| Sporting Highlights for Middlesex Spoon
London Marathon
Having secured a place to run the London Marathon after many attempts, Ian Bocock eventually got to the start line in 2006 at the age of 56. Ian, who was at the time a recent recruit to the Middlesex Committee, volunteered to raise funds for Spoon. Friends, family and business contacts proved to be very generous and Ian was able to raise over £2,500. His memories of the day were the total disbelief of being at the start line, the supportive crowds along the route and the satisfaction of completing the race.
 Rajasthan Tiger Challenge
Susan Ashall, another Middlesex committee member, embarked on the challenge of her life, cycling in India from the Taj Mahal to Jaipur which takes in the Rajasthan Tiger Challenge. Susan raised more than £5,000 for Middlesex by cycling almost 500 kilometres in six days, taking in very remote locations, dramatic desert landscapes, fantastic wildlife, exquisite forts, bustling cities and rural life that seems frozen in time. Along with her equally insane riders, Susan was one of the first mountain bikers to explore this idyllic region where traditional rural lifestyles remain preserved and a friendly smile leaves a lasting memory.
Marathon des Sables
Rupert Casey, a Middlesex Spoon member, and his colleague Chris agreed to compete in the 2006 Marathon des Sables – the equivalent of a marathon a day for a week in the Western Sahara in temperatures above 40C, carrying 15 odd kilos of kit and water. 730 people from all over the world (of which the English are the single largest contingent) were bussed out into the middle of the Southern Moroccan Sahara, pointed almost due East at 9am every morning and off they ran over a mix of hard-baked clay, thin crust with soft sand, ankle-breaking rock fields and sand dunes. Daily stages ranged from between 18 and 42 miles – the notorious Day Four double marathon being cut short due to extreme temperature and humidity leaving medical cover too strained to risk the full distance.
Water is rationed to three litres every ten miles or so, with daily consumption rising to a slightly alarming 15 litres a day! "Tents" are carried by local Berbers, under the gaze of the French organisers, although the afternoon sandstorms were scant protection. Runners cooked their own food – dehydrated rations proved a delight, although those who thought they would survive on chicken curry for 14 meals in a row soon started a black market. Homemade parachute silk gaiters (courtesy of concerned mothers) kept out the sand better than we could have ever dreamed, and the sight of the soles of some feet, or rather lack thereof is quite memorable. Camaraderie was extremely strong, some would say to match the odour, but the bond in Rupert’s tent number 98 was formed fast and hard.
The final day's 13 km camel charge across the plains and the foothills of the sand dunes at Merzouga (some of the biggest in the world) to the finish line and waiting WAGs was undertaken with mixed emotion – the end of an epic, the prospect of a bath, but how to react to a medal and kiss from French race director Patrick Bauer. A record number of abandons from dehydration and various medical problems, including one runner evacuated in a coma, and one runner suffering a stroke (both fortunately recovered) meant the finishing field had shrunk, but Rupert and Chris finished in 380th and 381st positions (separated by one second).
Rupert commented, “I am pretty sure I would not do it again. My fiancée was incredibly supportive and I could not have done it without her. Chris was phenomenal, picking me up when my spirits dropped, and helping make it something special. We managed to raise a fairly substantial sum for a number of causes, including the Wooden Spoon (£2,000), and this event did teach me the true sense of not wanting to let the prospective beneficiaries down – it is a huge motivation. I would recommend it to anyone – it sounds clichéd but I think the harder side is mental: with a good training base and good personal administration it is well within the reach of most normal red wine drinkers.”
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