On April 21st, I will fly to Morocco to attempt the 37th Marathon Des Sables. It is branded as “The toughest foot race on earth”

The race is self supported, so I will carry everything that I need to survive – food, water, kit and emergency equipment (including a venom pump, in case of encounters with snakes or scorpions) that I’ll need for the entire race.

It will be hot. Temperatures across the sand dunes, rocky jebels and white-hot salt flats regularly reach 50 degrees centigrade.

Day 4, ‘the long stage’ has become a legend in itself. It begins in the Saharan morning, and into the dusk and then the through the night, many don’t finish the stage until well into the next day.

This has been a ‘bucket list’ challenge of mine for some time, but the magnitude of the race is so far beyond any sporting event or activity I’ve completed in the past. For this reason I wanted to also raise money for two fantastic children charities: Operation Smile and The Children’s Surgery Foundation.

Operation Smile is dedicated to improving the lives of children with cleft conditions, through access to safe, free surgery and comprehensive cleft care.

The Children’s Surgery Foundation supports babies, children, and their families to improve the lives of sick children by purchasing much needed medical equipment, surgical training and research to hospitals across the UK.