1 Madman’s Mission.....2 Awesome Causes.....3 Huge Endurance Events.....!

Over 14 months, I’m taking on 3 epic endurance challenges:

1. the Marathon des Sables, a 270km race across the scorching sands of the Sahara;
2. the Sierra Leone Street Child Marathon, deep in the heart of West Africa; and
3. the HARP 24-hour endurance race in Southend, England

However, they're not just three races but a personal mission to raise awareness and funds for two incredible charities: Street Child and SAT-7.

THE THREE RACES

RACE 1: The Marathon des Sables, April 2026
According to Run247, "it’s often called the toughest foot race on earth. Across the Sahara Desert in blistering heat, it’s part ultra-marathon, part self-sufficient adventure, and part reckoning. If your body has a weakness, this kind of challenge is very likely to find you out.”

A six-day, multistage event over 270km, the longest continuous stage is 100km. Overnight, the temperature can drop to -6°C and in 2023 it exceeded 60°C during the day, all while carrying all my own food, cooking equipment, sleeping bag, mat…even toilet paper!

Race247 says “If competitors are in any doubt about the risks of putting their bodies through this incredible challenge, they only need look at the insurance race organisers take out for them…covering repatriation of their body and funeral costs necessary for transport.”

RACE 2: Sierra Leone Street Marathon, Oct 2026
Runners World Magazine call this "the craziest and most worthwhile marathon". Sierra Leone is one of the world’s poorest countries: 74% of people in rural areas live in poverty. Still recovering from a long civil war and devastating Ebola outbreak, COVID-19 only made it worse. In tropical heat, this marathon winds through both jungle and local villages, over some of the country's most stunning scenery. Runners also attend workshops to learn more about Street Child's work.

RACE 3: The HARP Southend 24-hour endurance race, June 2027
From noon Sat June 26th to noon Sun June 27th, I run as many laps of the woody, off-road, hilly 8k course as I can; morning, noon and night. This will be my 2nd outing; I was given a free place as a top-five fundraiser in 2025 and thought it would be a good 3rd event to this fundraising trilogy of madness, here!

Before this year's HARP 24-hour event my longest run was 48k, but I ran 112k and was placed 2nd across all 50+ age categories so, assuming I make it back alive from the Sahara and Sierra Leone, that’s the total to beat!

THE TWO CHARITIES

Charity 1: Street Child
Their mission is to see all children safe, in school and learning, especially in low resource environments. Working in 20+ of the world’s lowest-income and most disaster-affected countries, they’ve reached 1.5m children since 2008, including over half a million directly supported to access education. They provide emergency aid, build schools, train teachers, reunite families, develop livelihoods and help out-of-school children into education.

Charity 2: SAT-7
I’m proud to say my daughter works here, and I know their work is invaluable. SAT-7 broadcasts Christian programming across the Middle East and North Africa. Teams on the ground create powerful, faith-filled TV and digital content that brings joy to a region more familiar with conflict and persecution, encouraging and strengthening often-isolated Christians.

MY MISSION

Please help me in my mission to raise awareness and funds for these two incredible charities; I deeply appreciate your support in helping them make a difference in our troubled world.

Whether it’s £20, $250 or any other sum, your support will help:

• build schools and train teachers;
• support vulnerable children and families;
• broadcast educational and spiritual content to underserved communities; and
• empower hope in places where it’s often lacking, but truly needed.

Your support will also help me feel my inevitable - and significant - suffering is worth it!

Thank You!

Marty xx