Story
On the 3rd April this year I will be flying over to Morocco to join around 1000 other nutters, sorry, competitors, to compete in the 30th running of the Marathon des Sables, billed as ‘the toughest footrace on earth’. This is a 7 day ultra-marathon across the desert where temperatures can reach 50oC plus in the day and can drop to below 0 at night; sounds fun eh! To top all that off we have to carry everything to enable us to be self-sufficient for the 7 days; clothing, sleeping kit, all food; the only thing we are given is water, and even that is rationed.
The first 3 days consist of ‘only’ running a marathon a day over mountains and through sand dunes. The 5th day is the biggy, roughly 52 miles non-stop. This involves most people having to run through the night and a good number end up needing the 5th day (technically a rest day) to get to the end. Then it’s just a little marathon to finish and a final short 15k charity stage. I then get to have a bath and eat something other than boil in a bag food!!
I’ve been lucky enough to compete in triathlons all around the world and wanted to do something different this year. I’ve spent the last year training for the event from my base in Richmond, and this has mainly involved long long runs and walks around the hills and dales of Swaledale, a more beautiful place you could not find.
I decided to use the event to try and raise funds for my local Swaledale Mountain Rescue, I’ve not yet personally needed their service but I’m aware of the help they have given many. The men and woman of the team are all volunteers who give up huge amounts of their time to help other people who get into trouble in the hills; walkers, runners, cyclists, mountain bikers …. and many many more. They also help the Police locate missing people and provide lots of help to others in many different ways. To do this they rely upon donations from others, their future viability depends upon it. We can all sometime take for granted the service that these people provide without thinking about the personal sacrifices individuals in the team make, and the struggle they face to raise sufficient funds to equip themselves.
Myself and the Team would greatly appreciate any donations you could make, no matter how small, it all helps.
Many thanks, Paul.