Morocco Marathon Madness

Dear All

Morocco's stunning Atlas Mountains are home to some of Africa's most dramatic landscapes and diverse wildlife. They are also extremely remote, with few roads and infrastructure, and are very difficult to navigate, let alone survive. It is in this area where one of the most arduous and punishing races takes place, the Marathon des Sables (The Marathon of Sand).

Billed as "the toughest footrace on Earth" the marathon covers 250 kilometres (equivalent to 6 back-to-back marathons) in 7 days through mountains, desert and unforgivable 45 degree C heat. Blisters, heat exhaustion and sunburn are just some of the obstacles the participants will have to battle against as well as the physical demands of running this distance. On top of this, runners must be entirely self-sufficient throughout the race and must carry all the equipment they need. The only assistance given is water at checkpoints and basic shelter at night.

Needless to say, many of the competitors don't finish. While a number of the competitors are accomplished endurance athletes, many are just normal people, from heart surgeons and ex-soldiers to plumbers and beauticians, all looking for adventure. To date only one fatality has happened during the race and one year a runner was lost in the desert for 9 days before being found alive. However, many runners have to be carried off the desert on crutches because they can no longer walk.

As part of a 5-yearly insanity programme that I am on, I will be joining 600 other entrants from over 30 countries (including SA) in trying to complete the race in April. Some of you may have noticed that I am doing less yoga and cultivating a camel hump around my abdomen - now you know the reason. Please don't ask me why because I honestly don't have a good reason but in an attempt to do it for a good cause I am raising money for what is an extremely worthwhile charity. Home from Home (PBO 930018003) is a Cape-based small charity that provides supported and supervised foster care for orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children - making a dent in the horrific 28 500 that are abandoned in this country annually. Having been out to see some of the homes that the House mothers and children share, as well as feeling comfortable that the money raised goes to the beneficiaries rather than administrators, we have decided to try and raise enough money to build a 'Moksha' house which will host 6 abandoned children
( www.homefromhome.org.za ). A daunting figure of R 250 000 can only be achieved with generous and broad support so I appeal to all of you to consider one of the following:

1) sponsoring an amount of money per completed kilometre

2) sponsoring an amount contingent on me finishing

3) donating an amount irrespective of the race outcome

If you would like to pledge an amount please reply via return mail and we will contact you again at the end of April to arrange payment. Any amount over the cost of the house would go towards the running costs of that house.

If a 1000 people commit R 250 on average (or even 500 at R 500 - only R 2 a km) we can achieve the target, so if you feel inclined please feel free to forward this message on to anyone you think might be interested. In addition there are opportunities for corporates who may want to get some publicity and exposure from the event - please ask for details. Thank you in anticipation as we change the world, one child at a time.

Kind regards,
Chris and the Moksha team