The organisers provide water, but it’s rationed, and only available at the checkpoints, and isn’t just for drinking but for washing and cooking too. I’ve got my pack down to about 12kg; the elite runners will have theirs down to about 6.5kg.
I’m raising money for Scope because my goddaughter Zoe has cerebral palsy and I’ve seen first-hand the difference Scope makes
to her life. She is disabled on the left side of her body, wears a calliper on her leg, and is deaf, yet turns 12 this year and cracks on with life. She performs in dance competitions where she has to feel the beat, she climbs, swims and has completed a 5k race for life – she’s phenomenal.
Scope has funded a tricycle for her so she can go on family bike rides, and an iPad to help with her school work; the charity provides support on a case-by-case basis. Plus Scope is great at fighting for equal opportunities for disabled people. Zoe came out on a training run with me a couple of weeks ago and texted me afterwards to ask how my legs were feeling as hers were sore. I know I’ll think back to that conversation when I’m at my lowest points in the desert and take lots of inspiration from it because for me the pain will only be temporary, Zoe lives with it every day.
By the time you read this, I’ll have – hopefully! – completed the Marathon des Sables and at the time of writing am deep in the training. It’s been all-consuming and I think my family are ready for it to be over. It’s not possible to fit a 20-mile run into your lunch break so I’ve been getting up at 4 am to run before work. I know how much my daughters like me to wake them up before school, so the other day when my run hadn’t gone well and I realised I wasn’t going to be back in time, I did a diversion back home, woke them up, then headed back out again! I’m looking forward to the adventure but I’m also very nervous. I’ll be out of comms for a week in the desert and I just don’t want to come last.