11 September 2007
An Irish banking consultant has fought through the pain of injured knees and serious blisters to complete the 'toughest footrace on Earth' and raise money for Thames Reach.
Chris Gibson, from financial services firm Troika, completed the Marathon des Sables – or ‘Marathon of the Sands’ – in March, raising over £12,000 in sponsorship.
The race is held in the Moroccan Sahara over seven days. Competitors ran 140 miles – or more than five marathons – over the difficult desert terrain, ranging from flat plains to huge sand dunes and rocky hills.
They carried their entire week’s supply of food and equipment on their backs, while each day temperatures rose above 40ºC, with the mercury hitting 48ºC on the hottest day.
Chris prepared for the race by doing cross training sessions through the week and two 20-mile runs on weekends. “The irony of an Irishman running across the cliffs of the North Antrim coast in the driving rain while training for a race in the Sahara was never lost on me,” he said.
During the race, Chris dealt with not only the scorching heat and dehydration, but also the pain in his knees, which he had injured during training, and feet. “At the end of each day I took off my trainers to be greeted with the worst blisters I have ever seen,” he said.
The most gruelling stage was the fourth day, in which competitors ran over 44 miles. Chris followed a routine of “taking six Endurolyte tablets hourly to stop my muscles from cramping, drinking water every 15 minutes and taking salt tablets to keep dehydration at bay”, as well as eating every 20 minutes to keep up his carbohydrates.
Despite this, his body ‘hit the wall’ nine hours into the stage. “At the bottom of yet another sand dune I started to feel nauseous and my legs felt like they were running through jelly. I needed to eat but felt too ill. I spent the next 4km concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, trusting I would finally reach the next checkpoint.
“It took me 17 hours in all to complete the stage and I got back to the tent at 2.30am knowing I had just been through the toughest thing I had ever done.”
Chris’s knees and feet held out for the next two stages, and he completed the race in 518th position, having raised a total of £12,132.50 for Thames Reach, well over his target of £10,000.
“I am so proud to have been part of this race and even prouder about the fact that I completed it,” Chris said. “I sincerely hope that this money can help Thames Reach to make a difference to the homeless on the streets of London.
“People have asked me what next, but all I can commit to at the moment is that the next challenge won’t be in the desert!!”
Thames Reach is a sponsored charity of the Troika Foundation, a charitable vehicle through which employees of the firm can give back to the community in which they work and live. The Foundation sponsored Chris to the value of over £4000, while individual Troika staff were also very generous in their donations.
Read more on how you or your organisation can raise money for Thames Reach.
