TWO Wokingham women turned up the heat to raise money for their favourite charity.
Kirsty Ede and Pam Baker completed the Sahara challenge which involves a two marathon walks in temperatures reaching 40ºC.
They slept in desert tents and marched across massive sand dunes to raise over £5,000 for the mental health charity, MIND.
“It was quite tough but also an amazing adventure,” said Kirsty.
“The sunrise in the morning was breathtaking and the vastness of the desert was just awesome.
“Walking across the sand dunes was difficult especially in heat which started at 30ºC in the morning but we were determined to complete the course.”
The women flew to Marrakech before being driven into the desert where they slept in tents.
They walked 26 miles each day with over a hundred other people and were supported by a team of staff.
“Water was the big thing, drinking loads of water and staying hydrated,” added Kirsty.
“On the first day, we were driven 26 miles from the camp and walked back, while on the second, we walked from the camp to our destination.
“The sheer beauty of the landscape as simply amazing.
“We had been training for several months and completed the Thames Towpath challenge which is thirty miles, but the conditions were very different to say the least.
“Everything was very well organised. We were determined to finish and are delighted so much money has been raised for MIND. Mental health is very much in the news so we decided to raise money to support the valuable work done by MIND.”
Kirsty, who runs SlimFit in Wokingham and Pam an instructor, are now planning their next challenge.
“We’re not sure what will be next but we’d like to do something similar again.
“It’s not just the physical challenge but also about your mindset. It’s telling yourself you can achieve something and we are delighted that we did.”
