| Things Matt should have considered before agreeing to this madness | - Contrary to all common sense, the race takes place on foot, rather than in an air-conditioned 4x4.
- The distance involved equates to roughly six full marathons in seven days.
- Sand is for lying on and digging sand castles in, not running across.
- When the temperatures reach 50 degrees C by 11am you need to be somewhere involving a swimming pool and very cold beers.
- Having to carry your own food, sleeping bag, pots, pans, cooking fuel, toothbrush etc in a rucksack weighing about 12KG simply re-emphasises the need for a 4x4.
- Did you know he temperature drops below 0 degrees C in the desert at night?
- The heat, distance and rubbing will trash the feet and may cause severe trauma if incorrect shoes and equipment are not used.
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Matt Elliott will soon be stood on the start line of the worlds toughest marathon. Here is his preview of the event.
 | | Temperatures can reach 50 degrees C. |
After a few too many gin and tonic’s last year, some of us were contemplating the toughest thing in the world, and a friend told me about a 150-mile foot race through the Sahara desert, self-sufficient. I stupidly claimed it would be easy, so a wager was made, I signed up online, bish-bash-bosh done, easy!
 | | At night, temperatures drop to freezing. |
It is now one year later, and the time is drawing ever nearer to when I will be taking part in the 20th Marathon Des Sables, an event many endurance experts claim to be the toughest footrace in the world!
The stages are split into legs of approximately 25, 34, 38, 82, 42, 22 km. On the fourth day, I will set off across the barren wilderness to complete a 52-mile stage. Few people complete this before dark that evening and some will not come in till after dark the next night. This is followed by the 26 mile marathon stage! Mental stamina probably constitutes at least 50 per cent of whether I will complete the distance or not. Physical fitness is important and to be honest maybe my training isn’t quite where I wanted it to be, my final year work seems to be getting in the way. | "On the fourth day, I will set off across the barren wilderness to complete a 52-mile stage." | | Matt Elliott |
Why am I still fooling myself I want to do this? There’s no single answer but I like a challenge, and, in the words of T S Eliot, “Only those who risk going too far can possible find out how far one can go.” I am also raising funds for a charity called Facing Africa.
 | | A competitors campsite. |
Facing Africa is the official charity of the race, and helps local children in the Sahara region suffering from a disease called Noma. It is a vicious and deadly gangrene that eats away the flesh around the mouth and face of children aged mainly up to six years. Around £500 will cover the costs of an operation on one of these children; imagine a new face for £500! I am hoping to raise over £4,000 to aid the work they are doing. So how can you show your support for me? Whether individually, or in a corporate sponsorship level, please check out my website by clicking on the link at the top right of this article. By following this link you can also get more information about me, the race, and the charity I am supporting. I will be writing an exclusive diary during the event that will be available here on the BBC Leicester Website, so check back here soon to find out if the Marathon Des Sables really is the toughest footrace in the world. |
