The pair beat 44 other teams over 120km of running, biking, climbing and kayaking amid the gruelling physical and psychological demands of the Dakhla desert.

Four months ago, Sofia Skiredj and Ghizlaine Ammor were going about their daily routines unaware of the enormous turn their lives were set to take. Also hindered from their view was the enormity of the tasks that would change their lives forever.

Skiredj is a CEO at a bank in Morocco while her friend Ammor is a fashion designer. They are neighbours in the Moroccan city of Casablanca, having known each other for 25 years.

But when the pair decided to take part in a multi-sports challenge in Dakhla’s desert, little did they know that despite being amateurs against the highest level of competition, Skiredj and Ammor would go on to win the competition.

They kept their expectations low, given the challenge and the level of the other competitors. But they managed to not only stand tall against nature’s many challenges but also the 44 other teams over 120km (75 miles) of running, biking, climbing and kayaking, amid the gruelling physical and psychological demands of the Dakhla desert.

“Before deciding to take on this Saharaouiya challenge, I wasn’t running and doing all these activities at all,” Skiredj said. “I started training for this competition four months ago, we started a programme, stuck to it no matter what, because we wanted to be prepared for not just the terrain but the lineup against us: ironman participants, marathon runners, and a basketball Olympic medallist.”

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