A Colby man was among the top 100 finishers at the end of a 160-mile race across a desert, dubbed the ‘toughest footrace on earth’.
Oliver Walker, who is 25 and went to Buchan School, ran in the Marathon des Sables which takes place in the Sahara Desert in Morocco.
On average the course works out to be a marathon a day for six days, although the fourth stage is a gruelling 50 miles long.
He ran the race for children’s charity Hope for Children, which is involved in projects across Africa, Asia and the UK to educate, make healthy and empower the lives of disadvantaged children.
Oliver now lives in London, working as an insurance broker, but his parents Charlotte and Paul still live in Colby.
Asked how it felt to finish the epic races Oliver said: ‘It was a huge relief. Quite emotional, as it was not only the end of the week but also the end of six months of hard training and sacrifice.
‘I finished 97th with a time of 34 hours and 21 minutes, out of a field of around 1,200 that started. Only around 950 competitors finished the race.’
Oliver has so far raised £6,918 and hopes to reach a target of £8,000.
Growing up in the island Oliver was a keen fencer and won a fencing scholarship to Harrow School.
He said: ‘I signed up to the Marathon Des Sables without ever having run a marathon.
‘The hardest thing was trying not to let the thought of the remaining distance of however many miles overwhelm me.
‘This was matched also by trying to run in the heat of the day across baking earth while carrying a heavy backpack.’
‘It was a great week and I enjoyed every step of the race. I think my success was down to a few things, most of which were lucky, namely a lack of blisters, injuries or illness. Also thinking correctly and listening to my body – taking on water, salt and food regularly.’
Oliver said that he would do it again, but not anytime soon, and that the best thing about the experience was the ‘bringing together of hundreds of like-minded people and seeing the power of the human spirit in action – the camaraderie.’
He added: ‘It was the best, richest and most rewarding experience I have had and definitely something that I would recommend to everyone.
‘It pushes you towards your mental and physical limits requiring you to draw on your character. It was everything I wanted it to be and more.’
He was given approximately 11 litres of water a day and shelter – a bivouac – but had to carry food and camping gear which weighed roughly 8-9kg.
During one of the previous races an Italian man got lost for 10 days in the desert before being rescued by a nomadic tribe in Algeria.
You can still donate Oliver’s Hope for Children cause by visiting mds2016.everydayhero.com/uk/oliver