A CITY businessman is about to run the ‘toughest footrace on earth’ to raise thousands of pounds for the NSPCC.
Guy Dunwoody, 38 and a marketing director at Travel Management Group in Leamington, will run the Marathon Des Sables on April 10 in the Moroccan Sahara.
In temperatures reaching 120F, Guy will spend six days running, walking and trekking across 150 miles of rocky, stony ground and sand dunes in what is said to be the world’s toughest footrace.
“It will be the equivalent of 5.5 marathons, only in extreme conditions and fighting high temperatures, sand storms and blisters!” said Guy, who will also be carrying on his back everything he will need for six days, other than water.
“Some of my family and friends are questioning my sanity but what is life without a few challenges thrown in along the way. From what I understand the event is about getting tired, hungry, hot and sunburnt.”
Guy hopes to raise £11,000 – every penny of which will go to the NSPCC as he is paying all his own expenses.
Training began last August and he has run a dozen long distance races, including winning the Iceman Trail Run and the CTS Dover Half-marathon, coming second in the Trailscape South Marathon and fifth in the 66-mile Pilgrims Challenge. He has also been using a heat acclimation chamber at Silverstone.
A former sprinter with Coventry Godiva Harriers, who also played rugby for Bablake School, Guy began long distance running with the London Marathon in 1999. Since then he has run marathons in such cities as Valencia, Barcelona, Florence and Pisa; Ironman challenges in France, Germany and Austria; and other endurance events in Denmark and Canada.
Anyone wanting to sponsor Guy and support the NSPCC can visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MDS-Guy
