Raised in Morocco’s Sahara Desert and shaped by a nomadic life rooted in nature, Elhousine Elazzaoui brings patience, resilience and quiet confidence to the world’s toughest mountain races.
At first glance, Elhousine Elazzaoui’s life seems to exist in two entirely different worlds.
One is defined by endless sun, shifting sand, camels moving across the Sahara and nights spent with family under open skies.
The other is loud, wet, steep and electric: the mountains of Europe, where thousands of spectators line narrow trails, shouting encouragement as runners claw their way uphill.
For Elhousine, these worlds are not opposites. They are inseparable.
Born into the nomadic Berber family in Morocco’s Sahara Desert, movement was never a choice for him, it was simply life.
“For me, nature is big energy and life for me,” he explains. “I live with my family sometimes in a tent and sometimes another place … sometimes it's very, very hot.”
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This upbringing meant that long before he stood on international podiums, Elhousine learned how to listen to his body and how to conserve energy as the landscape demanded adaptation, patience and respect.
Elhousine embraced moving through the desert for the pleasure of it. He found peace while hiking and jogging across sand and rocky hills, often alongside his father and their camels.
Training, for him, has never been just about mileage. He prioritizes shared tea, conversation and pauses to take in the land. For Elhousine, energy comes from connection to family and to nature itself.
“A lot of people ask me, ‘do you have a strategy for the race?’ and I don't have any. Just confidence and I know my body. You have one moment, I go, that's it,” he explains.
That philosophy still defines how he trains today as a member of the NNormal team. Unlike many elite athletes who chase fitness year-round, Elhousine steps back when the season ends. He returns home, rests, hikes, bikes and allows his body to reset.
Those reserves were on full display at 2025's Zegama, one of Europe’s most iconic mountain races.
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Held in Spain’s Basque Country, Zegama is famous for its relentless climbs, technical descents and rainy weather. The course offers little flat terrain and no relief from the crowds, who pack the trail so tightly runners can almost feel the roar pushing them forward.
“You have a lot of children, you have a lot of people. It gives you a lot of courage and motivation,” he adds.
Elhousine had come close to winning Zegama many times before, finishing second and third again and again. When his moment finally came, it felt earned in the deepest sense.
Years of patience, adaptation and quiet belief carried him through a race defined conditions far removed from the Sahara.
Whether under blazing sun or steady rain, Elhousine thrives by accepting what nature gives him rather than fighting it.
Despite his success, little changes when the race ends. Elhousine returns home to his family, to camels and to a life that values presence over praise.
Elhousine speaks of nature not as a backdrop, but as something sacred: a source of energy, health and truth. He believes happiness lives outdoors, and that protecting the land is inseparable from respecting life itself.
In a world that often pushes athletes to chase more, his message is strikingly simple: “Live your life first and take care of your parents and enjoy in the nature.You don't have the limits for life.”
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Category: General Sports
