Overall, 980 out of the initial 1, 024 participants started the fifth leg of this year's MDS, a grueling adventure challenging participants to test their bodies and minds as they take on whipping sandstorms and blazing temperatures of up to 50C in their epic journey across the Southern Moroccan desert.

CNN: Winners survive 'toughest race on Earth'

The athletes' Moroccan adventure began in Marrakech, an ancient desert city with an incongruous backdrop -- the snowy Atlas Mountains to the southeast.

CNN: Moroccan multisport