The Marathon des Sables is the toughest footrace on earth.  Competitors cover 151 miles (or 5½ full marathons) in six days in the burning heat of the Sahara Desert including one ultra stage of 50 miles run overnight.  Competitors must carry all their equipment and food for the whole race on every stage.  Water is rationed.  The terrain is tough and unforgiving, from boulder strewn rocky wastes to high soft sand dunes that sap the strength out of the hardiest of legs.

I am a 41 year old office worker who goes jogging to stop the lager from gathering around my belly.

It's a match made in hell!!

But it's more than a bad lifestyle choice for me.  It's an opportunity to put something back into society and hence I aim to raise as much money as possible for those wonderful folks at MENCAP. 

Mencap do amazing work with people with learning difficulties allowing them to make the kind of choices and live with the kind of independence that you and I take for granted.

So please let your generosity match my poor judgement and give as much to this wonderful cause as possible.

Follow my progress by visiting my blog:
http://pitymyfeet.blogspot.com