ONE and DATA sent a small team to Mali to follow the marathoners of
“Running The Sahara.” Below is their final update.

“We are now on the Mauritania border and the runners have crossed into
Mali, no worse for the wear. Other then a few foot blisters, the guys
look great. They are now maybe a quarter of the way into their trek
across the Sahara.

This morning the runners toured a local village’s well to learn more
about the importance of water in this region. It was one of the more
ingenious operations I’ve ever seen, as large goat skin buckets pulled
the water up more than 300 feet out of the ground using long ropes
attached to moving camels. The water then went into a large holding tank
that funneled it out to the awaiting livestock.

The villagers were happy to show us their well and explained to the
runners that it had been dug by hand more then five years ago and was
the lifeline to the community. We shot a video webisode of the tour that
you can watch below.

It’s been an amazing week here in Mali but alas we head back home
tomorrow to our awaiting families. We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about
some of these important issues and viewing Mali through our lens. It’s
an incredible country that, although beset by real and life-threatening
problems, continues to amaze me with their perseverance and fortitude.
You can continue to follow the runners’ expedition across Africa by
going to www.runningthesahara.com.

JTE”