Proving once again that age is no barrier to success, Marco Olmo from Italy, who celebrated his 69th birthday just over a month ago, has won the Ultra Africa Race. He came in at 23:16:28 two hours ahead of his nearest rival, the Spaniard, Julien Urdaibai. Takao Kitada of Japan finished in third place with 26:08:45.
The Ultra Africa Race is a 220 km race over 5 stages. It is a relatively flat race with only 3600 metres of positive elevation. Its location makes it special, as it takes place in southern Mozambique in the provinces of Gaza and Inhambane. This is an area which is well off the beaten track and offers spectacular, unspoilt sandy beaches, coconut forests, lakes and tiny villages hidden in the dunes.
The route is fully marked and check pointed and there is a road map. The time limit is 10 hours per stage. Technical support and medical staff are available throughout.
It is semi self-sufficient as you carry your own equipment and food, and nights are spent in a bivouac organised by the race team.
Marco Olmo has won UTMB twice, and run the Marathon des Sables more than 20 times. He obviously loves the farflung stage races and last year won the Ultra Bolivia Race.
