The door that opened……

Ever had a job interview that was meant to release you from the pressures of your current day to day routine and make everything magically better??

That was me, in January 2024.

However the story stops there as it’s totally boring and does not define me.

Back track to December 2023 when I hastily filled a form in for the Marathon des Sables - they were looking for Medical Volunteers. I had travelled far and wide to over 50 countries before I had my young family and this was an opportunity to ignite that wanderlust that had wained for some time.

So on failing to secure a new job, I got the email securing my place as the first group of British volunteers to join the 38th Edition of the Marathon des Sables.

It was Legendary in so many ways.

I came away with an experience in the Sahara desert that has undoubtedly has changed me as a person and brought back the version of myself that I didn’t even realise was missing.

As a group of UK medics, the eight of us arrived as a force to be reckoned with - our bond forged in the weeks leading up to the event - arriving into the bivouac with laughter, energy, enthusiasm and a hearty dose of empathy for the competitors.

Sometimes all you need to keep running is some positive encouragement and a hug after all.

We slept in the traditional Berber tents, patrolled the course in 4x4 buggies, staffed the clinic tent and topped up hydration flasks and cooled heads and necks with ice water.

The atmosphere was electric - the work and hours exhausting.

But in that adventure, we became friends - we had an energy amongst us that felt understood. Some of us felt seen for our natural and authentic selves.

And with it, came a new venture - one of volunteering time, energy and experience as a Race Doctor for ultramarathons and multi-stage races at home and abroad.