Meet our MDS team for 2020
Here are the brave runners taking on the Marathon des Sables to support ex military
Walking With The Wounded has a tradition of turning up to the Marathon des Sables in numbers, and we are back in force for our 10th anniversary in 2020.
The MDS is known as the 'toughest footrace on earth' and involves running 6 marathons in 6 days across the Sahara. As one past fundraiser described it, it's "the equivalent of running from London to Dover, deciding not to go to France after all and running back again in 120 degree heat, with a backpack on and voices in your head talking about cold beer!"
It's an event that requires determination, mental strength and teamwork to succeed.
There is a rest day after the longest stage, but it may well take you into that day before you get to the finish. Competitors stay overnight in a bivouac village, comprised of tents that sleep about 8 competitors per tent - and your 'bivvy' team become your family, your support team, your nursing team and invariably they become long-term friends.
Walking With The Wounded is part of the history of the event now after Duncan Slater became the first double-leg amputee to finish the MDS and another team member, Tom Evans, recorded the highest-ever British finish, coming 3rd in 2017.
We started with a team of 10 for 2020 but due to fantastic demand increased it to 32 (four tents of eight) so we can raise more and support even more ex servicemen and women through the charity's programmes. Is it on your bucket list? We're currently putting together one more tent... so get in touch if so, for 2020 or 2021.
Introducing our team of fundraisers:
1. Sean Clark – Founder and director of online marketing agency Clark St James
2. James Lough – Served 10 years in the British Army before recently joining Zodiac Maritime
3. Ed Parker – Ex Royal Green Jacket, co-founder & CEO of WWTW, completed the MDS in 2016 and back for more
4. Tom Wilkinson – A coaching psychologist with lifeprint.fit
5. Rob Gibbs – Ex Blues & Royals, now financial services consultant with GFT Group
6. Chris Rosindale – Agency operations director for Yopa Property
7. Glen Watts – Ex Royal Welsh, now operations manager for security services company GardaWorld
8. Harry Whitbread - former British Army Captain and now MD of London Speaker Bureau's US operations.
9. David Cobbald - Portfolio manager at the Pension Protection Fund
10. Jules Widdowson - Ex Army Reservist and lawyer turned personal trainer and therapist at Surrey Sports Training
11. Simon Harris - Ex RAF, now a security operations manager for EasyJet
12. Josh Hignell - Director of Operations at Blast Event Hire
13. Aubone Tennant - Ex Infantry officer, now Director of Wifinity and co-founder of BillForward
14. Michael Doerr - Co Founder of OenoFuture
15. Duncan Slater - Ex RAF Sgt wounded in Afghanistan & first-ever double leg amputee to complete the MDS, back for more to mark 10 years since his amputations
16. Paddy Moore - Served with Duncan Slater, was close by when Duncan was injured and helped him complete the MDS in 2017
17. Jim Gleeson - Owner, Cullins Yard Restaurant in Dover
18. Paul Rossington - Analyst for HSBC
19. Duncan Murray - ex pro rugby player and corporate wellness consultant for the London Fitness Co
20. Emma Carpenter - Pilates instructor for Enhanced Movement Studio
21. Jamie Maker - Global Business Director for Hogarth Worldwide
22. Harry Downes - Former Captain in the 17th / 21st Lancers, now MD of Fizzy Living
23. Andrew Smallbone - British Army Lieutenant Colonel and Vice President of the Army Officers Selection Board
24. Ryan Vander Weit - ex 101st Airborne Division, US Army, and now Warrior Health and Fitness Program Director at HomeBase.org
25. Lucy Giles - British Army Colonel, first female commander of Sandhurst and currently President of the Army Officers Selection Board
26. Toby Mossop - Managing agent for Chartwell Speakers
27. Harry Mossop - Security consultant
28. Peter Mossop - Former professional yacht captain and financial services director, now a private property developer and investor
29. John Clark - Ex military and now an injection moulding technician for Plunkett Associates
30. Jonathan Seal - Director at private equity firm Beaubridge
31. Douglas Hayter - University student
32. Katie Hislop - Royal Engineer, swimmer, mum, wife; 20 years on from first completing the MdS, up for the challenge again
33. Issy Crowley
34. Bill Tomlin - Head of Recruitment at BT
35. Christopher Gaskin - ex military, operations director for a private healthcare company
36. Marcus Baker
37. Rob Buchanan
38. Aiden West
Want to join our team? Read more here or contact Andy Sloan at Walking With The Wounded on andy@wwtw.org.uk
Want to donate? See our team VirginMoneyGiving page and individual pages here
Want to watch a documentary on WWTW at the MDS? Click here to see a film about on of our past MDS teams including GB Olympic skier and BBC presenter Graham Bell
Want to take on an event but after something a little shorter? Check out our Cumbrian Challenge.
