The Atacama Crossing is a six-day, 250 kilometre footrace across the Atacama Desert of Chile. The Atacama is the driest place on earth and to top it off the entire race will be held at least one mile (1600m) above sea level.

Other reassuring facts about the Atacama include the fact that it is such a hostile environment with lunar-like landscape, so barren that it was used by NASA to test its Mars rover vehicles and the diurnal range will see the day time temperatures exceed 32 Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) whilst  at night temperatures may be below freezing, just in case it wasn’t tricky enough!

Keep track of my progress... www.4deserts.com/blogs

This is a huge challenge and I hope to raise £50 a mile to hit a grand total of £8,000. So dig deep and help me on my way!

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Alzheimer's Society will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

Many thanks for your support, and enjoy the updates.