Bondi Beach to the Sahara : one Aussie-Israeli’s marathon mission

Running a marathon is anathema to most of us mere mortals. Running six marathons on six consecutive days – a 252km super-shlep – is beyond the bounds of comprehension.

And running those 252km in the Saharan Desert, where temperatures nudge 40 degrees daily, borders on insanity.

Not for Doron Atzmon, a 55-year-old Israeli living in Sydney who will depart for Morocco this weekend to race the legendary Marathon Des Sables, an annual event on the extreme sports calendar billed as “the toughest foot race on Earth”.

Enduring pain and suffering in one of the world’s most inhospitable terrains is his answer to losing two family members on the October 7 massacre and its aftermath.

Ilay Nachman was at the SuperNova Music Festival where he and 363 others were slaughtered by Hamas terrorists. The 23-year-old died fighting the terrorists with his bare hands, saving the lives of three women.

And Rani Tachan, who Atzmon describes as “a crazy Iron Man”, re-joined the IDF to help free the hostages in Gaza. The 40-year-old fell in a battle in northern Gaza one month into his reserve service, leaving behind his wife and four young children.