As many of you know… I often take part in some (mad) endurance events… but even I think that this time, I might have bitten off more than I can chew!

This April, I will be competing in one of the most challenging foot races on Earth, the Marathon des Sables (MdS), alongside my son, Chris Cox, and my nephew, William Pearson. Needless to say, they are a lot faster than me… but I am looking forward to experiencing the challenge at the same time as them.

Please sponsor us, as we are raising money for an incredible charity called Running Well (see more details below).

This year’s edition of the MdS will be the longest ever: a 6-stage 252km ultramarathon covering all of the brutal terrain that the Sahara Desert has to offer, with temperatures regularly exceeding 50°c.

If the challenge wasn’t hard enough, we are required to carry all of our sleeping provisions, essential medical kit and enough food to last the duration of the race.

We are running (and in my case, probably walking!) for Running Well, an incredible charity dedicated to providing clean water solutions to communities in Uganda. So far the charity has built 22 boreholes, delivering clean water to over 44,000 people in need.

Running the MdS goes back to the beginnings of the charity when founder of the charity, Julian Gabriel, completed the MdS in 2014 and funded the first two boreholes! In fact, I was supposed to have run the MdS in 2014 with Julian, but unfortunately injury and work got in the way. I thought I had missed my chance to compete…until my son and nephew said that they would like to take part in the 2024 event, and would I like to join them??!!

Since 2014, the Running Well charity has gone from strength to strength and is about to embark on its first solar powered electric pump conversion of an existing well, plus another 5 wells have been identified. The solar solution is considerably more expensive, but it means the community can pump water to a tank during daylight hours and have multiple water draw off points.

Every £3.75 donated is enough to provide at least one-person clean water for life!

100% of donations will go towards Running Well's projects and are greatly appreciated.

Thank you all for your kindness and be sure to follow me on Instagram and Facebook for updates!