The year 2026 has barely begun, but Fréjusien Julien Absalon (45 years old) has already raised his arms on the 63 km Ceven’trail at the beginning of March. His playground now being running, the five-time cross-country mountain bike world champion is seeing things big this year. He will participate in the 40e edition of the legendary Marathon des sables, in the Moroccan desert, from April 3 to 13.
He will have to run 270 km in total divided into six times, with a main stage of around a hundred kilometers which can last up to two days for some: “The equivalent of a marathon per day for six days. We have up to 30% sand per stage. It’s something new. HAS”
“I came looking for adventure”
Discovery level, the Varois will be served since the competitors will have two days to familiarize themselves before embarking on the event in self-sufficiency, sleeping eight in a tent on Berber carpets: “I came looking for adventure. I have never done a stage race. The difficulty will be to string together the days with less than optimal recovery. The bag (a little over 8 kg, including around 5 kg of food) will get lighter day by day. I unpackaged my freeze-dried meals to put them in lighter plastics. We are trying to gain every last gram. HAS”
To try to get used to the Sahara, he notably carried out sessions on the sand of the beaches of Saint-Aygulf: “Usually, I look for routes with as much elevation gain as possible. There, it’s quite the opposite. I joined the race with a backpack, on the sand. You have to be very gentle on propulsion, keep your feet as flat as possible, make yourself as light as possible, taking inspiration from the Moroccans. It has nothing to do with a trail. Gaiters are essential because the sand can cause blisters. The most difficult thing will be finding yourself in the middle of the desert cut off from everything with the bare minimum. HAS” Another question: the temperatures, which can oscillate between 25 and more than 50°C. If he does not aim for a podium due to the ultra-domination of the Moroccans, Julien Absalon hopes to combine pleasure and great performance.
Gravel, UTMB and Diagonale des Fous
The challenges won’t stop there: “I will integrate more projects bikepacking like crossing Morocco North-South by crossing the Atlas on gravel. It made me want to study racing. I even hesitated to return by bike. HAS”
As for running, he will set off on the Maures trail, in Collobrières, at the beginning of May before seeking his qualification for the UTMB over 100 km. « Me passé 40 ans, je progress encore »he savors. Finally, he will try the Diagonale des Fous (180 km) again in Reunion. “I tried two years ago when I left injured. I don’t want to stay on this failure…”
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