The day has arrived for Coastguard Rescue Officer Rachel Nicolls-Lee as the Marathon des Sables gets underway!
Over the last few days, Rachel has finished packing her running kit, travelled to Morocco, arrived at the first bivouac, completed technical and medical checks, had her pack weighed to ensure it meets the requirements, fitted tracking and emergency beacons and within the next two hours will set off on the day 1 of the 37th Marathon des Sables!
Described as the toughest footrace on earth, the Marathon des Sables is an ultra-marathon which takes participants 250km through the Sahara Desert over six days, carrying everything they need for the entire time with the exception of a tent.
Despite being in the middle of the Sahara Desert, you can track Rachel’s progress online and send her messages of support thanks to the wonders of modern technology. Visit https://live.marathondessables.com/en/ and click on ‘Access The Live’ to track Rachel or click on ‘Write to a runner’ to send her a message.
Rachel’s run number is 1168 and tent number (required for messages) is 93.
You can donate to Rachel’s epic fundraising challenge at https://www.gofundme.com/f/from-sea-to-sand with all money raised going to The Coastguard Association – the charity dedicated to supporting Coastguard personnel and their families in their time of need.
MdS Photo: Franck Oddoux