For Ivor, taking on one of the world’s toughest endurance events – Morocco’s Marathon des Sables (MDS) – is far more than a physical challenge. It is a deeply personal tribute to his late grandfather and a way to give back to the Hospice, a place his family describes as transformative during a period of tremendous strain.
Ivor’s connection to the Hospice began through his grandmother, Fedelma, whose husband received care there. She said, "It felt like a safe haven after the chaos [of hospital].” The staff’s kindness, constant attention and compassion left a lasting impression on the entire family."
Annual donations aside, this is Ivor’s first major fundraising effort. His running journey only began a few years ago, following a significant lifestyle change. Starting with a local 5K event, Ivor then flippantly signed up for the London Marathon that same year. The exhilaration of participating inspired him to search for increasingly extreme challenges and April’s 270km MDS across the Sahara caught his eye.
Regarded as one of the world’s toughest footraces covering six stages in extreme desert conditions, runners carry all the food, clothing and medical supplies they need in their own packs. Ivor now trains six to ten times a week, sometimes in extreme heat simulation gear or specialist acclimation chambers. For him, the race is the culmination of years of discipline and family support. It’s also a personal recognition of how far he has come both physically and personally.
Fundraising plans include a pub quiz, a golf day and local outreach using both community ties and social media to chart his story. Ivor’s motivation is simple – honour his grandfather, support the family’s cherished local Hospice, and turn an extraordinary personal challenge into something meaningful for others. As Ivor succinctly summed it up, “My personal link to the Hospice made doing something this big feel like the natural thing to do.”
So, if you have the opportunity, please support Ivor and the Hospice in his incredible undertaking:
https://www.givewheel.com/fundraising/9844/marathon-des-sables-2026/
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