Former Mansfield soldier Chris Vasper has returned from conquering the most gruelling footrace in the world.

Chris completed the Marathon des Sables (MdS), running 250km over six days through the Moroccan Sahara desert carrying all his equipment and food on his back.

Competitors ran a marathon each day and a double marathon in 35 hours during another stage before camping out each night.

Chris, a former Special Telegraphist in the Army, who now runs his own printing business, The Quill Press, in Mansfield, was part of a 20-strong group tackling the event in aid of Walking With The Wounded (WWTW). He described the team as exceptional.

WWTW supports injured Servicemen and women to gain training and qualifications so that they can find employment when they have left the military.

The runners raised more than £200,000 for two WWTW projects — Head Start, which helps Service personnel with mental health injuries.

Chris said mental health problems for veterans, which were often hidden, were increasing and were only going to get worse.
Chris, who hadn’t run with a backpack for 25 years, decided to tackle the challenge after following the progress of a friend in last year’s event.

“The whole thing was fabulous,” he told Mansfield 103.2’s Jason Harrison. “They say it is a life-changing experience and that is what I found. It was incredibly emotional.

“The very first stage was brutal. After just two miles they took us over some of the biggest sand dunes in the world for another eight miles… it took us four hours to get out of them.

“We faced head-winds and sand storms going through the Mergouza Desert on that first stage so the organisers had to increase the time limit for some competitors — it was that bad.

“I thought if it was going be like that for another five day it would be brutal, but they did say it would be the hardest Marathon des Sables ever.

“I treated it as a race from checkpoint to checkpoint, which are about six or seven miles apart.

“You lived for those checkpoints, where you got some rations of water, a rest and a chance to get out of the sun. Most days it was between 42 degrees and 45 degrees.

“I lost a stone in weight. It was surreal, but I enjoyed every minute of it. My favourite part was the long stage — we had already done two and a half marathons and then we had to do another 52 miles in 35 hours running through the night. It was emotional.”

Chris said one of the best moments came when he persuaded an Australian runner who was about to quit to keep going.
He will also cherish the final checkpoint — following a 17.5km charity run at the end of the marathons — when he received his medal and was given a hug by the event’s founder, Patrick Bauer.

Chris, who hobbled back to the UK with blisters, finished 808th out of 1,200 runners — around 120 also dropped out, some with broken bones.

“The time wasn’t important to me,” he said. “I just wanted to complete it.”

He planned the desert challenge for more than a year and told the NewsJournal he wanted to thank those who helped with his meticulous preparations and sponsored his efforts.

“Neil Lack at Alfreton Insurance; Dave and Mary Blount, of Blounts Estate Agents; Andy Saunders and AFC Mansfield helped tremendously with my insurance, equipment and food for the MdS,” he said.

“I also want to say thanks to the people who made countless donations and sent me fantastic messages of support while in the desert.

“My parents were fundraising whirlwinds for me and, of course, I want to thank my long-suffering family — Shona, Dan and Alex — for putting up with this for over a year.”

Chris’ running challenge has inspired the rest of his family. His son, Dan, completed the London Marathon and his wife, Shona, is to tackle a Pretty Mudder charity race.

People can still add to Chris’s fundraising, go to http://uk.virgin moneygiving.com/chrisvasper