On April 5, I am participating again in the Marathon Des Sables, an epic, 6-day, 156 mile race in the Sahara Desert that is considered one of the toughest foot races on Earth!. As I was last year, I will be part of a team that includes severely injured Warfighters as well as civilian athletes from the U.S. and U.K.
Our team will be carrying all of our gear and food over steep sand dunes, salt flats, mountains and rocks through some of the harshest conditions possible. Sand storms, windy conditions and temperatures that can reach 120 degrees are all possible in the Sahara. That, with temperatures that can drop to just above freezing at night are all part of the fun!
We’re racing to support Disabled Sports USA, a charity I care a great deal about as a Board Member and we’re asking for your help. Last year we were able to raise $100,000 and we’re looking to exceed that this year.
Here’s just some of issues we faced last year after we had completed the race:
They call the Marathon Des Sables one of the hardest footraces on earth and I now know why. Our team tshirts had: “Beyond your Limits” emblazoned on them, for good reason. In our tent, #89, we battled through the following ailments from just the 5 of us:
- Cough
- Cold
- Pink Eye
- Onset of pneumonia
- Blisters (on every conceivable part of the feet and from ok to horrendous)
- Septicemia
- Tear in psoas muscle
- Chafing of some VERY uncomfortable places…….
We were all, as we called it, on the “Pain Train” and all of us had First Class seats.
As we loved it so much we all decided what a great idea to go back and do it all again. It’s the same team however we’re fortunate enough to have Amy Winters with us this year. She too, like one of our severely wounded vets, lost one of her legs through a terrible accident. We have 10 good legs between us, that’s plenty!
Disabled Sports USA serves 60,000 wounded warfighters and civilians annually by providing adaptive sports opportunities across the U.S. in more than 50 different sports.
Since 1967, Disabled Sports USA has covered the costs of adaptive sports participation for warfighters and civilians with severe, permanent disabilities, including adaptive instruction, adaptive sports equipment, accessible transportation, lodging and facilities.
Please help us by supporting Disabled Sports USA and help athletes with disabilities experience the power of sports. We know first hand what a difference this makes and it truly saves lives.
We absolutely appreciate whatever you are able to do.
