Corby friends taking on legendary Marathon des Sables - 250km in six days in a desert

A pair of Corby friends will take on a six-day 250km marathon across the scorching Sahara desert in one of the world's most gruelling races.

Andy Slater, 44, and 43-year-old Duncan Short will fly out to Morocco on Friday (March 25) to join the hundreds of hopefuls who will be competing in the Marathon des Sables.

The two men will run the equivalent of six marathons in six days in up to 45C heat, with competitors having to carry their own food and kit - with water earned by reaching checkpoints.

As well as fulfilling a life-long ambition, Duncan will be running the marathon to raise funds for Cancer Research UK in memory of his late brother Steve McCoy.

He said: "Since I signed up, cancer has had a huge impact on my family. Having been in remission my mum's cancer returned in late 2019, this time incurable but she bravely continues to fight every day.

"In 2021, cancer also unexpectedly and devastatingly took my brother Steve. Completing this event is important to me, Steve was so supportive and proud of the challenge I am undertaking. He also said I was mad - he was right, you have to be to do this kind of event. My challenge is big, but not as big or unforgiving as the battle that cancer can inflict."

The ultra-marathon has been branded the toughest footrace on earth, with participants running across endless sand dunes, rocky jebels and white-hot salt plains.

Being used to long-distance endurance events Andy, a national account manager for Sysco Speciality Group in Corby, has completed a number of Iron Man races including the challenging Norseman in Norway. Duncan, a director with RSM UK, has ran multiple marathons including London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Paris and the original from Marathon to Athens.

To prepare their bodies for the intense heat, the runners have been training in a special environmental chamber at the University of Bedfordshire's Human Performance Centre.

They also travelled to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands to train on sand.

Both men had been inspired to compete in the race after seeing it featured on TV when they were children.

Duncan said: "As a young teenager I would watch Transworld sport on Channel 4. It was the kind of programme that introduced you to sport around the world, providing coverage of those events that weren't mainstream. One week a foot race got my attention - something got engrained in my memory and ever since it has been a life-long ambition to take part in the Marathon des Sables.

"After several years of talking about it amongst ourselves, in 2019 Andy and I signed up for the 2020 edition. Then Covid came and plans where shelved, not once but twice."

As well as carrying all their dehydrated food rations, the friends will be armed with an anti-venom kit and a GPS emergency alarm button.

Duncan said: "I want to raise as much as possible. Research suggests one in two of us will get cancer. It doesn't have to be a death sentence, my mother-in-law, aunt and cousin have all won their personal battles over the years through the treatment they received. The work Cancer Research UK does can help in turning the odds in our favour."

He added: "I'll be thinking of Steve - it will motivate me to the finishing line."

To donate to Duncan's fundraising Just Giving page to support Cancer Research UK click here.