Story

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving Page.     In early April 2012 Michael Rudd will take part in the 27th Marathon des Sables.  This is Team Odyssey's 3rd outing in the famed race.  In 2006 the inaugural "Team Odyssey" comprised three friends, in 2009 "Odyssey II: Team Rudd" comprised two brothers and this year "Odyssey III: Solo" is Mike alone.  The Marathon des Sables is recognised as one of the hardest endurance races in the World, and is billed as the “Toughest Footrace on Earth”.  It is a six-day, 255km (155-mile) ultramarathon across the Sahara desert in southern Morocco in temperatures of up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. It's the equivalent of running from London to Dover, deciding not to go to France after all and running back to London.  All in 120 degree heat, carrying everything you might need for a week running in the desert.  The exact route isn't revealed until the day before the start and runners have to remain self-sufficient throughout the event, carrying seven days worth of food and all their supplies in a backpack, although the organisers do provide rationed water throughout the day and rough Berber tents to sleep in at the end of each stage.  The longest single stage is up to around 90km (55 miles) and the shortest usually around 21km (13 miles). There are no washing or toilet facilities and weight restrictions mean the competitors do not have the luxury of taking a change of clothes.   I will be digging deep to finish the race so please dig deep and donate now.  Every penny donated gives me that little extra push to finish...and I'm going to need it. Thank you.   Mike "Agamemnon" Rudd