I, Jay MacDonald, am taking part in the 2011 Marathon des Sables in the Moroccan Sahara Desert for the purpose of raising money for the Leukaemia and Blood Disease Research Appeal. I am a lifelong Coventry City supporter and long time season ticket holder/sufferer. I am also the current Secretary of Coventry City London Supporters Club.
The Leukaemia and Blood Disease Research Appeal was set up to further research into the causes of Leukaemia and Lymphoma and other blood disorders. Funds raised for the appeal are also used to develop new treatments for these disorders. The work is based in the Department of Haematology at University College London in the Cancer Institute which is a new state of the art research facility.
My aim is to raise £25,000 for the Leukaemia and Blood Disease Research Appeal and I have set up a website at www.sponsor-me.org/jaymds2011
The Marathon des Sables (MdS) is translated as 'Marathon of the Sands'. It is a multi day endurance ultramarathon of approximately 151 miles (243 km) and is set in the Sahara Desert in Morocco. The 2011 race will be the 26th running of the MdS and I will be leaving for the Sahara on 31 March 2011. The 151 miles is divided into 6 days (7 days for some) with stages of approximately 15.5, 21, 23.5, 51, 26 & 14 miles. The majority of the race is on the uneven, stony ground of the arid and uncompromising Saharan desert. Approximately 20% of it involves running up and down sand dunes of 300 foot in height. The MdS is totally self-sufficient, meaning that apart from water and medical supplies, I will have to carry all of my kit on my back weighing up to 12kg. This includes food and cooking equipment, clothes and sleeping bag. Water is strictly rationed at only 9 litres per day and temperatures regularly reach 50 degrees (120 Fahrenheit).
I have been training and preparing for the MdS for 15 months and have participated in various endurance events throughout the UK to prepare myself mentally and physically for this challenge.
For further information regarding the MdS, please visit -
www.darbaroud.com/index_uk.php
or www.saharamarathon.co.uk
If you have any further questions regarding the MdS, the Leukaemia and Blood Disease Research Appeal, or for an interview with myself, please do not hesitate to contact me on jaystuartmac@yahoo.com.