Cactus, the dog that completed the Marathon des Sables
Cactus, is a dog that lives in a hotel in the desert and this year has become one more participant of the very hard test,
El Marathon des Sands It is one of the hardest in the world, where you have to complete 241 kilometers of travel in self-sufficiency in 6 stages that oscillate between the 21 and 76 km through the Sahara desert.
The marathons have thousands of personal challenges, for the struggle to give visibility to various causes, but we have rarely seen a story like the dog "Cactus" he joined the 800 runners who participated in this edition and completed the marathon with his 5 stages (he skipped the first one)
Cactus, is a dog that live in a desert hotel and has become another participant. In addition, he took the prize as winner of his classification, created 'ad hoc' for him
In a news item in the newspaper of Navarre comment "It is an animal that moves a lot and is used to being surrounded by people from everywhere and to be a bit nomadic," explained Karen Hadfield, owner of the hotel where Cactus lives. Karen is not surprised that the dog took 'holidays' and will be hooked on the race in the second stage.
He fulfilled like a champion with the 32 kilometers of the second day; And last Wednesday he did the 37,1 kilometers, showing that the path full of dunes was no obstacle for him.
Cactus the finisher???
I have made it! He's the first dog to run the MDS ??
He did great on today's 42 km stage?
Who's a good boy? ?#MDS2019 #MARATHONDESSABLES #CactusTheMdsDog pic.twitter.com/5MmFtyESRN- MARATHON DES SABLES (@marathonDsables) April 12th 2019
Moreover, a tiempazo was marked in this first part: 11 hours and 15 minutes, which he then completed with a few runs for two more hours. And so cool.
During these days, Cactus lived in the bivouac. He went from store to store, receiving affection, food and drink from the participants, who soon shared part of the twelve liters they receive daily -for food and hygiene- with the animal. "Many runners are nervous in the morning, but he always remained super calm," Meghan Hicks confessed to 'The New York Times'.
This Utah runner, winner in the female category of 2013, was delighted with the presence of the animal, which broke the monotony of the camp. Even the participants, almost all amateurs, helped take care of him.
An ultra-marathoner, a veterinarian by profession, did a check on Cactus; and the medical team of the test also followed him up. As if it were a two-legged runner. He had already become a specialist participant in passing dunes as if they were a simple plain.
“This dog is a beast. He overtook me and I couldn't catch up. Then I followed its footprints in the sand”, confessed Londoner Theo Holzapfel who, like many competitors, asked the organizers where the animal was going.
Cactus only had a small faint in the super long stage (71 kilometers). He vomited at kilometer 25 and spent a while in the shadow of a truck. He rested and continued on his way after a while.
Good bye Cactus ❤️
See you soon in the desert ?? ☀️#MDS2019 #MARATHONDESSABLES #CactusTheMdsDog pic.twitter.com/no1kJv1NOh- MARATHON DES SABLES (@marathonDsables) April 13th 2019
His work was rewarded with a medal and his owner picked it up over the weekend to return home. Maybe next year, Cactus will be encouraged to sail the desert again.
There are no previous results.
