Former Bath Rugby player David Barnes is to take on the toughest footrace on Earth next month in a bid to raise more than £100,000 for charity.
Mr Barnes, who now serves as rugby director for the Professional Rugby Players' Association, is to tackle the Marathon des Sables alongside Bath Rugby Foundation trustee Stuart Doughty and former Parachute Regiment captain Martin Hewitt.
The seven-day challenge starts on Sunday, April 6 and will see the three men join more than 1,000 other entrants to race 150 miles across the Sahara desert, facing formidable landscape in one of the world's most inhospitable climates.
Mr Barnes said: "The Marathon des Sables presents a formidable challenge to us all, however, by working together as a team, we hope to be able to cross the finish line together.
"We have spent the best part of two years preparing for this race and we hope to not only complete the toughest race on earth but raise valuable funds for three very deserving charities in the process."
Help for Heroes, the Bath Rugby Foundation and Restart, the official charity of the Rugby Players' Association, will all benefit from the team's quest.
The challenge requires all participants to be self-sufficient and they must carry everything they need to survive on their back, except water and a tent to sleep in at night.
While the event is punishing for even the fittest of competitors it is an even bigger challenge for Captain Hewitt, who was shot in the chest and foot while fighting on the front-line in Afghanistan. Those injuries left his right arm paralysed and ended his military career.
Captain Hewitt has since developed teams of injured servicemen to take on world record attempts and in 2011 he walked unsupported to the Geographic North Pole alongside Prince Harry.
He said: "I'm looking forward to starting this challenge with Stu and David. The training has been going well. Having spent the past five years ski racing and on expeditions in the extreme cold, this will be a real test for me and for our team."
Mr Doughty, director of Centurion Wealth Management Ltd, added: "I'm just keen to get cracking. It has been two years since gaining entry to the race and 15 months training.
"We have trained hard, worked well together and taken advice from previous competitors.
"The challenges for me are two fold, firstly the event itself and secondly keeping Martin and Barnsey from racing each other."
The trio have been supported in their efforts by SKINS and the GSK Performance Lab.
SKINS have supplied the team with their newly-developed Coldblack garment, which combines the most advanced compression properties on the market with a technology that offers double sun protection to stay up to 5C cooler.
The GSK Human Performance Lab have provided a range of ongoing performance support services and individual nutrition advice to better understand human's capabilities in extreme conditions.
To support the trio's challenge, donate by visiting www.mds2014.com.
