An article from the Haslemere Herald – March 2006
The Marathon des Sable is a 243km/151 mile race through the Sahara Desert made up of six legs between 22 and 82 kilometres, run over six days and is the equivalent of five-and-a-half regular marathons run day after day.
As if the vast distances which have to be covered were not enough to worry about, Luke will be carrying a 25kg rucksack containing all the food, clothes and equipment neccessary to complete the race.
But the biggest burden to bear is the large quantity of water which each runner has to carry to survive the desert heat. It will be rationed and handed out at each checkpoint, but the runners must be careful to make it last between the stops, all this in temperatures up to 120oF/50oC.
Luke Gamble, now based in South Hampshire and Dorset, grew up in Headley Down. He attended Headley Infant School, The Heights, Woolmer Hill School and Alton Sixth Form College before training as a vet at Bristol University. Luke has also enjoyed a challenge and four years ago complete the Austrian Iron Man competition, which he attempted without any previous experience.
As the founder of WVS, Luke has paid the £2,000 entry fee himself so that any money raised will go directly towards improving the treatment and welfare of all animal species throughout the world. The WVS achieves this by providing assistance to animal weflare organisations in the form of veterinary and non-veterinary volunteers, medicines, equipment and advice. It also conducts education programmes beneficial to both animal and human populationsn and promotes and conducts research into animal welfare related issues.
You can sponsor Luke or make a donation on the charity’s website www.WVS.org.uk.
