Review of Running the Sahara

[Toby Ronans]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Running the Sahara" by Marcel Nickler.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Marathon des Sables, MDS is a 237km ultra-marathon crossing the Sahara Desert in Morocco. Participating in the event in 2017, the author had to transport all his equipment with him in the race and back with it in six days tirelessly. The narration of the book primarily takes place from the perspective of the author. The desert scenery and country view are discussed extensively. Will he make it through the heat of the desert while running on glittering sand? Will his training, discipline, and planning composures give him the courage and determination to succeed in the race?
Running the Sahara by Marcel Nickler is a diary-based book about the events that led to his participation in the ultra-marathon and his journey through the desert. The book contains alternating chapters, one chapter for instance narrating motivational life stories and the other narrating physical preparations. In the end, the book is illustrated with appropriate graphics.

This 132-page read is well-edited and ostensibly designed. The author’s writing skills together with motivational life lessons kept me engaged from the beginning to the end. From the book, one can conclude that participating in a marathon requires diligent preparation and hard work. Better planning, inner confidence, or even packing a backpack without unnecessary affectation or any air of superiority but in a friendly tone and with a touch of humor serve as my favorite lessons from the book. His emotions were distinct during the event making it easy for the young readers to experience the same way he does. Furthermore, readers will instantly notice the level of detailed and descriptive writing from the very first stage, and it is also reflected in the actual racing and adventure scenes, creating a lot of suspense and excitement that drive the story. I found it difficult to put down the book once I was fully immersed in these areas. Overall the book was an entertaining read combining elements of adventure, motivation and historical fiction seamlessly.

One grammatical error was in the book, but I do think it was professionally edited. The book contains doodles of people racing. Apart from the fact that, in my humble opinion, it has no special significance for the rest of the plot of the novel, I believe it increases the number of book pages hence discouraging readers.

Despite my subjective view, I soundly rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. One star was docked for the doodles and a grammatical error in the book. Anyway, the book presents historical facts, and I found it fascinating to read.

This book is ideal for a readership between the ages of ten and fifty who are merely curious as I was, for I believe the content in the book is most adapted to their age. Readers who like motivational books will equally enjoy this book. I would not recommend it to anyone not interested in running and Olympic marathons

******
Running the Sahara
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Chiwelite O]

Seems like an interesting read. Thank you for the review.