In England, Ben Fogle is a star. His career in the media took off when he took
part in the TV programme Castaway, in which he had to spend a year fending for
himself on a deserted island just off the coast of Scotland. Just for starters…Each
of the 30 participants could choose one luxury item to take with them, and Ben
chose…not a walkman, nor a computer but…a dog! After Castaway, this
thirty-something with a winning smile presented series after series for the BBC,
always with a similar subject-matter : nature, discovery, adventure. He also
writes books. It’s logical, then, to see him at the Marathon des Sables. “I
love Morocco and I’d heard about this race for a while, but I have to admit
that this adventure scared me…I had to have a bet with a friend in order
to convince me to apply to do it, so I was honou-bound”. That’s how
Ben Fogle has turned up to tackle the Moroccan desert, and he will be faithfully
filmed by a colleague from the BBC. “My only aim is to cross the finishing
line, I’m ready to walk or crawl in order to do that…It’s a
unique challenge.” In fact, despite his many experiences of survival in
extreme conditions, it’s his first time in the Sahara. Welcome!