Nichola McAlpine, from Midsomer Norton, has completed the achievement of a lifetime after finishing the Marathon Des Sables, a 252km self-sufficient ultra marathon across the Sahara Desert, carrying enough supplies for seven days and running in blistering heat.
Nichola took part in the race to raise funds for Walking with the Wounded, a charitable organisation that raises funds to retrain wounded military personnel for life outside the armed forces. The race, which began in 1986, has received increased media attention this year after Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Dave Heeley, the event's first blind runner, took part.
Talking about her participation in the event, Nichola said: "After completing Ironman Wales in 2013, I was looking for another challenge and came across this event. I remember watching it on TV when I was younger and thinking 'these people are crazy', however, I signed up. Once I had secured my place, which was self-funded, I approached Walking with the Wounded and offered to raise money for them. Working in the defence industry, this seemed an obvious choice, given the work they do with wounded military personnel."
The gruelling challenge took place from 5th – 11th April. Nichola said: "There I was on Easter Sunday, lined up to take part in what is billed as 'the toughest footrace on earth'. The long day was an emotional roller coaster, with the biggest ups and downs I've ever experienced. Going all through the night with no sleep was a challenge in itself, let alone the 26km of sand dunes they threw at us that night! The event is tough and saw around 100 competitors drop out over the course of the seven days, with various injuries such as infected blisters to broken ankles."
Having completed the marathon and, no doubt, pleased to be home, Nichola has currently raised over £2,000 for Walking with the Wounded and is almost at her target of £2,500. If you would like to donate to her cause, you can do so through her fundraising page, http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/nicholamcalpine">www.virginmoneygiving.com/nicholamcalpine
Nichola also wrote a blog about her experience, which can be found at: triyourlimit.wordpress.com/2015/04/17/marathon-des-sables/