Peter Birkett
& The Marathon des Sables
in aid of the
NSPCC
The sort of terrain Peter will be covering (A picture from last years race)
The seven pillars of wisdom?
It would be lucky if he has one!
For the last 18
months, Peter Birkett has been preparing for one of the most intense
physical challenges it is possible to take - The Marathon Des Sables. He
has been pounding the streets of Huddersfield for an average of 12 hours per
week in an effort to prep
are
his middle aged body for 6 days of hell.
The full details of this insanity are that Peter will be expected to run 243km in six days across the Sahara desert in Morocco in temperatures of about 120 degrees, carrying all his clothes, food, tent etc in a rucksack. The stages vary in length but one is 82km long (51.2 miles) or about 2 marathons, and for good measure it includes a hill the size of Ben Nevis! With very good reason is this event called “the toughest footrace on earth”. Talking of feet, people finish this race with their feet three sizes bigger than at the start. One guy has died and one got lost for three days and lost 40lbs. This is a serious event!
The effort involved in preparing for this is truly staggering as is the enormity of the task he faces. Why would anyone do this, especially a 42 year old family man with a fairly sedentary job in the computer industry? A major reason is the desire to support the marvelous work of the NSPCC. The NSPCC is a wonderful charity doing heartbreaking work. The NSPCC's mission is to end cruelty to children. Their vision is “a society in which all children are loved, valued and able to fulfill their potential; a society that will not tolerate child abuse - whether sexual, physical, emotional, or neglect. “
A challenge of awe-inspiring magnitude for a wonderful cause - support it now. Send an email pledging your support for as much as you can afford (and then add a bit more) to peterb@keytech.co.uk or send a cheque, payable to the NSPCC, to “Peter of Arabia, Keytech Managed Services, Millgate, Market Street, Shawforth, Rochdale. OL12 8NX. If you have any questions, other than “are you mad?”, then please phone Peter on 01706 897122