Moroccan Food

  After living in Morocco for a while I have  become accustomed to all kinds of foods that are normal to Moroccans. Liver shish kabobs I can do. Liver wrapped in fat, no problem. I have even gotten used to eating from a communal dish with my hands. However, two things I've not been able to convince myself to eat are snails and goat's head.

  The goat head should be rather easy to understand why I'm not to inclined to just dive in. My friends all tell me it tastes amazing. Maybe one day I will be brave enough to try it out, I am just not there yet. 

A goats head sitting on a tangia

  Now, I understand that snails are not an uncommon food around the world but I find the way they are eaten here in Morocco very interesting. Snails are extremely popular all over the country but in the famous square in Marrakech they have made serving them an art. 

Boiled snails in a bowl ready to eat

  I'm sure one day I'll work up the courage and try these too but for now I will just observe. 

Snail stall owner in Marrakech preparing some cooked snails for a customer  

Summer Running in Morocco

Temperature rise in the summer

  As I have said before, Morocco is an awesome place to live and run. There are great views, friendly people, a rich culture, and wonderful weather for most of the year. However, there comes a season once a year when running and life in general become very interesting in certain parts of Morocco and that is the summer.

  Morocco is a very diverse country. At certain times of the year if you are visiting here, you can in just a few days, surf in Tanger, ski in Ifran, run the medina in Marrakech, and then take a ride to the Sahara, and camp there. But for the months of July and August the temperatures rise and all the locals seem to change their daily routine. You must understand this is completely normal and makes complete sense, the average afternoon temperatures here, at least in Marrakech, in July averaged above 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40 Celsius) in the shade.

The temperature mid afternoon according to my cell phone

  And so not to be left out, I to changed my life around a little bit too. I've always been the afternoon/evening runner. In the past I have never really wanted to run in the mornings. Only if my day didn't have time in it to let me run later on then I would run in the morning. Well, here I am going on my fifth week of morning runs. I discovered that as long as you run before eleven in the morning the sun isn't too strong and you can get your run in. In other parts of the country the temperatures are not quite like they are in Marrakech so afternoon running is still possible.

  While the heat makes running more difficult it doesn't make it at all impossible. So here I would like to give you, my readers, some running in the heat tips.

  Remember I'm not a doctor. So, if you have a serious medical issue talk to your doctor before you attempt any hot weather runs.  

  Four running in the summer heat tips:

1. Hydrate. This might sound like a no brainer, but look at just how many people are treated for dehydration at marathons every year and how many of those people are experience runners. The heat makes you sweat and puts a strain body. You need to be replenishing those fluids before, after, and during every run. Drink before your run. Carry a bottle and drink during a run or carry money to buy water on the way. Then make sure when you finish up you're drinking some more water.
2. Cover up with a hat. I'm not a hat kind of guy. I don't wear hats. My wife generally doesn't let me wear hats because I don't look good in hats but when I'm running in the strong afternoon sun I throw a hat on and I'm amazed at just how much a hat can keep me cool.
3. Slow down. The heat makes your body work harder to keep itself cool and running at normal pace may be just too much for your system to handle. Slowing down your pace for a few runs won't throw your training. But a serious heat stroke can ruin your plans for that fall race personal record not to mention that expensive bill you get from the hospital.
4. Run early. As I said, I have began to run in the early morning and while it can still be warm I have not seen a morning here that was so hot that I couldn't run. I'm actually beginning to like my morning runs so much I might not be going back to the afternoons come the fall.

  Well, this is by no means a comprehensive list. They are just a few things that I always keep in mind while running in the heat here in Marrakech. If you have any other summer running tips leave them in the comments below, Then grab a bottle of water and go for a run.

Running During Ramadan in Morocco

  As July has ended and the month of August is now in full swing we are coming to the end of Ramadan here in Morocco. Ramadan takes place once a year and during this month Muslims fast during daylight hours (no eating or drinking from sun-up to sun-down). This takes great discipline on their part especially in cities like Marrakech where the temperature has been around 110 degrees Fahrenheit and often water feels like the only relief from the heat.

  What this also means is that is the normal group of runners I have become accustomed to seeing on my morning runs have all moved their runs to running just before sunset so they can finish their runs off by returning to their houses and breaking their fasting with a glass of water, some dates, and maybe some freshly made fruit juice.

  Although foreigners are not required or even expected to fast by the people here, it is always a good idea for us to be respectful to those who are fasting. I am almost never without a water bottle nearby, in my bag or in my car, but during Ramadan I leave it at home out of respect for my friends. So, what does this mean for runners like me who are not fasting?

  Nothing really.

  The only change I have made in my running habits this past month is that I have chosen not to run with water on any of my daytime runs. This is for the same reason I mentioned above, respect. I normally run with a Nathan hand-held bottle but I've just been leaving it at home.

  Also, my diet has gone out the window. My family has been invited over to several families' homes for their traditional breaking of the fast meal, the Iftar. This is basically a feast with soup, several kinds of breads, cakes, and other sweats. This is an awesome meal but one that truly tests my self control (which is often weak when it comes to Moroccan cuisine).

Some of the awesome food that we get to enjoy at Iftar

  So, if you happen to be visiting Morocco next year during Ramadan do not worry, run as usual. Just remember to be respectful and enjoy running in Morocco. If you have any experiences of running in Morocco or any where else in the North Africa/Middle East area tell me about it in a comment below.

Rabat Half Marathon Race Report 2013

  A couple of weeks ago I traveled up to Rabat for the 9th annual Rabat Semi-Marathon (or the Rabat Half Marathon). Although I lived in Rabat last year, because of a nagging injury resulting in a lack of training, this was my first year running this race. I had decided not to train specifically for the Rabat Half this year but just to use it as an aggressive long run in my training. As such my personal goals for the race were not very high. My first goal, as it is with any event I participate in, was to finish having had a good time. I run because I enjoy it and if I stop enjoying races...well that would not be fun. Second, I wanted to set a new P.R. (personal record) for the distance. Seeing as how I have only ever run one other half and did not train for that either I went into the race thinking I had a good chance of accomplishing my goal.

  On the Rabat half marathon website (which is of course in French (Google Translate does a good job with making it readable) there is a page that allows you to sign up online. However, unlike the when I ran the Marrakech Marathon back in January I decided not to do the online registration but rather just sign up on race weekend in Rabat. Interesting side note: if you are in Rabat anytime in the few weeks leading up to the race there are certain places you can go to sign-up in person in advance of race weekend, like the park near the Sofitel Hotel or the Marjane in Hay Riad. 

  So, we arrived in Rabat on the Friday before the race, checked into our hotel, and headed to where the starting line would be on Sunday hoping to find an expo, a race village, or somewhere I could register. This was the one thing I could not find on the website, information about a packet pick-up. Luckily we saw a lonely white tent set up about half a mile from the Rabat train station. I filled out the registration form, paid (50 moroccan dirham), and was given my bib. That was the entirety of the race packet, nothing else, but when you only pay about five U.S. dollars you can't ask for much. (The website said that the fee for foreigners is 20 euro but I wasn't going to argue with the lady). 

Race Day

  On race morning I headed down to the starting line from our hotel in the old medina (market). It was about 3/4 of a mile walk to the Rabat train station where the starting line was. Once we made it to the starting area I said goodbye to my wife and son and worked my way into about the middle of the crowd of runners. Unlike some races there are no starting corals or people with signs saying where people going for certain time goals should meet. Instead there was just 1,500 runners all mingled together. Some slow in the very front and some fast in the very back.

  As race time neared the pros came out from somewhere and entered the starting are in front of us age groupers and began their last minute warm-ups. Remember that unlike many races in America, races here do not have elaborate pre-race speeches or countdowns. It normally goes like this; the music on the PA system is turned off about five minutes before the start (if there is music), then the pros line up for a few minutes (normally the crowd is big enough that you can't see them), and finally you hear a gun go off and the race starts. This year at the Rabat half there was almost a stampede when the pros lined up and then took off doing some extra stretching, causing the age group runners to think the race had begun. That was an interesting experience.

  Eventually the race began and we headed out on our 13.1 mile run.

  The first few miles lead us out of the old city walls and up toward the part of the city called Agdal. From there the race turns back toward the old market and the gate Bab El Had. This was, in my opinion, one of the neatest sections of the race because after you reach the gate you turn around and follow the same road for about a mile or so. Since it was still early in the race I was able to watch the pros and all the lead vehicles and camera crews coming back up the road. It is not a group of people I get to run with everyday. After the turn around the race heads out of town toward the soccer stadium.

The Pros

The Pros Again

The Turn Around Close to Bab El Had

  Other than a quite a few rolling hills there are really only two hills of any significance in the Rabat Half-marathon. One comes almost immediately after the half way point. After running past all the car dealerships in the city, the race route turns and you have to run up quite a large overpass that goes over the auto-route and the train tracks. It is not a long climb it is just steep and comes out of nowhere if your not expecting it.

The climb up the overpass

The view down to the auto route 

  The other hill is actually a down hill section that leads the race back into the old city walls and to the finish line. I mentioned about a hill section in an earlier post 

Places to Run: Rabat part 3

 this is that area just down hill. It begins going down at Chella (the old castle that has Roman ruins inside) and really does not stop or return to flat until the finish line. I mentioned this because for me it was one of the hardest sections. I was chasing a PR and had been pushing myself so to then see this steep down hill was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it was not an up hill but a curse because as I picked up my pace my quads began screaming at me (I have done NO hill training recently).

Chella 

City walls at the start of the down hill section

  The finish line is about a quarter mile from the starting line but in the same area as the train station. As I crossed the finish line I was surprised how many people were still hanging out watching people come across the line. After catching my breadth for about 30 seconds I was given my finishers medal and directed to get in line for some water, a finishers t-shirt, and a hat.

Finish line area

Finishers medal

Post race thoughts

  I had a great time running this years Rabat Half Marathon (Rabat Semi Marathon). While the half is not my favorite distance, it is races like this that I enjoy running because they take you places in the city you normally could not run or could not run without risking being hit by a car. Will I run it again? I'm sure one day I will but like I said the half is not my distance and so I do not know when that day will come. However, I can say that I would recommend this race to others.