Business lecturer Julie Warnock’s fundraising Sahara desert double marathon challenge has left her with a thirst to train for more adventures.
Julie, who has just turned 50 years-of age, has been regularly working out with 50kg weights over the past six months to prepare for her Moroccan marathon challenge from 10-15 October, to try to raise £1550 in aid of McMillan Cancer Support.
In the end she managed to raise a total of £1,571 and she managed to finish in the top 20 out of 120 participants.
The UNESCO World Heritage Draa Valley provided the dramatic backdrop for her Saharan adventure where she covered two marathon distances in two days across endless sand dunes and rocky trails. However, there was upside and after a tough day under the Moroccan sun, she was able to relax in a private Bedouin campsite with luxurious showers and sleep under the stars… all for a good cause!
Julie, said: “It was awesome, one of the best experiences of my life. To gauge how much I enjoyed it, all you need to know is that when I was at Marrakesh airport waiting on the flight home, I was looking online to see what other adventures I could do.
“Running two marathons in two days across rocks and sandy desert was hard, but I only got two blisters near the end. I think my training in the gym under the supervision of Leisure Facilities Coordinator Wai Mun Lee has been very useful in me completing this challenge. In the last 10km, I was running in deep sand which was very hard and all I could think about was Wai’s HIIT session circuits where one of his exercises was sprinting on the spot on top of a crash mat!
“I would thoroughly recommend it.”
Anyone still wishing to donate to Julie’s total should visit her JustGiving page at the following link https://www.justgiving.com/juliewarnock
