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Running for charity

Mike Ennis, applications specialist with James Fisher NDT has been training hard for a gruelling 120km four-day ultra marathon in the Canary Islands in September to raise funds for charity

The run, dubbed the ‘Half Marathon des Sables’ because it is half as long but equally gruelling as the toughest foot race in the planet, is a tough technical race across mountains, rock-strewn desert and beaches of Fuerteventura carrying all provisions in a backpack.

Mike says:

‘I used to be pretty fit, but work and a young family had curtailed any serious exercise endeavours for years, however, last year I started training properly again and I set myself this race as a target.’

He kicked off the year by running the Anglesey half marathon in March (achieving a personal best of 1 hour 30 mins) and completed his first full marathon, the Excalibur Marathon, in May. 

‘It was a tough trail running event, with over 5,900ft of ascent, almost the equivalent to running up Snowden twice, but I came 21^st out of 100 with a time of just over five hours,’

At the end of June he is upping the distance further by tackling the Pen y Llyn Ultra which involves 50-miles of off-road running.

Mike is raising awareness and funds for a charity called Shelterbox which provides emergency shelter and tools for families robbed of their homes by conflict or natural disaster. Each box costs £509 and he hopes to be able to raise enough money to buy four.