Kettering cafe co-owner swaps dessert for the desert with gruelling Sahara foot race

The co-owner of a Kettering cafe is set to test his limits by taking part in one of the world’s toughest foot races.

Paul Goodyear, who runs The Hut on the Ise Lodge estate with his sister, will fly out to Morocco today ahead of the Marathon des Sables (MdS).

The event sees competitors run the equivalent of six marathons in six days in the Sahara Desert while facing temperatures of 40C, all while carrying their own food, clothing and medical and sleeping equipment.

But Paul joked: "Sometimes I think MdS is easier than keeping up with the washing up in the coffee shop!”

The ex-Army man, who was in the Scots Guards and toured in Northern Ireland in 1990, is taking on the challenge to raise money for charity Walking With The Wounded.

They deliver employment, mental health, care and volunteering programmes with the NHS to get those who served back on their feet, whether they have been mentally, socially or physically wounded.

Paul, 50, said help was ‘non-existent’ when he left the armed forces and that it’s vital for those who have served.

He said: “Being an ex-serviceman I know all too well how important it is to give our troops all the help we can, bearing in mind what they have sacrificed for our country.”

The first stage of the MDS starts on Sunday (April 23) and Paul said he is feeling ‘nervous anticipation’ ahead of the challenge, which has been on his bucket list for years.

Having previously taken on ultra-marathons and ironman events he is no stranger to endurance challenges, but he’s never tested himself to this extent.

He’ll carry rehydration packs, protein flapjacks and high-calorie snacks such as biltong, dried mango and nuts with him to keep his energy up across the desert.

His training has also seen him run around Rutland Water – and to prepare himself for the conditions Paul did a week of heat acclimatisation in a heat chamber at University of Bedfordshire, replicating 35C and 50 per cent humidity.

He said: "I have done a lot of physical training so fitness-wise I should be okay but the challenge will be how I deal with the conditions – it will be so hot and dry.”

To donate to Paul’s cause visit https://givepenny.com/paulgoodyear_mds_2023.