On October 15th participants of the Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon will be hitting this 7-day, 250km race in the Kalahari Desert, near the Augrabies Falls on the Orange River. This marathon is certainly NOT for the faint hearted, with the average daytime temperatures reaching over 40 °C, only to plummet to below 5 °C in the evening.
Said to follow in the footprints of ancient Bushmen, the trail manages to capture the essence of this part of South Africa, taking runners through the rich, fertile Orange River Valley, through the Augrabies Falls National Park, Private Game Reserves, Farmlands and into the Kalahari Desert.
Runners have to be self-sufficient – carrying water, food, clothing and emergency supplies because even though the race organisers have check-points every 8 to 10 km, the terrain is unforgiving and survival of the fittest definitely takes on a new meaning…
Distances range from 28km to 75km per day but this race isn’t just about running – water is strictly controlled and distributed to each team every morning bags are checked daily to make sure that the correct amount of nutrition is taken – any outside assistance during this race will result in disqualification.
Known as the ‘Big Daddy’ of extreme marathons, entries are limited to 100 which isn’t all that much considering this race is featured on the international running calendars. So if you are in the market for a challenge, I’d say check this one out 
