Mura, mura! Winning the Madagascar Half Marathon

Madagascar Half Marathon, Marathon and Ultra. 8th of June 2024.

I was the first woman in the half marathon of Madagascar, a demanding race through rocky and sandy terrain and unforgiving sun. But my best reward was having run through a setting of extreme beauty, the Ivalo National Park.

TLDR; “too long, didn’t read”

• I just want to run! Take me to RACE.
• I have 1 minute. Take me to USEFUL INFORMATION.
• Running is my excuse for travelling. Take me to TRIP.
• I want to explore the wild on my own. Take me to ALTERNATIVE RUN.
• Running is my excuse for eating. Take me to CARBOLOADING.
• I want to know what to read in the plane. Take me to ONE BOOK.

🌍 The trip 📷: what to see in Madagascar

The trip was organised by “Marathon Tours and Travel“, the travel agency + running club specialised in awesome running trips.

We are members of the club since 2017 and we had done other trips with them so we knew this was going to be a good trip – and it was!

We arrived in Antananarivo on Monday (one day after the rest of the group, because we were coming from the Congo River Marathon), and on Tuesday we caught a charter flight from “Tana” (this is how the locals call the capital city) to Toliara.

And, from Toliara, the journey began!

The journey from Toliara to Ivalo

We took three buses to drive from Toliara to Isalo National Park. Since the marathon was the first after a 5 years break, the organizators themselves were not sure about how much time it would take us to reach our destination.

It took us… almost 9 hours!

But the buses stopped frequently and we had an excellent lunch on the road.

However, the best was seeing the amazing landscapes… and the distinctive “upside down trees”, the baobabs!

We took a lot of pictures of many Baobab Trees, which are indigenous and one of the most recognizable trees in Madagascar. I even took one picture ‘hugging a tree’ 😝

Another interesting thing about driving (not flying) to Ivalo was the possiblity of seeing the life in rural areas. We passed by dusty poor villages and scattered houses, and everywhere there were children smiling and waving at us.

In some places, the kids would even follow the bus running… at a considerable speed! Future marathoners on the making! In fact, in the Paris Olympics, there was a runner from Madagascar in the 100m…

Our guide, Nono, explained many interesting things about the life in the region and the Bara people, who live here. He showed us Tamarind trees and explained, for instance, how women usually cover their faces with a thick paint, like a bright orange mask, which they fabricate using the tree. They do it to preserve their beauty! 🤩

And, last but not least, we saw the amazing landscapes of Ivalo National Park, which we would later be spending a few days in… and never got tired of it.

Ivalo National Park

Two days before the race, the organizers took us to a day-long trek in Ivalo National Park.

It was a great experience, which I highly recommend. It took us “only” half and hour to reach the park, and on the bus, our guide Lolo explained many things about how life is here in Madagascar.

Curious facts about the locals

For instance, regarding Covid, he said that…: “We negotiated with the goverment to allow us to go to work in the morning and stay home in the afternoon. We prefer to die from virus than from hunger!!!”.

Or about Zebu stealing: “If I brand my zebus with a number, let’s say, 1, the robber adds another number and so on, so finally we have zebus with “15436” brandings 😉”

In the morning we did a trek of a few hours, from 9am to 1pm, through a very rocky area.

We saw a lot of wildlife! The ones I liked the most were the lemurs, up close; in fact, one jumped right on top of me and I could take photos of him/her as if he/she was a catwalk model!

Lolo explained us things like that the lemurs use the caves for thermal regulations. It was super interesting.

We went up a viewpoint, which we climbed, and we got a truly incredible view. The area is simply impressive. In the viewpoint we splitted in two groups: those who had opted for a short trek and those who went on a long one. We had chosen the long one, and we didn’t regret it!

We enjoyed a great afternoon route! Although the morning was incredible, it was more similar to the landscape we had around the lodge, while the afternoon was totally different:

From plains of tall golden grass with a few spaced trees, to mountains that are made of rock, avines of sand and rock, or a cliff where lush vegetation falls into a valley and high walls of multicolored stone rise to the sky ; some of a surprising green colour, even.

Race Briefing

For the race briefing, on Friday afternoon, we met in the garden of our lodge, “Le jardin du Roy”, at 5pm. 

All the group members of the “Marathon Tours” expedition waited while an employee played the “Concierto de Aranjuez” and the sun was beautifully setting behind the rocky mountains. A very special moment.

It was a relaxed evening in a very special setting, and we were surrounded by Boston Marathon jackets and sport apparel everywhere. We were a very special group of remarkable individuals: we had very inspiring runners who had completed marathons in more than 125 countries, or more than a thousand marathons overall. Impressive!

Jeff Adams, the Marathon Tours CEO and race director, started giving us details about the race. 

The amazing effort by our local guides!

But, first, we started by giving an applause of recognition to our local guides: Momo, Lolo, Nana and Nono, who had spent hours and hours cutting down the grass so we could run the day after!!! 🤩 This was the first edition after a covid-induced break of more than 4 years, and Jeff admitted that  “We had to go to google maps to know where the course used to be and reclaim the road”. 

In fact, he continued: “The village we used to go to 5 years ago, after the water crossing at mile 22, is not there anymore”. 

Things do change also in the middle of the Ivalo National Park!

Logistics

Jeff also explained that, a tradition in African races, in the “water stations” there would be sweet potatoes, potato chips, fruits… The first one would be located at mile 5.4, and this is also where we would split between half and full marathon. 

He continued explaining about the mile markers (not kilometer markers 😣), and the time limits: 5 hours for the half and 7h for the full. The total elevation gain of the race was 700 feet.

And most importantly, Jeffs said that, at the end, we must collect our medal and… jump into the pool! (which we did the day after!)

🏃‍♀️ The race 🏃‍♂️

Very wisely, the marathon organization decided to bring the start of the marathon forward, to 6:30am instead of 7am to beat the heat by half an hour. So, at 6am we all met at the entrance to “Le Jardin du Roy”, the wonderful lodge where we were staying.

Amongst us there was the usual nerves before a race, although in this case tempered by the fact that most of us were experienced runners. Some, like Lichu Sloan, had more than 150 marathons under their belts.

We took several photos in front of the “Madagascar Marathon” sign: both the foreigners who had come with “Marathon Tour and Travels” and some locals who were going to run.

Race director Jeff introduced us to members of the Madagascar authorities who have made the race possible.

We applauded and prepared to leave, following the instructions of Matt, an expert race organizer (he is part of the Boston Marathon organization!).

The first part

We left on time. Some runners started strongly, running fast. We were not far behind but, as always, we didn’t get carried away.

The first meters were uphill, on uneven terrain that already warned us that it would not be an easy race. The sun had not yet risen, and the weather was cool. Perfect for running.

Soon “the problems” began: the sandy roads, which made our legs tired.

Luckily, the scenery was so spectacular that you almost forgot you were in a race and not on a scenic walk. The golden tall grass at the edges, the trees dotting the plain and the whimsically shaped mountains on the horizon. And, behind, the immense African sky beginning to turn orange.

We knew that the first “water station” would be at mile 5.4, so we were grateful for the low temperature, and we went at our own pace. We also took a lot of videos and pictures, because the landscape deserved it. Little by little we passed local runners and passed the mile signs, decorated with a cute drawing of a lemur.

In some parts of the road, off-road vehicles passed by. But we didn’t even have to move away because the experienced drivers got over the grass and overtook us without a problem.

The water station

At mile 5.4 the first “water station” arrived.

They gave bottles of water, and I took one. The decision proved to be very correct. This is where we also took the first gel. So, we hydrated profusely while talking with Jenna (who would be the winner of the marathon) about “physical needs” during the race. Brendan, another runner, took a funny picture.

Which Roger customized with the dialog and named it “They were both right”. Jenna won the marathon and I won the half:

He also took this beatiful picture of us running while he was behind us for a almost a mile. Thanks Bren!

Second part

Kilometers 11 to 13 were the most difficult for me: it was uphill and the terrain was very rocky, making it difficult to maintain balance.

The sun was beginning to rise, gilding the grasses and giving the landscape a magical aura, but indicating that later it would be very, very hot.

With the water from the bottle, we took a second gel around kilometer 14 because we noticed that it would be good for us. And indeed, it gave us energy.

But, above all, it helped us go a little faster and the terrain became a little easier to run on, and no longer steep.

We found some descents, but also some sections with sand, quite difficult. There were also parts where the grass had been burnt, or recently cut. For the recently cut one, we had to thank the local organization of the race, as they had spent the day before cutting it so we could run. Thank you!

The miles passed and the sun began to rise. At kilometer 15 there was the second and last “station” of the half marathon, just where you entered the road. There were glasses of coke, fruit and… “gummy bears”!

We didn’t drink Coca-Cola, although later, speaking with several runners, we found out that it worked very good for them. What we did take were “gummy bears”. I actually put like 4 in my mouth at once!

After the second water station

There were 6 kilometers left and I took another bottle of water with me.

The route was now along the main road. A few cars or buses passed by at full speed, but in general it was empty. We stayed to the left, diligently, as we had been instructed in the briefing.

It was sunny, but we continued at our constant pace. After a slightly steep climb, we reached mile 12, which was not marked (surely someone had taken the sign as a souvenir).

We stopped to take a selfie with a “smiley” painted on a rock, and Roger picked up an “ace” card, which we found very funny.

We continued until we found a cart with several locals; I greeted them (but they did not pay much attention to me) while Roger told me that we had to turn. Phew! I almost missed it!

The entry: Victory!

We ran a kilometer along the wide dirt road that leads to the lodge. We wer tired because of the sun, and totally alone.

Then we arrived at a crossroads where there were several signs, but none was marked specifically for the “half”. We had to stop to make sure of the direction we were taking; we took a turn left and luckily it was right one.

There were a few hundred meters left, which passed through areas that we already knew, such as the horse enclosure.

Then Roger saw the finish line.

Just at the moment when I saw that Lorri (whose husband, Tom, was doing the ultra marathon) and Muriel (our tourist guide) were preparing to hold the ribbon… as a winner!

Excited, I told Roger: “La primera dona, la primera dona!” (“First woman” in Catalan) and Roger smiled and took my hand.

Thus, I entered as the first woman, and in fact, Roger as the second man (not counting the locals).

We received our medals and a glass of water. We were super happy with our race… because we had run in 2h 10m. Special thanks to Lori and Muriel who spent hours in the sun greeting all the runners who arrived.

And, to celebrate… we got into the icy water of the pool!

Awards Ceremony

At 6:30pm the prizes were given around the pool: this was the “Awards Ceremony”! 🤩

Day had fallen and the temperature was pleasant. They had decorated the pool with lamps, and there were stakes with fire stuck in the surrounding grass; it was super atmospheric.

Jeff Adams began with the speeches promptly, under the marathon banner. A large representation of locals was grouped to their right, on the other side of the pool. There were musicians and dancers, but also the local winners, being in the dark they had a certain mysterious air. Karen Hoch and our local guide Muriel were in white wool capes: it was all elegant and pretty.

Jeff started giving out the medals for the Finishers of the “7 continents club”. And he introduced us with “they arrived today holding hands”..

People applauded while we received the medals and the diplomas, and we went back to our seats. But I was seated for long! Because right afterwards Matt, the “celebrity race director” announced the winers of the “Half Marathon”, introducing me with: “with a time of 2h 13 minutes which is an amazing time in this course… Marta Padilla”.

I was so happy. We had finished our journey of the “7 continents” in style! 🤩

We celebrated drinking non-alcoholic cocktails with umbrellas and a sugar rim and eating zebu and chicken skewers while the singers and dancers of Madagascar delighted us with their show!

🏃‍♀️ Alternative run: Ivalo National Park🏃‍♂️

We went to “move our legs a little” to train, three days before the Madagascar half marathon.

But, above all, we went for the pleasure of running through an extraordinary landscape. And we enjoyed it so much!

We went out when the sun was low and gave the landscape golden tones, turning it into something even more magical if possible. This can be appreciated in the pictures:

We left “Le Jardin du Roy”, where we stayed, and were able to cover a distance of half a kilometer already within the perimeter of the facilities. We ran between gardens of bougainvillea and beautiful, multicolored flowers, and stone and wooden houses, like the one in which we stayed.

The roads were not paved, obviously, which made the run a real “trail experience”.

Since it was the beginning of winter (that is, without rain), the sand was dry. Very good to run!

We also passed through the horse enclosures. But the horses were not there at that moment, precisely because some of our colleagues were out for a horse ride that afternoon. So we focused on the nature.

We ran up and down strange-looking rocks which were illuminated like we were in some kind of magical kingdom. In very few occasions I have had the opportunity to experiment such a “golden hour” in the wild nature.

🍜 Carboloading and Protein Recovery 🍝: What to eat in Madagascar if you are a runner

During our trip around Ivalo National Park, we learnt that zebus articulated many things in Bara people’s lives (and in other places in Madagascar too). For instance, the richness of Bara individuals is measured up with the number of zebus he owns.

And of course, the local cuisine has many dishes with zebu. This meat is super good for protein loading and recovery, of course; so we tasted zebu many times during our stay.

The benefits of eating zebu meat for runners include:

• Obtain High-Quality Protein, for Muscle Repair and Growth: Protein is essential for muscle repair and growth, which is crucial for runners who often put their muscles under stress.
• Get Amino Acids: Zebu meat provides essential amino acids that the body cannot produce on its own.

• Increase Oxygen Transport: Iron is vital for the production of hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood. Adequate iron levels can improve endurance and reduce fatigue.

• Optimise Energy Metabolism: B vitamins, especially B12, are important for energy metabolism and the proper functioning of the nervous system. These vitamins help convert the food runners eat into usable energy.
• Reducing Fatigue: Adequate intake of B vitamins can help reduce feelings of fatigue and support overall energy levels.

🏆 Madagascar Half, Marathon and Ultra.

🌐 Website: https://marathontours.com/en-us/events/madagascar-marathon/

🏃 Number of runners: 70.

🗓️ Beginning of June in Ivalo National Park, Madagascar – Africa.

👟 Urban: Bring shoes for trail races. Protectors for sand and water resistant shoes (for the full marathon, you need to cross rivers!)

✅ The opportunity to run in an amazing setting: The Ivalo National Park is just incredible.

✅ Super well organized by “Marathon Tours and Travel”; with many interesting activities, nice acccomodation, and a group of fellow-minded runners!

“Beyond the rice fields”, by Tsivo.

The book is widely advertised as “the first novel from Madagascar ever to be translated into English”. Other books from this wonderful nation in the Pacific are written in French, as well as the native Malagasy.

It is a historical fiction, but there is no fiction in the way it brutally depicts slavery in Madagascar. It is also a coming of age novel, a hero journey novel, a love novel, a novel about a nation. I absoultey recommend it.