Sahara Race Gets Underway On Sunday

It's a big weekend for endurance sports it seems, as not only do we have the start of the Furnace Creek 508 tomorrow and the AR World Championships on Sunday, but Racing The Planet's Sahara Race gets underway as well. The week long ultramarathon will begin on Sunday in Egypt, where approximately 160 ultra-runners, from 36 different countries, will hit the trail.

The Sahara Race is the third race in the 4 Deserts challenge this year, with the first two taking part in the Gobi and Atacama Deserts. Racers will cover more than 155 miles in just seven days, while battling the extreme heat and dry conditions of the legendary Sahara, before crossing the finish line in the shadow of the Great Pyramids at Giza on Saturday, October 9th.

One of the highlights in this year's race is the location. The teams will be racing through the Valley of the Whales, a World Heritage Site that was once a vast, shallow ocean that is now the home to what is blieved to be the remains of hundreds of fossilized whales, with legs, that perished there 40 million years ago.

The race is spread out over six stages, most of which are roughly 25 miles in length. The fifth stage will be the most demanding, as it stretches out to 56 miles in length, with competitors running well into the night. Because this is a stage race, the cumulative times for the runners will be tabulated, with the runner with the least time claiming the overall victory.

For fans of endurance racing, this weekend will be loaded. Between cycling, long distance running, and adventure racing, there should be something to fill what ever need you have.