The briefing was at the start line at 6:30 am, runners were very tired and nervous. It was a long night before making it to camp, too little rest after the 42km the did. Some arrived at 4 am and had to be ready for the last stage after less than two hours of sleep. There was a nice breeze and the course started to show a little inclination. It was just the beginning before starting the climbs of the highest dunes of the whole Oman Desert Marathon. At the km 13 some runners had the will and determination, however the humidity and the effort to climb the dunes made them feel very exhausted, you could see it in their faces.
At the beautiful beach of the Arabian Sea the medals were waiting for the participants. The first to arrive and receive one was Rachid Almurabity. Second place was for his brother Almurabity Mohammed and the third one to arrive was Glyva Evan from Ukraine.
First arrival of the women was Aziza Raji from Morocco, followed by Fabiana Pizzali from Switzerland and on third place was Emmanuelle Romanzi from France.
All participants that reached the finished line jumped in the sea, a well deserved treat after a week of physical and mental effort in the desert, it was their moment to relax while they waited for the rest of the runners that were still out in the dunes.
First Omani to arrive was Imad Al Ghasani, followed by Salim Al Hasni and third place Bakheet Alshahri. You could see the pride in their faces,when they crossed the finish line the Omani flag.
Stage 6 was a celebration of a massive goal achieved, many participants got energy after 6 days of grueling effort, to dancing with joy to the rhythm of the Traditional Music that filled the air.
Runners arrived to the finish line with strong emotion, this year five of them were not able to resume the defiance of running through the desert self sufficiently. It was especially emotional for Massimo Andolfato, when he arrived to the finish line, not only he had accomplished a very difficult challenge, also his girlfriend that came from Italy to see him cross the finish line put him his medal.
The last one to cross the finish line was Kevin McDermit from Canada
All runners arrived safely and happy to have achieved Oman Desert Marathon, after a typical lunch with camel meat, they all were transported to the base camp where they started to rest and recover.
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