University facility recreates Sahara heat ahead of pair's desert marathon

James March, from Wolverhampton, and Greg Garner, from Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, are set to fly to Marrakesh this week to take part in the Marathon des Sables which will see them running in the Sahara Desert.

The Marathon des Sables is a foot race, open to runners and walkers with several stages, covering 250 kilometres in seven days from March 25 until April 4. Each participant must carry their own backpack containing food, sleeping gear and other materials while tackling challenging temperatures exceeding 50 degrees.

In preparation for the race, Mr March and Mr Garner have been training in the environmental chamber at the University of Wolverhampton.

The chamber has enabled the pair to precisely control the temperature, humidity and altitude while training for the race, to help prepare for tackling the heat in the Sahara Desert.

Mr March said: "I’ve been training for the Marathon des Sables for nine months, and in the two weeks leading up to the race we have been training at the university to build up the climatisation before we tackle the heat in the Sahara Desert.

"The temperature in Morocco ranges from zero degrees at night, to 50 degrees in the day and, of course, we can train for the low temperatures here in the UK but have a disadvantage when it comes to the heat as our bodies simply aren’t used to it.

"Here at the university, the environmental chamber goes up to 40 degrees which help us prepare and understand how our bodies react to these temperatures. It’s so important to get your body used to train in these conditions and recognise the levels of exhaustion for your own safety.

"The chamber is perfect to be able to prepare for such races – it really puts it in perspective, not just how hot it’s going to be but the health and safety side of it too.

"I’d highly recommend the facilities here at the university to anyone who is taking part in extreme sports or weather conditions like us.

"This will be the first marathon I’ve ever tackled, so I’m starting high, and hope the training we’ve been doing will get us over the mark to complete the race and do the charity proud."

Ross Cloak, associate professor in sport and exercise science, said: "It’s been a fantastic couple of weeks supporting James and Greg as they prepare for this epic challenge.

"They are raising money for a fantastic cause and we, in the School of Sport, were more than happy to get involved.

"The opportunity to have our undergraduate sport and exercise science students involved and gaining applied experience was an added bonus.

"The environmental chamber has been replicating some of the conditions they will face and preparing their bodies for the extreme heat they face when they touch down in a couple of weeks."