In April 2018 I will be taking part in the Marathon des Sables, an annual multi-stage foot race that takes place in the Moroccan Sahara Desert, and is often quoted as one of the toughest foot races in the world. I am doing so in memory of my father, Richard Blaszkowski, who sadly passed away in August 2017. I am seeking to raise £3,000, to be split between Royal Trinity Hospice and the Fusilier Aid Society.
The race itself consists of 156+ miles over six days, broken down into 4x 24 mile stages (max 10-12hrs each) and a ‘Non-Stop’ stage of 52miles (max 34hrs). The race organisation provides water at each Check Point (a total of 12 litres per person, per day) and Bedouin tents at a bivouac site each night, otherwise competitors are entirely self-sufficient, and must carry their kit and food for the duration. Temperatures during the race often reach upwards of 50 degrees centigrade, with the constant sand, regular sandstorms and punishing terrain further taking its toll, not to mention the fatigue caused by the number of miles made each day. It is not unusual for nearly half of competitors not to finish.
Despite this, I am very much looking forward to it! I am a keen trail runner, having competed in a number of events in the UK, and have had the MdS on my bucket list for some time. There is also a somewhat more personal reason for undertaking this challenge – sadly in August of 2017 my father, Richard Blaszkowski, passed away from cancer at the age of 59. His passing has understandably affected me and my family deeply; however, it has pushed me to undertake this challenge in his memory and in doing so support charities I value deeply. Those who knew him will agree that my father was an exceptional man. Full of joie de vivre, he sought adventure throughout his life and taught me to always try to help others. By doing this challenge I hope to honour his memory and achieve something that I know would have made him proud.
I am seeking to raise money for two charities that are very important to me:
Royal Trinity Hospice is a palliative care home that specialises in caring for the terminally ill towards the end of their lives, funded largely by donations. The organisation provides both in-house care, as well as home care and support for families. My father spent his last months living at Trinity Hospice, and the support and care given by the staff to him and my family was truly humbling. Whether it was top class medical care, counselling or just a smile, they were simply outstanding. I am now hoping to give back to the hospice, to enable them to continue with their important and essential work.
The Fusilier Aid Society is the charity of the regiment with which I am currently serving. It provides assistance to serving and former members of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, as well as their families, whether bereaved, wounded or ill, or simply having fallen on hard times. The Society does exceptional work to support members of the Fusilier family who have in some cases given everything in service of their country and I am proud to support it in the 50th anniversary year of the Regiment.
I am currently training in earnest, with a couple of trail race events coming up in the new year as a warm up. I will be updating social media and this page with progress reports/irritating further requests for donations so stay tuned.
Due to the way JustGiving works, I have set up this team page to encapsulate both of my fundraising pages. I am hoping to raise £1,500 for both the charities, £3,000 in total, and would be extremely grateful if you would be willing to take the time to split your donation and give to both the pages to below. Both charities are exceptionally worthy of support, and make every penny count.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for supporting me in this somewhat mad endeavour, in memory of a great man who is dearly missed.
Remember: Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never share them with anyone or send you unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. They'll make sure Gift Aid (an additional 25%) is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer, too. That means more money goes to the charity, faster, with JustGiving.
