Marathon des Sables

This is my first entry to my blog which will outline my plans and training for my next "challenge". In March 2009 I will be taking part in the Marathon des Sables. For the uninitiated this is described as the toughest foot race on earth! It is a multi day (6 /7 days) event, covering a distance of 150 miles in the Sahara Desert. (The longest run is a 50 mile day!) I will need to take and carry all that I need to survive - water is provided each day and a tent is also provided each night. The temperatures will be anything from 40 to 50 deg. C during the day but drop to about 5 deg. C at night.

For those of you who know me and think this is the final proof that I have completely lost the plot, I would point out that I will be one of about 800 competitors, and there is a waiting list to take part! And lots of people thought I was mad when I took part in the Inaugural Antarctic Ice Marathon - but I had an amazing time which I will never forget.

In that event I raised £30,000 for Cancer Research UK. On this occasion I have decided to raise money for a much smaller charity. "Working for the Children of Watamu" is a charity set up by Sue and David Hayward in my home town of Blackpool. They have already built three schools in this Kenyan village and are now starting their Happy House Project to provide accommodation for 76 children who have lost both parents to problems such as malaria, HIV and TB.

I have set myself a target of £15,000 and if I raise this then all the essential equipment and stock will be provided.

I will be posting over the next few days more details of how you can sponsor me and what your money can buy (for example £100 will pay for a bunk bed, £20 for a mosquito net and £1 for a chicken). I will also provide links to the web site for "Working for the Children of Watamu, my charity giving page in justgiving.com and the web site for the Marathon des Sables event.

In future blogs I will bore you with details of my training, but also preparation in relationship to clothing, food (dried packets) etc. I will also try to keep a regular update of how the sponsorship is going.