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In September 2026 I will be taking on the challenge of one of the toughest non-stop trail/mountain races in the world. The Tor des Geants 330km covers the entire Aosta region in Italy, at the foot of the highest Four-Thousand metre peaks in the Alps and through the Gran Paradiso Natural Park and the Mont Avic Regional Park.

The route goes over 25 mountain passes, and runners pass through 34 different villages. It's a constant challenge of climbing and descending mountains and with a highest altitude point in the race of 3295m (10,810ft). With a distance of 330km (205 miles) and a cumulative elevation gain of 24,000 metres (78,000ft), it has a maximum time limit of 150 hours with runners deciding when to eat and sleep within that time, at a series of Checkpoints along the way.

The race literally translates from Italian as 'Tour of the Giants', which now has the double meaning of the 'Giants' being the High Peaks around which runners pass, and villagers now calling the runners themselves 'Giants' for taking on the challenge.

Sleep deprivation is a major challenge of the race as there are intermittent race time barriers that you must reach in order to continue. The clock is still ticking when you stop for a sleep so most runners will only have a handful of hours of sleep over the time it takes to cover the route. For me this is likely to be between 5 and 6 days.

This year there are around 1200 runners due to start, of whom, only 170 are women. I will be one of those women starters. There is approximately a 50% non finish rate for the race, due to its extreme nature. There is no guarantee of finishing a race like this - sleep deprivation, weather, foot problems, stomach issues, risk of falls, all contribute to the possibility of not finishing. It is not my first event in the Alps so I am well aware of how tough things can be in big mountains.

I am raising money for Parkinson's UK Scotland. I work as a Special Populations Exercise Instructor for MorphFit Gentle Movement Project. We are the recipients of a Parkinson's UK Scotland Physical Activity Grant, which allows us to deliver weekly exercise sessions for people with Parkinson's. It is my privilege to lead our Parkinson's session and I get to see first hand the difference that physical activity can make to the lives of people with Parkinson's - for both their physical and mental well being. Their commitment, resilience, and determination to keep turning up and trying hard, is a source of great inspiration to me. I hope that by raising money for Parkinson's UK Scotland, more people with Parkinson's will get to benefit from the great work that they do.

I hope you will consider supporting by donating a little towards the challenge.

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