UPDATE - April 3 - Thank you so much to all of you. I completed MdS finishing on Saturday March 31 in 35 hours 17 minutes total for the week. I finished 236th out of 757 competitors, but placing is somewhat irrelevant. Simply completing is a personal achievement I am proud of. Please check my blog (link below) for updates and fuller explanations. Some fantastic off-line donations recently as well from H. Goldie, Malca-Amit, Ryan Lorenz (Asante Sana!), Brown & Newirth, Weston Beamon, Hirsh London, Levy Gems, Chris Lambert (you HAVE participated in an online fundraiser now), Pete Drozkzik, Nick Sturman (who is jealous of my holiday!?) and the volunteers at Workaid.

In March 2007, I will be among an international field of 800+ runners competing in the Marathon des Sables (MdS), the legendary 150-mile endurance race held in the Sahara Desert every year. Carrying all my own kit and supplies over 7 days, I will run through some of the harshest terrain imaginable in soaring temperatures.

Find out more about this unique event:

Desert-Ed - My Brand New Blog

Darbaroud - MdS Organisers  

So why am I subjecting myself to this, you ask:

I have been doing long distance racing events for many years and am ready for a fresh challenge. MdS represents a major step up in distance, terrain and climate.

It is the year of my 40th birthday, so it is my birthday present to myself!

I am keen to prove the old cliche that if you set your mind to achieve something, you can.

Most importantly for you, I am taking the opportunity to raise funds for a charity which I feel fits my ideals and needs your support - Workaid.

www.workaid.org   

Please support me in these challenges; mine to complete Marathon des Sables in March and Workaid's to tackle poverty well into the future. Please note all the funds raised go to Workaid and NONE are used to offset my expenses, which are considerable. You can donate directly using this page. It is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me wherever you are in the world (overseas credit cards are accepted): Workaid will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

If however, you would prefer to donate by cheque direct to Workaid, we can do that too. It just needs to be a UK cheque. Just e-mail me for details.

So please sponsor me now! And send me a message of support.

We really appreciate your help.