Greetings!

So here's the deal....

This April I shall be participating in the 25th Marathon des Sables. Some of you may know a little about this already, but for those who don't I shall shed a little light on an event which proudly brands itself as "The Toughest Footrace On Earth".

In a nutshell, it is a 155 mile race across the Moroccan Sahara Desert. The distance is divided into six stages over six days, five are approximately marathon distance and the other one a double marathon. Competitors have to carry all their own gear, so that means lugging around all the food for the week, a sleeping bag, an anti-venom pump (really), clothes and a whole lot more. As the desert part of the event might suggest, it is going to be a little on the warm side and most of the time will be spent running over sand dunes. Add to this the fact that there is no fixed route and runners have to plot their own course between checkpoints and you can see why it has the reputation it does.

The Marathon des Sables pushes entrants to the very extremes of their physical and mental capacities, but this discomfort pales into insignificance next to the hardships that the servicemen and women of our Armed Forces endure while serving Queen and Country overseas. Tragically as well as the daily difficulties of a tour in a warzone, some soldiers are unfortunately injured and flown back to Britain for treatment. I have been privileged enough to have met one of these indescribably brave men who was serving in my brother's troop in Afghanistan. My mother and I visited him in hospital where we were lucky enough to speak to him and his family about, amongst other things, what lay ahead and it subsequently gives me great pride to think that my efforts will go some way to helping those in a similar predicament.

I will be donating all money I raise to HELP for HEROES, whose work and support for wounded members of The Armed Forces is well-documented. For those wishing to know about the work they do please visit www.helpforheroes.org.uk. I hope that given the arduous nature of what I am attempting, together with what I consider to be the most virtuous of causes, that you will donate accordingly and help me raise a substantial amount of money to help those to whom we owe so much.

Thank you.

Will.

 

 

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