My name is Martyn Sawyer.

At the beginning of 2006 I made the rash decision to undertake a series of four races on four continents, 1000 km by foot through the hottest, windiest, driest and coldest places on earth. I cannot really explain why I am doing this except I just want to. This adventure started as a personal challenge but I have now realised that raising funds for the children of my charity is a major driving force.

Each competitor is required to race for their country and I am racing for Hong Kong.

My first challenge was the Sahara Desert in November 2006. This will be followed by the Gobi Desert on 17 June this year, the Atacama Plains in Chile in March 2008 and then the last desert, Antarctica in January 2009. Racing the Planet have added a fifth event and I shall be competing in the inaugural race in northern Vietnam this November.

Each race is held over seven days and the distance every day ranges from 30 to 90 km. We are required to carry everything we need except a tent and water.

These races are organised by Racing the Planet () which was created in 2002 to inspire people from all walks of life to explore cultures in the four corners of the earth.

Download a Presentation on the Sahara Race
PDF format (20 megabytes)

Camp Quality is a non-profit volunteer organisation providing a camping experience and many other activities for children with cancer.

They take children out of the hospital environment and allow them to enjoy themselves outdoors where they can forget about their illness. Adult volunteers help to supervise the activities and provide companionship for the children.

Camp Quality is all about hope - hope for a successful treatment, hope for a cure and hope for the future.

As I head off for my next adventure in the Gobi Desert on June 17 I would ask you all to ensure we can help even more children by digging deep and donating generously.