A planning consultant from the Cardiff office of independent property adviser GVA is planning to swop his desk for the desert as he prepares to undertake the world’s toughest footrace next month.
Long distance runner Owain Griffiths is currently in training for the Marathon des Sables – a six day, 151 mile (243km) endurance race across the Sahara desert in Morocco.
Starting on Sunday 8th April, he will run the equivalent of a marathon every day in extreme temperatures of up to 50C (120F) while carrying all of his food, medical supplies, clothes, sleeping bag and equipment. He will be crossing a changing terrain of dunes, hard sand and pebbles.
Owain comments, “I expect this to be the toughest challenge I’ve ever undertaken. It will push me both physically and mentally to the absolute limits. ”
As part of his training he’s doing the Barcelona Marathon on the 26th March and, in an attempt to ‘acclimatise’ for the searing heat of the Sahara, he’s attending regular sessions at Yogafever, where classes are held in a yoga studio heated to 35C!
Owain’s no stranger to ultra long distance running, having run 36 marathons and ultra marathons around the world, including Comrades Marathon, which is the world’s largest and oldest ultramarathon of 90km (56 miles) in South Africa.
Owain is raising money for GVA’s chosen charity in Cardiff, Tŷ Hafan Children’s Hospice.
Owain says “The Marathon des Sables event is regarded as the world’s toughest footrace, so it is a great challenge. It is also a great opportunity to raise money along the way for Tŷ Hafan, who help life-limited children and young people make the most of the time they have left with their families.”
If anyone would like to support Owain and Tŷ Hafan, you can do so by donating through Just Giving: www.justgiving.com/Owain-GriffithsMdS