Pol Makuri, a Spanish athlete who was part of the Paralympic team at Beijing 2022, has participated in the Oman Desert Marathon, from January 19 to 23. This Embassy has collaborated by supporting and publicizing the participation of the Spanish athlete, who was accompanied by the journalist Albert Jorquera, a journalist specialized in the discipline of mountain running.
Pol is a Paralympic athlete who participated in the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Games, in the cross-country skiing category. Despite being born with hemiparesis, a cerebral paralysis that affected the development of the right side of his body, he has practiced various sports disciplines at a high competition level since he was a child.
The Oman Desert Marathon took place from January 19 to 23, a 165 km race of 4 stages in the desert of Oman. Only 30 participants from 12 nationalities completed this year's marathon, which is considered tougher than Morocco's famous "Marathon des Sables". Four very hard days in the desert in extreme conditions, 3 day and 1 night, the shortest of 8 hours and the longest stage of 12 hours. Participants had to carry on their backpack everything they needed for those 4 days, (food, clothes, shoes...) and the organization took care of the water provision, the tents to rest and the medical equipment. Athletes were guided by flags - 500 m by 500 m. Sometimes the height of the dunes made it difficult to distinguish the next post.
Pol ran as a team with the journalist Albert Jorquera, who was participating for the second time in this marathon. They finished third in the team standings.
The Ambassador hosted a reception at the Spanish residence for the team and after which the group moved towards the National Hospitality Institute where Pol's inspirational talk "From the Snow to the Desert" took place. Paralympic athlete Pol Makuri recounted his experience in the marathon and other experiences, summarizing all the sports disciplines in which he participated. Regarding his medical condition, he explained that it has never been an impediment for him, and that, on the contrary, it has pushed him to "live incredible experiences and stories". He thanked his family for having boosted his sports career and not putting any ceiling to his goals. Pol and his team were very grateful for the support that the Embassy provided them during this adventure.