Posted: 17 April 2019
PE Teacher, Tiago Leal, races in hardest marathon on earth!
AAESS PE teacher, Tiago Leal, fulfilled a lifelong dream last month by running in the Marathon des Sables in the Moroccan Sahara.
Finishing overall 137 out of 900 runners, in a desert race that tolled 250km across the Sahara desert over 5 stages and 1 additional stage for charity (Stage 6 doesn’t count for ranking – was 6km hiking).
All athletes ran with their own food and equipment to sleep (sleeping bag, mattress etc) for 7 days during the self sufficient race.
Principal Thomas commented, “To run one marathon is something that some of us will aspire to achieve, and for some of us to avoid! Imagine completing 6 marathons in 6 days and completing it on sand and through the dunes in the Sahara Desert, with the heat beating down on you! Tiago can often be seen cycling or running up Jebel Hafeet, and normally twice at a time, as part of his weekly fitness regime, but the Marathon de Sables has always been on his bucket list.
Known as the hardest race on earth, I was proud for AAESS to sponsor Tiago’s kit, knowing that he carried our badge with pride across the desert.
Tiago came 137th from a field of 900, starting the last stage 3 hours behind the others, putting him into the Elite category, despite being an amateur athlete.
We are very proud of Tiago’s courage in completing this race and I am delighted that he has completed something that has been a dream for him. When Tiago mentioned his desire to compete in this monster competition, I was both excited and nervous for him. knowing he had 250Km to complete in 6 days, however, we had every faith that Tiago would finish the job.”
