This past January, I finished my first half-marathon in seven years. I'm a recreational runner and happy to run in the back of the pack, but when I spotted an advertisement from Oussaden Tours and Travel at a Pacific Northwest fun run last fall, I was intrigued by this new running opportunity in one of the world's most exotic destinations.

Less than 24 hours after landing at Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca, I was waiting for pre-race instructions at the starting line of the 16th annual Marathon de Marrakech. Jet lag aside, I was at the starting line as part of a whirlwind visit that also included Casablanca and Fes. My body thought it was just after midnight, but I was about to begin one of the most memorable races of my running life.

As I read that yellow tour flyer, I thought seriously about training for the race. Our initial research answered several questions: my wife and I learned that Morocco was a safe and hospitable country, and one of the most modern (and moderate Muslim) nations in North Africa.

We celebrated our 20th anniversary near the Grand Atlas Mountains of Morocco, and the semi-marathon (En Francaise) was as unforgettable as the people, food and hospitality of the first nation to recognize the newly-independent United States of America in 1777.

The Marathon de Marrakech course runs in the shadows of snow-dusted Atlas Mountains, which reach peaks of 12,000 feet in Northwestern Africa. Winding through the streets of Marrakech, marathoners and half-marathoners alike can take in grand French-inspired boulevards or centuries-old light pink-colored walls that line the Medina, or Old City. Marrakech is home to 800,000 people, and is a mixture of modern, urban sophistication as well as architecture that dates back to the Middle Ages.

Marrakech is a study in contrasts: along the course, local families were bringing home sheep, some on hand carts, red Radio Flyer wagons, or astride bicycles, for the annual Muslim Eid Al Adha feasts. The Eid holiday follows the Muslim world's pilgrimage, or Hajj, to Makkah (also spelled Mecca in the Western press), and is an important date on the Islamic calendar. Donkey carts shared the road with Mercedes Benz sedans in the shadows of gleaming shops selling brass lanterns, colorful hookah pipes, and traditional French pastries. Men and women in traditional Berber dress lined the roads, and children held their hands outstretched for a "high-five" all along the course. Like all of the Moroccan cities I visited, I found Marrakech clean and safe, and while many Moroccans speak English, a passing knowledge of French will go a long way to bridge any communication barriers.

My Best Semi Marathon!

My goals for the semi-marathon were very modest: to finish without stopping and beat my usually glacial time of around 2:50. The course consisted of several very long and flat stretches, and I tried a new mental strategy to avoid boredom: to replay my favorite African musicians, including Johnny Clegg and Savuka, Papa Wemba, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and Geoffrey Oryema. Surprisingly, these songs helped me finish 15 minutes ahead of my goal, and unlike my prior races at the 13.1-mile distance, finishing the race was not a near-death experience.

In Casablanca, Everybody Goes to Rick's!

One of my favorite films is Casablanca, the one from 1942 featuring Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine and Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund. I've followed American entrepreneur Kathy Krieger (otherwise known as ‘Madame Rick') and her efforts to recreate the Casablanca magic for well over a year on her web site (www.rickscafe.ma/). This year, Rick's Café celebrated its first anniversary in Casablanca in the old medina of the city, and Vickie and I enjoyed a memorable dinner in one of Africa's busiest cities.

When I began planning this adventure, I couldn't resist including Casablanca on my itinerary, largely to satisfy a long-held dream of visiting Rick's Café. Actually, there never was a Rick's Café Americain - it was all a movie set - until former diplomat Krieger recreated the magic of one of America's best known movies. Krieger left the US Embassy in 1998, and dedicated herself to nurturing a dream that is now Rick's Café. Every Sunday night, pianist and webmaster Issam Chabaa hosts a jam session that attracts a range of musicians from throughout the region, and on my next visit, I'll work hard to not ask Issam to "play it again, Issam."

The soundtrack Krieger uses for dinner includes the same songs that Rick, Ilsa, Signor Ferrari (Sydney Greenstreet), Prefect of Police Renault (Claude Rains), Victor Laszlo (Paul Heinreid) and Guillermo Ugarte (Peter Lorre) would have likely heard on the radio in the early 1940's. Lush orchestral arrangements framed songs from Maurice Chevalier, Sara Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald or the popular big band sounds of bandleaders like Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, or Duke Ellington.

Like the fictional nightclub in Casablanca, Krieger's gin joint is well worth a visit. Don't forget to ask for a tour upstairs as there's a shrine featuring pictures and posters of the film on the second floor. I told Kathy that Vickie and I were pilgrims, and our visit, not to mention the food, hospitality and drinks, was a high point of my first trip to Casablanca.

A Clear Moroccan Vision

Morocco's tourism industry has embarked on "Vision 2010," an ambitious plan to improve the nation's tourist infrastructure to lure 10 million tourists to the country in less than five years. It's much more than a new coat of paint, however. Everywhere we went, from the back alleys of the souks dating back to the Middle Ages to modern hotel buffets, Vickie and I were treated with the utmost courtesy and respect. Even Marrakech's taxi drivers take hospitality seriously: a far cry from some of my recent cab rides in major US cities. Last year, approximately 72,000 US residents visited Morocco, compared to 155,000 British or one million French tourists. Caucasian runners stand out at the Marathon de Marrakech, and along the course, I compared notes with one of the dozens of runners down from the Eindhoven Marathon in the Netherlands.

As Royal Air Maroc staff announced the departure back to New York in Arabic, French and English, I had more dreams than dirhams (the local currency) in my pocket. On my next visit, I will spend more time in Djemma el Fna in Marrakech and retrace Winston Churchill's steps at his beloved La Mamounia hotel in the old Medina in Marrakech. In fact, I just might set another PR at the half-marathon distance. As the Muslims say, "inshallah" or God willing.

Travel Suggestions for Eric Steiner's Moroccan Adventure

Getting There: Morocco is less than six hours by air from New York. Our itinerary took us from Seattle to JFK on Delta Airlines, and we transferred to Royal Air Maroc to Casablanca. The flight out of JFK was a smooth six-hour flight over the Atlantic Ocean, and we changed planes for an hour-long ride to Marrakech on a Boeing 737. While we were in coach class, Royal Air Maroc's service and food were first-class. More details: www.royalairmaroc.com/

Getting Around on the Ground: Taxis are plentiful and inexpensive, and both my wife and I felt very safe in Marrakech, Fes and Casablanca. We took the Moroccan national railway - Office National Des Chemins De Fer Du Maroc - from Casablanca to Fes, and it offered a good introduction to the countryside. I did not expect the rolling and lush hills that remind me of Eastern Washington; it's very similar to our view of the mountains and forests that dot Northern Morocco. For an idea of schedules and intercity fares (en Francaise): www.oncf.org.ma/

Tourism Information: The Official Moroccan Tourism Authority is a good place to start, www.tourisme-marocain.com/english/indexen.htm, but I found the guidebooks from Time Out and Lonely Planet to be excellent, updated resources on things to see and do in Morocco and Marrakech. Lonely Planet: www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/africa/morocco/. Time Out: www.timeout.com/products/mar.html.

Race Information: The Marathon de Marrekech has an informative and updated web site. The results were posted by the time I landed at SeaTac days after the race. I registered the day before the race at the race expo at village du marathon, but many runners signed up online through the race organization's secure server. Homepage: www.marathon-marrakech.com/presa.html.

Tour Company: Oussaden Tours and Travel assisted us with a customized itinerary that also included Fes and Casablanca. Next year, I'll likely stay in Marrakech and explore the Medina and take short day trips out to the Atlas Mountains. Oussaden Tours and Travel, a Moroccan-owned company, secured first-class and knowledgeable local tour guides that made our first visit memorable and manageable in the short time we had: www.oussadentours.com. Language is not a problem: the firm's multi-lingual guides have been escorting English-speaking tourists around their neighborhoods for over 14 years, and I would trust my family, children included, to Oussaden's local representatives in Morocco.

Things to Do in Marrakech

Djemma el Fna: In Marrakech, don't miss the old town square, Djemma el Fna, a whirlwind of sights, smells and experiences dating back to the Middle Ages. This square is on UNESCO's World Heritage list, and you'll likely see snake charmers, dancers and singers, entrepreneurs, acrobats, and elders offering glasses of water from an array of brass cups pinned to colorful red traditional Berber robes. Djemma el Fna is a feast for the senses.

Medina: The old walled city is a maze of shops, restaurants, small boutique hotels (called riyads), and markets. It's a exciting, exhilarating, dizzying and crowded experience, and one that I cannot wait to share again next year.

Koutoubia Mosque: While only Muslims are allowed in this working 12th century mosque, the gardens and grounds are open to all.

Menara Gardens: Marathoners and half-marathoners will pass through these gardens that frame the local reservoir; a peaceful refuge in the city.

What I Missed: Trekking in the Atlas mountains, hanging out at La Mamounia's main bar (in Winston Churchill's favorite hotel in Marrakech), and spending more time haggling in the souks over everything from traditional Berber rugs, the ever-present the' de menthe, or those uniquely handcrafted Moroccan brass lanterns that seem to reflect light in a thousand directions. After the race next year, we'll meander along the Medina in horse-drawn carriages, one of the more popular ways to explore Marrakech.

If Cosmik Debris readers would like more information on my plans to return to Marrakech for the next half-marathon in January of 2006, please e-mail me at ericrichd@aol.com. Next year, I'll do my best to capture the music and food of Marrakech in a short feature article. Portions of this article appeared in the May, 2005 issue of Northwest Runner magazine. For a more complete story on the 16th annual Marathon de Marrakech, please visit www.nwrunner.com.

© 2005 - Eric Steiner