How to Survive a Desert

Marathon De Sables, or Marathon of the Sands,
is one of the toughest foot races on earth. Six marathons back to back, carrying all
your own bedding, food and gear on your back. Brutal. Marathoner Mauro was in
the lead, until…This is how you can survive a desert. Number 1: In a sandstorm, stay put. Number 2: Always stay hydrated. If you’re well hydrated, and your pee is
clear, like that, a large proportion of thatis going to be fluids that can help hydrate
you. If you’re dehydrated though and your pee
is stinking, thick brown colour, that’sjust pure waste product and that’s not going
to help you at all. But Mauro was smart. He drank while he was still relatively hydrated,and horrible though it was, it helped keep him alive. It’s about digging deep, doing the unimaginable,
and that’s how these guys were learningthe hard way. Number 3: When night falls, keep warm. Soon as the sun goes, the temperature just
plummets and fast. And steadily the heat is going to come through
and heat your core. The important bit to keep warm is just this
bit. You can really feel that warmth coming through
the ground now. And normally that’s the place where you
lose most of your heat. The next day, Mauro decided to strike out
into the desert. Mauro saw something that was a definite sign
of civilization. Goat droppings. Mauro’s gamble had paid off. The facts speak for themselves. He travelled 300 kilometers, he’d lost a
quarter of his bodyweight and he made it backto civilization unassisted. Now, there’s a hero.