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Super-doctor set for Sahara challenge
FROM the freezing temperatures of the Antarctic to the arid heat of the Sahara ... super-doctor Steve Cushing is a runner of extremes.
And he will be testing his physical and mental endurance to the limit next March when he he runs a series of gruelling marathons in searing heat across the Sahara desert.
His latest fundraising mission follows his successful marathon across the Arctic last year and in the Antartic in 2006.
At 57, the North Shore GP is in training for the Marathon des Sables,
billed as "the toughest footrace on earth".
And he hopes that his sponsors will help him to equip a Kenyan orphanage
which is being built by a charity set up by one of his patients – North
Shore hotelier, Sue Hayward, and which she and her husband, Dave, will run once they have found a buyer for their hotel.
Steve's announcement of his epic challenge comes hot on the heels of
Sue's own triumph – she was named as Lancashire Woman of the Year last week in recognition of the life-changing work of her charity, Working for the Children of Watamu (www.childrenofwatamu.net).
Steve's Sahara challenge is a far cry from his Arctic feats. Then he
endured freezing cold of minus 35 to raise funds for Cancer Research UK.
This time it will be roasting at 40 degrees, but Steve believes that it's a small price to pay to help give a safe home in Sue's Happy House to some of Kenya's most vulnerable young people, orphaned by Aids or disease, or abandoned by their families.
Steve said: "Sue told me about her charity and I felt it to be a really good cause. It's a small charity and I think what she has done is absolutely amazing.
"The money raised really does make a big difference.
"Each donation will buy an item of equipment or livestock, from a mosquito net or a chicken to a set of bunk beds.
Steve, who lives in Staining with his wife Cherith, is in training, running about 70 miles a week – including heavy-duty footwork through the sand dunes, but is having to limit this due to a previous injury.
He said: "The sand dunes I will be running up and down in the desert will be very different from the ones here.
"The worst thing about the desert test will be the temperatures and
dehydration, and there's little you can do to prepare yourself for that."
The Blackpool GP will have to get used to running with a back-pack, as
he will be carrying about 10kgs in equipment, food and drink for the
whole trip. He will run between 15 and 25 miles most of the days – but the fourth day sees participants take part in a 40-mile run, part of it through the night.
For more information on Steve's challenge see www.stevecushing
blogspot.com. To find out about Sue's charity visit www.childrenofwatamu.net.
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Monday 13 February 2012
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