An SSE employee has completed a gruelling 150 mile trek through the Sahara Desert to raise funds in memory of his nephew.
Rob Cussons, 34, who works at SSE in Glasgow, completed the Marathon des Sables last month, which involved a six day race across the desert in 120 degree heat.
The challenge, which is said to be the toughest race on earth, was in a bid to raise £10,000 for Yorkhill Family House, a charity that provided a home for his sister and brother-in-law while his nephew was treated in hospital in Glasgow.
Sam Leask, nine, died in 2012, 12 weeks after falling ill with a rare condition called Polyarteritis Nodosa which caused rogue immune cells in his body to attack his arteries. Despite hours of surgery and drug treatments provided by Yorkhill Children’s Hospital, nothing could prevent Sam’s death.
Rob felt that the Marathon des Sables would be a fitting challenge to commemorate his beloved nephew who remained cheerful and incredibly brave throughout his battle to fight the illness.
Rob, who lives in Pollokshields in Glasgow, said: “I was not a runner prior to training for this event. I think the last race I had undertaken was a fun run when I was 11 so it is still beyond my comprehension that I finished 248 out of over 1,000 competitors.
“I think the key is doing the right training, taking the right food and having the determination to keep going despite competing in extremely tough conditions. In preparation I did a number of marathon length runs carrying a backpack, trained in the midday sun on holiday in Portugal and did back-to-back long runs. However training in Scotland in winter doesn’t really prepare you for the blistering heat of the Sahara.”
The Marathon des Sables is a completely self-sufficient race, with only water and medical checkpoints at every six to 10 miles. Competitors need to carry their own food for the entire week on their back as well as their water between checkpoints to sustain them throughout each of the five stages of the challenge.
It was during stage four, the longest stint of 51 miles, low on water and overheating, when Rob thought he might not be able to carry on.
Rob continues: “I started to get extremely worried during the 51 mile stage. I ran out of water and was quickly over-heating and becoming dehydrated. When I managed to finally reach the next water stop I was grateful for some shade, water and a mass of jelly sweets that had melted in my back pack.
“I was also able to keep motivated throughout the entire race because I was doing this for Sam and all the people who had sponsored me, and thoughts of that kept me going.”
Rob is close to meeting his target of £10,000 for Yorkhill Family House, which provides free accommodation for families of children being treated at Yorkhill Hospital.
Rob added: “To date £9,400 has been raised thanks to the fabulous generosity of so many people, including friends and work colleagues, and I’m determined to reach the £10K mark.
“Yorkhill Family House enabled my sister and brother-in-law to be as close as possible to Sam while he was ill and I want to make sure they are able to continue offering this essential service to other families”
You can help Rob achieve his target of £10,000 by visiting www.justgiving.com/SamLeask or by texting SAML95 £5 (or any other amount) to 70070. All donations go directly to Yorkhill Family House.