I will be taking part in the Marathon des Sables (MdS) in April. Few know it by the handle 'The Toughest Footrace on Earth', most by 'What...that mental thing James Cracknell did in the desert?'
The MdS is a 140-155 mile (225-250km) multi-day, ultra-marathon through the Sahara Desert. The race is almost entirely self-sufficient; you must carry all food, clothing & other essential kit (emergency flare gun, anti-venom pump, knife - the usual) for the entire race, and 9 litres of water is rationed at various stages on a daily basis. Competitors sleep in 'sideless tents' (basically a large sheet on poles).
Temperatures have exceeded 50 degrees Celsius on several race days in recent years, and the course itself covers massive sand dunes, jebels (translate as 'mountain'), salt flats and dried river beds.
The race is broken up into six stages with the route and distance varying slightly from year-to-year. Distances for 2013: Stage 1 - 23.1m/37.2km, Stage 2 - 19.1m/30.7km, Stage 3 - 23.6m/38km, Stage 4 - 47m/75.7km (in previous years this has been a double-marathon), Stage 5 - 26.2m/42.2km, Stage 6 - 5m/8km. Total: 144m/231.8km
I hate running. The only running I have done willingly since school has been after a football, and I'll be the first to admit even that is pretty limited come matchday...
Everyone who knows me is aware it will take something pretty disastrous to stop me crossing the finish line; preferably in one piece...crawling on my hands and knees if need be.
I will genuinely be extremely grateful for any donation you make, and hopefully you agree that as far as 'please sponsor me' appeals go, this is particularly credible.
Cheers.
