Shropshire man taking on the 'toughest footrace on Earth'

A Shropshire man is training to run an ultra-marathon in the desert dubbed the "toughest footrace on Earth".

Nathan Walton, from Woore, will take part in the Marathon Des Sables - a 251km (156 mile) race across the Sahara desert lasting six days.

"It's not something you take on lightly," said Mr Walton, who is raising money for the Dougie Mac Hospice which cared for his mother.

He has been training for the race, taking place in April, for two years.

He recently returned from a training camp in Lanzarote to practice running on sand and in the heat, with more heat training planned at a specialist facility at Manchester University.

The course will see competitors run a marathon each day except for the fifth day when they route will be between 85-100km (53-62 miles).

"It's barmy," said Mr Walton.

"Sand dunes, spiders, scorpions, blisters... it trashes your feet like no other race," he said.

Mr Walton was inspired to fundraise for Dougie Mac, a hospice in north Staffordshire, to thank them for the care his mother received when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

"The Dougie Mac stepped in and they were brilliant," he said. "They came to look after mum at home and they also took care of us as a family as well."

Mr Walton is aiming to raise £3,000 and is already more than halfway towards his target.

"It's a thank you for everything," he said.

"A few blisters, a few aching muscles, it's nothing is it."

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