The ultimate challenge
Not content with surviving the gruelling 330km ICT cycle through Kerala in southern India, Phoenix action men/idiots (delete as required) Pete Hammond and Sven Hughes are set to ‘up the ante’ after signing on the dotted line to run the Marathon des Sables in 2007.
With descriptions of the 500 participants as ‘lunatics’ and ‘masochists’ being bandied about, it is not surprising to learn that this six-day/243km endurance race across the Sahara Desert in Morocco is billed as “the toughest foot race on Earth”.
With mid-day temperatures soaring to 120ºF across a terrain comprising uneven, rocky ground and sand dunes, carrying all your food and clothing for the week, the race is not for the faint hearted whether at the peak of physical fitness or not. In fact, race promoter Chris Lawrence links individual success with mental stamina, a fact that is certain to spur Pete and Sven on even more.
Time will tell though if a daily 14 hour existence in front of a computer terminal has prepared them mentally. In the meantime Pete and Sven, our dynamic duo, will be busy training and raising money for their respective charities, Mencap and Alzheimer’s Society.
 |
|
