Kidderminster postman to run Marathon des Sables

Shaun Marshall will be participating in a six-day ultramarathon across the Sahara desert

A postman is to run an ultra-marathon in the Sahara desert to raise money for a local hospice.

Shaun Marshall, 49, from Kidderminster, will participate in the Marathon des Sables from April 21.

He is set to travel to Morocco to run the 251km (156 mile) race over a period of six days.

Mr Marshall said he had also been inspired to fundraise for his colleague's five-year-old grandson, Freddie, who has cerebral palsy.

Translating to the Marathon of the Sands, the Marathon des Sables is widely regarded as the "toughest footrace on earth" and is the length of six regular marathons.

The "self-sufficient" race requires competitors to carry everything they need with them during the competition, including backpack's containing food and sleeping equipment.

Mr Marshall, a former Royal Marine before he became a postman, described how he had been training whilst on his rounds at work.

He said his job enabled him to walk several miles a day, and that he had participated in longer runs in the evenings and on weekends.

He has taken part in a number of UK marathons in the past, including the 100-mile Enduroman in the Forest of Dean, where he finished first place, as well as a 24-hour Santa Fun Run.

But this trek will see him run or walk across rough terrain in desert, where temperatures regularly reach highs of 50 degrees.

"I'm going down to the bare necessities really, if I don't need it, I won't take it," Mr Marshall explained.

"I'll be carrying 10 kilos on me, including food, medical supplies and a sleeping system.

"We will sleep in a tent at night in the desert," he added.

Mr Marshall wants to raise money for Kidderminster-based Kemp Hospice, which offers specialist care to families facing life-limiting illnesses.

He has also set a fundraising target of £500 for Freddie and the children's charity Tree of Hope.

"I work with his grandad and he said he needs a lot of money for treatment," he said, explaining that Freddie had previously travelled abroad for therapies which were not available in the UK.

"He goes to the USA for treatment, as we don't do it here in this country, so he really relies on fundraising."