Birmingham Business Man On Track For Sahara Challenge

Ian Hall, Director of Banking at Birmingham-based Wesleyan Assurance Society is to take part in the gruelling Marathon des Sables, the so-called Toughest Foot Race in the World, after raising £10,000 for charity with the Society's help.

Ian, 48, will fly out to Morocco on 31 March for the six day, 150 mile run across the Sahara desert. He is running to raise money for the charity Facing Africa, which aims to treat and raise awareness of NOMA disease, a gangrenous infection which kills tens of thousands of children every year and leaves survivors with severe facial disfigurement.

The Marathon des Sables requires entrants to run the equivalent of almost six marathons over six days in temperatures up to 48°C, all while carrying a rucksack containing, medical supplies, a sleeping bag and food for the duration of the event

Ian said: "Having completed many marathons in the UK previously, the Marathon des Sables seemed the ideal way to challenge myself in an extreme competition while raising money for charity.

"I'm feeling confident about completing the event, and with my previous running experience the distance and even the weight of carrying the rucksack isn't too daunting. The unknown factor is the temperature, which will be much hotter than I'm used to running in."

Ian reached his £10,000 fundraising target with the help of a £5,000 donation from Wesleyan Assurance Society.

Ian said: "The £10,000 I have raised will pay for 10 facial reconstruction operations for NOMA sufferers. I'm extremely grateful to my friends and colleagues for their donations, as well as to Wesleyan Assurance Society for its generous donation of £5,000 towards this very worthy cause."

To prepare for the high temperatures, Ian's training has included runs in the mountains of Southern Spain, and in the week before he travels he'll spend five one-hour sessions at the Porsche Human Performance Centre at Silverstone, which includes a heat acclimatisation facility designed to help racing drivers compete in hot countries.