Giving HOPE to children through world's toughest ultra marathon

May will be raising funds in partnership with Castrol through the Project Hope campaign, whose proceeds will be donated to HOPE's Walk to School Programme in the Namuwongo slum area of Kampala, Uganda.

This will be May's second time running for this cause, following a successful race in 2012 where he raised an impressive R340,000 for Hope for Children, with an appeal going out again this year to equal or better that amount.

About the Marathon des Sables

This year's marathon takes place from 7 to 13 April 2014.

The race is a six-day ultra marathon of approximately 254kms (approximately 156 miles) in the world's most inhospitable terrain, the Sahara Desert. Participants will brave the unrelenting heat of Southern Morocco, carrying with them everything they need to survive except for water and shelter. To add to the exhilaration of the event, the route is changed yearly and kept under wraps until the day before the race starts. The marathon has one rest day, usually after the most taxing race day.

Known in running circles as the most gruelling marathon in the world, completing the Marathon des Sables is no small feat. Race logistics are equally impressive with over 100 volunteers on the course, 400 support staff, 100 all-terrain vehicles, two helicopters, one light plane, four quad bikes and four camels keeping the competitors safe. Over 120,000 litres of drinking water are consumed and medical supplies of over 6.5kms of bandages, 150 litres of disinfectant, 19,000 compresses, 6,000 painkillers plus a medical team of 24.

A platform to make meaningful charitable contributions

Race organisers encourage all competitors to use the race as a platform to make meaningful charitable contributions. May's commitment to HOPE and the work they do, will definitely motivate a stronger zeal to finish.

"I received overwhelming support from Castrol and BP colleagues during my 2012 fundraising, which was generously matched by the BP Group," comments May.

"Over the past decade we have managed to raise more than R850,000 for HOPE and I am running for them again this year as they still have enormous work to do. There are children living in conditions around the world that most of us couldn't even imagine, so any support will save and change lives.

Graham Noonan of Castrol Africa added that "as a brand with African roots that stretch back to the beginning of the last century, we feel a strong responsibility to address some of the challenges faced by children across the continent."

"HOPE's work across the continent aligns with our own values, which made it an easy decision to support our colleague Adrian as he runs for Project Hope, which we will be adopting as an ongoing campaign for the Castrol brand across Africa and encourage our partners and the general public to contribute in any way they can to support HOPE," said Noonan.

To make a donation to Project Hope, visit http://www.projecthopeadrianmay.com/.