<div>At the end of April 2023, I will be taking on a rather large challenge called the Marathon des Sables. Pitted as "The Toughest Footrace on Earth", physically it involves 6 days running over 250 km across the endless sand dunes, rocky jebels and white-hot salt plains of the Sahara Desert in Southern Morocco, carrying everything I need to survive on my back (bar a tent, they throw us that little bone). Mentally, it is the ultimate challenge – an experience like no other in the world. I firmly believe it will simultaneously be the absolute worst and unequivocal best experience of my life.
</div>
<div><br />
</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/68808481_1666102164524461_r." width="100%" />
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I have only been running for 1.5 years, it will be a grand total of 2 years when I set foot on the start line of the 2023 MdS, so this is no inconsiderable challenge for me. Those of you who know me know I'm not a natural runner; I do not have what may be called a 'classic' runners physique, in fact I'm far more at home in/on the sea and find running a real challenge in itself. So why MdS? Well it would appear that, in addition to a huge base of stubborn pig-headedness, I seem to be able to keep going steadily for a fair distance (maximum so far in one go is 37 miles, and over 3 days 80 miles). I won't be breaking any land speed records, but after completing the Atlantic Coast Challenge last October (3 marathons, 3 days, on the North Cornwall coast path) I was looking for a slightly bigger challenge. Once I could get shoes back on again (the blisters were fiendish) and the entries opened, I leapt straight into the very deepest of deep ends, not a single floatation aid in sight, and signed up for the Marathon des Sables in 2023.
</div>
<div><br />
</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/68808481_1666102738447576_r." width="100%" />
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I was on the fence about asking for sponsorship, primarily as I didn't want the extra pressure that comes with it. After attending the MdS Expo 2023 recently, however, I have been told in no uncertain terms that, at some point in the wilds of the Sahara, I will need every ounce of pressure I can get to keep me moving forward and mentally push on through.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I've chosen to support the The Coastguard Association. While people are often familiar with HM Coastguard, they don't usually realise that the teams of people who undertake the rescues are all volunteers, and not paid employees of the government. I didn't realise this until I volunteered myself a couple of years ago, joined the local team and am now part of a busy crew regularly heading out to undertake cliff, mud and water rescues in the area. The Coastguard Association helps Coastguard personnel (serving and retired) and their dependents, from all over the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man, in times of genuine hardship, poverty or distress.
</div>
<div><br />
</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/68808481_1666103488506382_r." width="100%" />
<div><br />
</div>
<div>You never know when you'll need to call 999 and ask for the Coastguard, be it for yourself or someone you can see in trouble, but I think most of us will spend some time at the coast at some point in our lives. So for all those volunteers who drop everything when the pager goes and run out to the rescue, please consider sponsoring me to drag my sorry self through 250 km of scorching desert sand, carrying everything I need to survive for a week. Every penny will help.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I am documenting the journey leading up to the MdS on my Instagram account @faliforniadreaming please feel free to come along and follow for the ride!
</div>

Paul Wickes

Caroline Lewin

Graham Leigh

Judy Morse

Sue Hazel

Jessica Newton

Alison Owen

James Fisher

Nicola Octon

Sue Smith

Rebecca Micklethwaite

Helen Burghall

Helen Smith

Blue Whiting

Sarah Knockton

Alison Duddell

Clive and Helen Trewin

Alex Nicholls-Lee

Ian Cooke

Kimberley Watson

From Sea to Sand - 250km, 6 days, Sahara Desert

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

currencyCode

Money Box Donation List Prompt Experiment Audience

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

NPO upsell education category

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

NPO recommendations prod

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

Native 11.3.0 and above

ai_title_page

anyword

openai

control

manual_entry

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

categoryGroup

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

NPO upsell animals category

NPO upsell disaster relief category

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

NPO upsell essential needs category

NPO upsell medical category

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

NPO upsell cancer category

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

Enter your donation forFrom Sea to Sand - 250km, 6 days, Sahara Desert