Sayeed Islam
Marathon Des Sable 2020 (MDS)
Fundraising for Thames Hospice
Story
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
What am I doing?
I am taking part in the Toughest Footrace from 20-25th of September, 2020 (now revised dates due to corona virus), seven marathons in six days.
MDS is a truly gruelling multi-stage adventure through a mythical landscape in one of the world’s most inhospitable environments – the Sahara desert. You have to be self-sufficient and carry all your own food and equipment for the week on your back. Communal goat’s-hair Berber tents are pitched every night but, apart from that you have to take it with you. Water is rationed and if you exceed the ration, you get a time penalty.
In just six days I will run over 250 km (156 miles) through endless dunes, over rocky jebels, and across white-hot salt plains. The sun will be your constant enemy with temperatures regularly reaching 50 centigrade. The sand will be your constant companion, clouds of it under your feet, sheets of it stinging your eyes and lots of it chafing where it shouldn’t. The long stage has become a legend in itself. You will run out of a Saharan morning, into the dusk and then the dark, many not finishing the 80+km (52 miles) till well into the next day. Your feet will swell, crack and bleed under the pressure and the heat. But none of this will matter when I cross the finishing line – a hero.
250+ kms (156+ miles)
6 stages over 7 days
A long stage of 80+ kms (52+miles)
Self-sufficient but with water rations and tent supplied
Temperatures of 50+ degrees centigrade
Important Information
I am covering all of my costs for participation in the event. Every $/£/€ that you contribute will go directly to the charity for building the new hospice facility.
I have done a lot of physical and mental preparation for this challenge... it will be brutally hard, but very satisfying to complete (hopefully).
Why am I doing it?
Almost every one of us has been affected by cancer...relatives / friends / colleagues, etc. This is an opportunity for us to show our support for all of those impacted and raise proceeds to help those in their time of need.
Thank you for the support.
Best wishes
-Sayeed