Spaniard Yeray Duran and France's Gaelle Decorse on Thursday won in the men's and women's categories, respectively, of the
in Peru, a four-day race of roughly 100 km (60 mi.) through the Ica desert.
Duran, who dominated the race from start to finish, crossed the finish line with a time of 9h:35:34, followed by compatriot Roberto Gil (9h:47:51) and Sweden's Jonas Buud (9h:59:16).
Decorse finished in 27th place in the general classification with a time of 12h:16:58, coming in half an hour ahead of her nearest female competitor, Ecuador's Victoria Calero.
Of the 346 participants from 25 countries who started the marathon on Monday, 312 managed to reach the finish line after competing in a series of stages of between 20-55 km.
The Half-Marathon of the Sands is the reduced version of the complete race that was created last year in the same zone, a six-day challenge covering 250 km.
This race will be followed by a two-day contest through the Peruvian Andes ending at the ruins of the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, a competition that is optional for all those runners who completed the desert test.
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