Your news: Dad completes epic race across the Sahara Desert

Richard Stevens finished the Marathon des Sables (Marathon of the Sands) - a six stage, 152 mile ultra marathon which takes place across six-days in a section of the Sahara Desert in Southern Morocco.

Not only do runners have to cope with temperatures that can easily reach 45 degrees, but they also have to carry all of their own equipment and supplies.

“It was an absolutely fantastic experience,” he told the Middy.

“It’s an amazing place, it’s so vast and desolate.

“It was really rather hot - it hit 52 degrees. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for years.”

Richard said he had heard about the race about 20 years ago, and completing it had been an ambition of his ever since.

Despite the obvious practical problems of carrying your belongings across the desert, Richard said dealing with this was mainly a question of preparation - figuring out how to get everything as light as possible, and stocking up on foods that offer the maximum number of calories per gram.

He relied on dehydrated meals, nuts and raisins, jully babies, Skittles, and a lot of sports drinks.

By the time he got back, Richard had raised £1,700 for Chestnut Treet House Children’s Hospice.

If you want to support Richard, you can visit his Justgiving page at: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Richard-Stevens19

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