Marathon des Sables

[p]I am 20 year old under-graduate at Plymouth Marjon University with some experience of outdoor adventure activity - DofE Gold, charity work and trekking in the Himalayan foothills of Nepal, walking in the Atlas mountains of Morocco and a qualified RNLI beach life guard. Fit and active, I decided to take on a challenge to push myself and prove that when you set your mind to do something anything is possible. To that end, I have entered what has been described as the “ toughest foot-race on earth” the Marathon Des Sables(MdS) in support of Walking with the Wounded.[/p][p]The MdS is a gruelling multi stage/multi day marathon in the Sahara desert of Southern Morocco. I will be taking on 6 marathons in six days, covering 250 kms in temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius. Day 4 is the day of legends or “Double Day” where we will be expected to complete two marathons in one day rising early and finishing in the dark. The race will be run over sand dunes, rocky mountains and river beds and we will be self sufficient for the 6 days carrying all the kit we require apart from water and tents which will be provided along the route. [/p][p]Coming from a military family, and as a past head cadet at Seaford College CCF, I have chosen to complete the event on behalf of Walking with the Wounded on the 10th anniversary of their participation in the MdS I will be the youngest member of this year’s team consisting a mix of current serving and former members of all the armed services as well as a few civilians.[/p][p][i]Established in 2010, Walking With The Wounded supports a pathway for vulnerable veterans to re-integrate back into society and sustain their independence. At the heart of this journey is employment.[/i][/p][p][i]We recognise the inherent skills of our armed service personnel and want to complement these qualities, as well as provide support to transfer their skills into the civilian workplace. We offer assistance through our programmes to those vulnerable veterans who have been physically, mentally or socially disadvantaged by their service and assist them in sustaining their independence through new sustainable careers outside of the military. This includes providing support to homeless veterans and veterans in the Criminal Justice System, areas which are too often ignored.[/i][/p][p][i]The outcome? Sustainable employment, and independence for them and their families.[/i][/p][p]To complete the event will require hours of training and plenty of blood sweat and tears but with the support of friends and family I hope to rise to the challenge and raise as much as I can for this wonderful charity. I would be grateful if you could support me and help me reach my goal of £5000 .[/p][p]https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/DouglasHayter[/p][p]Thank you [/p][p][br][/p][p][br][/p][p][br][/p]