Running the Sahara

Running the Sahara is more than my experience of participating in the Marathon des Sables 2017. Though much of the book is about my time in the desert, and I talk about my preparation and the equipment I used, the book is also profoundly personal. I tried my best to explore my passion for running and life. I hope the reader finds it entertaining and inspiring to follow me from meeting Herr Hammermann during my first marathon to my finish of the nearly 250-kilometer race in the Moroccan Sahara. It is a book about the gift of life, so there are some disappointments and moments of despair, but there are also triumphs and the sublime. I believe when dreams close, other dreams open, and that by setting goals and being disciplined, all of us can shift the balance and get to where we want to be. What started as a book about the Marathon des Sables turned into the story of my life.

Marcel Nickler grew up and lives in Switzerland. He has been married for over 33 years to his lovely wife and is the proud father of their two adult daughters. A passionate ultrarunner, he enjoys running in high mountain terrain and also fell in love with the desert during his Marathon des Sables adventure, which forms the heart of this book. Other passions and hobbies include reading, cooking, jazz, and skiing. In business, Marcel spent the majority of his professional career as a partner at an international management and technology consultancy where his focus was primarily on innovation and digital transformation. Marcel holds several non-executive board positions and invests a substantial part of his time empowering and developing people and teams. He is also regularly engaged in cultural and social affairs. Running the Sahara is Marcel's first book.