Intro:

Moroccan Mohamad Ahansal wins the inaugural Volcano Marathon.

Script:

Morocco's Mohamad Ahansal battled the altitude and heat to win the Volcano Marathon last Thursday, in the Atacama Desert in Chile.

The Atacama Desert is commonly known as the driest place in the world where some weather stations, have never recorded any rain.

The marathon was a grueling affair for many of the 22 competitors from 13 countries as they had to manage the impact of heat and oxygen deprivation.

Whilst the average altitude of the entire race was close to 4,000 metres and temperatures reached the mid 20s-Celsius, or almost 80 Degrees Fahrenheit.

In the men's event Morocco's Ahansal, led from the outset and was never troubled by any other competitor to take the title in a time of three hour 55 minutes and 15 seconds.

And the women's race saw the 2011 Antarctic Ice Marathon winner Yvonne Brown cross the line in first place in a time of five hours, 55 minutes and 16 seconds.