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Simone and the Marathon des Sables

21/03/2016

SIMONE. SAND, LUNGS, LEGS AND… A BIG HEART. AND AT HIS SIDE, DRYARN

The hands of an osteopath. The feet of an ultrarunner. The eyes of a photographer. The beard of a traveller. The heart of a dad. This is Simone, known to all as BeardRunner, the only native of Turin in the group of 33 Italians who, in just over 30 days’ time, will set off on the 31st Marathon des Sables (8-18 April 2016) – the most extreme and gruelling (but just as captivating and memorable) footrace in the world.

BeardRunner’s race is a very special one because Simone will not compete (at least not only!) to win the title or finish in the top ten, but to fulfil a big-hearted enterprise: to help, kilometre after kilometre, the Sporthappenings sports association raise funds for the Italian Wheelchair Tennis Academy to introduce handicapped youngsters to tennis.

The project was set up in collaboration with Rotary Torino Superga, Dryarn and 1caffè.org, who were the first to have faith in Simone’s big dream and to give him their help.

The 2016 edition will be in six stages for a total, this year, of 257 km – a record for the event.

It was 1985 when Patrick Bauer, a French photographer, covered 315 km in total self-sufficiency through the desert, from Algeria as far as the border with Niger. He took 13 days, carrying a backpack weighing 35 kg containing, among other things, the water essential for survival. That exploit, testing the limits of human capabilities, was the origin of the “Marathon des Sables”, the most gruelling and extreme marathon in the world held in the Sahara desert, on the border between Morocco and Algeria.

And Simone’s goal? To collect 2,570 Euros, 10 Euros for each of the race’s 257 km, to help disabled children gain access to the world of sport.

What can you do to help Simon? That’s very simple. From 11 to 18 April, www.1caffè.org, a non-profit organization founded by Luca Argentero, will be the digital platform you can contact to donate 1 Euro, “the price of an espresso” …

 

Simone started running just over 16 months ago, almost for a laugh, to compete in his first Half Marathon – and hasn’t stopped running since. On the very evening of his first race Vittorio was born, so there’s a bit of him now in every race, in every training session. Now the race of races – the Marathon des Sables – awaits.

“The rules we have to stick to – says Simone – are very strict. What makes the race even harder, in addition to the climatic conditions in the desert (average seasonal daytime temperatures over 30°, 14° at night), is the obligation to maintain total nutritional self-sufficiency: from the start on the first day until the finish, the athletes can only eat the foods they carry in their backpacks. The same rule applies to clothing. I’ve prepared a special backpack weighing 6.74 kilos that I’ll have to carry with me during the different stages – inside there are freeze-dried foods, energy bars, a night garment, a small survival kit and little else.

It’ll be tough. But I’m ready. I’m challenging myself and my own limits, but for me this race is also about solidarity. So when I return and I’m able to help a few youngsters to get into the Academy, in my own small way I’ll have truly won”.

Many people have been willing to bet on Simone, and that includes Dryarn, for whom Simone, from the outset, has had a special feeling…

“The race I’m about to tackle is very tough, and it wasn’t easy to find technical clothing that’s really on my side. There’s no doubt that Dryarn is.

At over 40 degrees Celsius I’ll be needing breathable and thermoregulating garments that make me to perceive a much lower temperature on my body, improving my performance. The Dryarn vest is a winning partner for me. Sweat not retained by the vest evaporates rapidly, and the vest remains completely dry. The fibre’s resistance to rubbing by the backpack on my shoulders and back is also excellent and well appreciated. The stresses placed on the vest during the race, especially at certain points (for example under the backpack straps), haven’t damaged the Dryarn fibre.

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