Kate is taking on "the toughest footrace on Earth", the Marathon des Sables.  This six day, 156 mile ultra marathon in the Sahara Desert takes place in Southern Morocco from 25th March - 4th April 2022.

Kate happened to hear Dick Moore (a speaker for the Charlie Waller Trust) speak at her sons' school and was incredibly moved by the way he drew on his own story, of the tragic loss of his son Barney, to powerfully highlight the importance of mental health in young people.

Raising funds for The Charlie Waller Trust        

The trust was founded by the Waller family in 1997 in response to the loss of their son and brother, Charlie, to suicide having suffered from depression.  

Their focus is on supporting all young people throughout their journey from primary school age to the early years of their working lives, recognising that the points of transition in that journey can represent moments of particular vulnerability.

Their vision is of a world where people understand and talk openly about mental health, where young people and those who support them are equipped to maintain and enhance their mental health and wellbeing and have the confidence to seek help when they need it.

Kate's Story

After three years and two Covid postponements Kate is finally doing the Marathon des Sables!  It has become a bit of a standing joke with friends and family annually wishing her Good Luck and the event immediately being cancelled.  Let's hope that third time really is lucky!

Now with the start date looming, training and kit preparation is in full swing along with heat acclimatisation, (hot yoga in a bouncy castle), and daily foot spas, (standing in a lasagne dish of surgical spirit whilst cleaning her teeth).  

As if the course wasn't hard enough she will be carrying 7 kilos of kit throughout the gruelling 156 mile run.  In preparation for which she has been terrifying the early morning Twyford walkers by appearing out of the mist in what appears to be a suicide vest (in actual fact a 7kg weight vest).

Your Support

I am an ordinary person taking part in an extraordinary event to raise funds and awareness for an incredibly important charity. 

I have, like most people, been approached for sponsorship on many occasions and I understand that it is not always the right time to give.  I would be incredibly grateful for anything that you felt able to give to this wonderful cause but please do not feel obligated.

However, your support throughout the race would be amazing.  I'll need all the moral support I can get to make it to the end.  

To monitor my progress, and more importantly send personal messages of encouragement which I'll receive at the end of each day,  head to:

https://www.marathondessables.com/en/news

https://live.marathondessables.com/en/

using my name: Kate White and race number: 743.  It will give me a huge boost to receive any messages. (Please copy the link and paste into Web browser)

Thank you so much and lots of love,

Katexx