Mauro Prosperi

Mauro Prosperi (born 1955, Rome) is an Italian police officer and modern pentathlete who became famous after becoming lost in the Sahara Desert during an endurance event in 1994.^[1]

Prosperi, a keen endurance runner, took part in the 1994 Marathon des Sables (Marathon of the Sands) in Morocco. Part way through the 6-day 233 kilometre event a sandstorm caused Mauro Prosperi and his cousin James Duchkin to lose his way. He ended up disoriented and ran in the wrong direction, ultimately running several hundred kilometres into Algeria. After 36 hours he ran out of food and water. He arrived at an abandoned Muslim shrine, with the corpse of a holy man it it, and survived by drinking his own urine. He found bats on the low ceilings which he decapitated and then ate and drank the blood from, and he waited for rescue. A helicopter and a plane passed, but he failed to be seen.^[2][3]

Not wishing to die a long drawn out death, Prosperi attempted to commit suicide in the shrine by slitting his wrists with a pen knife he had with him. The attempt failed - lack of water had caused Prosperi's blood to thicken and ultimately clotted the wound. He then regained his composure, and followed a Tuareg's advice, to set his compass to direction of the early morning clouds and walk towards them. He walked in the desert and ate reptiles, insects, and cacti from dried ouadi's, before stumbling on an oasis, with a footpring next to it, and then some goats, and then a little girl who ran away towards a tent with women in it who gave him goat's milk and laid him in the shade outside. After nine days alone in the desert, he was found taken to an Algerian military camp and from there to a hospital. He was 186 miles (299 km) off route, and had lost 18 kg in body weight.^[4] He received a hero's welcome back home in Italy, and media clamour.

His story of survival was later covered in a National Geographic Channel documentary entitled Expeditions To The Edge: Sahara Nightmare. It was also depicted in a Discovery Channel TV show hosted by the famous survival expert Bear Grylls, Bear Grylls: Escape from Hell.^[5]

Prosperi later entered the race again in 1998, but was halted by a severely stubbed toe.^[6]

Prosperi then re-entered the race yet again in 2012, completing the race in 34 and a half hours, in 131st place.

References