Director of the Regional Information Policy Department Alexander Ivanov overcame almost 250 km in the Sahara Desert for 6 days. Of the 1,000 participants in the annual Marathon des Sables in Morocco, he finished 481. Especially for the sake of participation in this absolutely extreme event, the official took leave. As told by JustMedia. ru himself Alexander Ivanov, he feels himself satisfactory. However, while walking keep hay on the legs. However, he is confident that before the start of the working week he will have time to recover.

According to coach-consultant and multiple world record holder Oleg Kharitonov, according to the conditions of the "Sand Marathon", for 6 days participants need to overcome almost 250 km in the desert. This path is divided into 6 stages of different lengths. The longest is the penultimate one, it is 82 km. The passage of each stage is given a certain time. For example, the first, with a length of 30 km, is only 10 hours. If the athlete fails to meet the deadline, he is eliminated.

The main difficulty of participating in the marathon is that everything that a person needs for life, including food, must be carried in his backpack. Organizers at the finish of each stage issue only 5 liters of water. And the participant should be distributed so that they have enough to wash, eat and the next distance.

"It was hardest to stand at the start of each stage. The usual adrenaline was mixed with the horror of the inevitable many hours' journey. Depressed, of course, me and the weight of the backpack. I planned that it would be less than 10 kg, but on the control it turned out that its weight was 11.5 kg. But to the third stage, that is, before the longest, from half the weight, I already got rid of. In addition to food, and this is not less than 2 thousand calories per day, there was quite an impressive list of mandatory equipment: starting from the sleeping bag and finishing with a puffer, "says Alexander Ivanov.

Participation in the "Sand Marathon" is an absolute extreme, I'm sure Oleg Kharitonov. This is due to the fact that every day a person becomes weaker and hungrier, and replenishing forces almost no where from.

"There are never more than 1100 participants. But this time about a hundred did not go to the start. As the organizer of the race Patrick Bauer said, perhaps they could not get because of the strikes of railway workers in Paris. From 1000 participants I came to the finish 481-m. I think that for me, amateurs from amateurs, this result is good. But the guys from Russia took this year and 4, 18, 19, 30 seats. Here they are real heroes. We all admire them. Where I do not find.

Forces to go, scrambled, they rushed like saigas to their victories, "- said Alexander Ivanov.

Oleg Kharitonov is pleased with the result of his ward:.

"At any moment of the marathon, a person can raise his hand and say:" I'm finished ". But Alexander passed this incredible test. Moreover, we did not set the task to win. The main thing for us was that Alexander overcame the distance and stayed healthy ".

"Sandy Marathon" was held in Morocco from 8 to 14 April.