Lost in the desert for 10 days — all because of the wind. 🏜️💨 An Italian marathon runner set out to conquer one of the world’s toughest races… but a sudden sandstorm changed everything. Alone, dehydrated, and lost in the endless desert, he survived against all odds. How was he found — and what happened next? Read the full story below. 👇🔥
Mauro Prosperi is a true Italian hero, and here is a deep dive into how this incredible man survived a harrowing desert ordeal.
In 1994, Prosperi, a former multi-sport athlete, decided to take on the challenge of the 250-kilometer “Sand Ultramarathon” in the Moroccan desert, encouraged by a friend. This grueling race, which spanned six days, was one of the toughest endurance events, and Mauro was well-prepared to compete. But fate had different plans.
The race was going smoothly for Prosperi, and on the fourth day, he started off with the other competitors. At that point, he was in fourth place and was determined to push ahead. The runners had 36 hours to complete the stage, and anyone who failed to meet the deadline would be disqualified.
However, disaster struck when a fierce wind suddenly whipped through the desert, quickly escalating into a full-blown sandstorm. The intense sand and poor visibility made it impossible for Mauro to continue running. He decided to shelter from the storm, which lasted for a painful eight hours. Wrapping a scarf around his face, he took refuge in the dunes, trying to avoid the agony of the sand, which felt like needles against his skin.
Once the storm subsided, Mauro tried to resume his journey. Armed with a map and compass, he quickly realized that the terrain had shifted due to the storm, leaving him unable to navigate. In a bid to find other runners, he climbed a dune but saw nothing but endless sand.
By the end of the second day, a helicopter flew overhead, but the pilot failed to spot him. It became clear that rescue wasn’t coming. Determined to survive, Prosperi continued on his path, though he could only travel in the cooler hours of the evening and early morning to avoid the scorching heat. Along his journey, he encountered lizards and snakes, which he ate raw for sustenance and hydration, as they provided both food and water from their bodies. His emergency supplies quickly ran out, and he was left with no choice but to drink his own urine, which also ran dry due to his severe dehydration. He kept his strength up with survival pills and took medicine to manage the diarrhea that had set in.
After several days, Mauro stumbled upon the ruins of an old Muslim hermitage. There, he rested and ate bats that he found. He hid, watching a plane pass overhead without seeing him, and felt despair take over. But then he remembered the advice of the Tuareg people, who had told him to follow the clouds in the sky to find the nearest settlement.
Following this guidance, Prosperi continued his journey, surviving by hunting local animals along the way. On the eighth day, he miraculously discovered an oasis, where he finally quenched his thirst. Soon after, he reached a Berber village, where the locals took care of him. He was eventually rescued by the police and taken to a nearby station. The exhausted runner, who had lost 16 kilograms during his ordeal, was identified and found himself in Algeria.
Mauro had wandered the desert for 10 days. At one point, he even contemplated suicide, but his blood was too thick to bleed. His love for his wife and three children kept him going, giving him the strength to survive. After returning home, his liver was severely damaged, and for the first three months, he could only consume liquids. His recovery took almost two years. Despite the trauma, Mauro went on to complete eight more marathons, and he admitted more than once that the desert had become his true passion—a passion that nearly cost him his life.
