Desert race dad pulls in funds in memory of twins
8:50am Wednesday 2nd May 2012 in NewsBy David Wiles
DETERMINED father Adrian May has completed a gruelling run across the Sahara Desert to raise charity cash for a children’s charity in memory of his twins.
Adrian, of Bishopstone, headed out to Ouarzazate, in Morocco, last month to conquer the Marathon des Sables – a 150-mile, seven-day run through the blistering heat of the desert.
The 51-year-old raised about £9,000 in sponsorship for HOPE For Children, a small grass roots charity that helps children and their families around the world.
And Adrian, a transformation manager at Castrol, hopes his employer will match-fund this sponsorship.
He estimates he has raised £50,000 for charities following the death of his daughters Olivia and Imogen, who died at just 11 and 13 days old respectively after being born prematurely in 1998.
In the race, Adrian, a father-of-three, came in 676th place out of 850 starters and 791 finishers. One runner suffered a heart attack and emergency flares had to be let off to get assistance.
Adrian said the race was brutal – he suffered foot injuries and lost 3.5kg – but he says he wants to do it again in a better time.
“I’m very proud of myself,” he said. “For the first four days it was about finishing.
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“But in the last two days, when I realised I could actually compete, it was more than just about finishing, and I started to push myself harder. And that’s why I want to do it again, because I think I could go a little bit faster.”
Adrian had to take with him everything he needed to keep going, with organisers only providing 12 litres of water and tents to sleep in. There was a travelling foot clinic which at one point treated 600 toes an hour for blisters.
Adrian said: “Two days before the end, my feet were so blistered that I had to cut holes in my trainers – but there were people worse than me.”
Even though he is still recovering from this challenge, Adrian plans to tackle the Neolithic Marathon, from Avebury toStonehenge, on Sunday and plans to tackle other charity runs in his daughters’ memory.
“I do it to keep their memory alive,” he said.
“And I always do it for a children’s charity.
“It would be nice to think my twins were proud of me.”
Sponsor Adrian at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl= AdrianMay.
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