Day 4 is generally the 'Long Day' during the Marathon des Sables. In 2000 the long day was a total distance of around 82 kilometres. On completion of this stage, competitors then had the following day to relax and do some necessary personal admin. The Desert Bats completed the Day 4 section around 7 am the day after, giving them the whole of the rest of Day 5 to fix blisters, wash and generally try to relax. Some other competitors had to keep trekking throughout the whole of Day 5!

(This picture is shown with kind permission of Nick Dillon)