After 25 years of saying “I’ll do that one day” I’m now going to do it! I’ve signed up for the 37th running of the Marathon Des Sables, “the toughest footrace on earth”. 

In April 2023 I will join other ‘athletes’ attempting to run the equivalent of 6 marathons in six days across the Southern Sahara. It is a self-sufficiency challenge, so I will be carrying all my own food, and kit. Training is already underway,  legs are already aching and I’m already alternating regularly between being excited and terrified. 

As I take on this challenge of a lifetime I will be raising money for Parkinsons UK, the charity dedicated to finding a cure for this crippling disease which 150,000 people in the UK alone are living with. 

It is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world. My father in law has been living with Parkinson's for more than 15 years, and I have seen the every day challenges and battles the disease puts in front of him and his family. I will be splitting my sponsorship between the Plymouth branch of Parkinson's UK and for research into Parkinson's disease. If you can sponsor, here’s the link. Somewhere in the middle of the Sahara your support will help me work out what the hell I’m doing!