Hundreds of amateur runners gathered on Sunday morning for the fifth edition of the High Atlas Ultra Trail (HAUT), held from April 17 to 19 in Ouirgane, Al Haouz province.
The 10 km race started at around 9 a.m. and was open to all ages, bringing together men and women, as well as families and groups of friends.
Rachida from Rabat and Ihsane from Al Hoceima, two friends who traveled all the way to Ouirgane to take part in the 10 km trail, said they have been joining the event since its first edition, marking their fifth participation.
“We came as friends and family just to have fun,” Rachida told Hespress English, while Ihsane said they were taking the 10 km like a walk, enjoying each kilometer along the way.
The 10 km race drew around 600 participants, according to event director Kaoutar Bendoumou, with runners from different nationalities, including Moroccans, French, and Dutch.
The HAUT, which takes place in Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains in Toubkal National Park, also featured participants running for causes.
Wim, a Dutch runner who joined the trail with friends for the first time and represented the “Support Safe Spaces” association, said they were taking part in the event to raise funds for girls’ education in Nairobi.
His teammate Damaris, participating for the second time, said the initiative aims to help girls build more resilient lives outside the slums and become economically independent.
“We’re five people running here, and we’ve collected around €6,000,” Damaris told Hespress English.
A 21 km race starting from Ouirgane also saw strong participation, with around 600 runners.
In total, the event brought together about 1,150 participants, 70% of them Moroccan and 30% foreign, across six distances ranging from 10 to 120 km.
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