Abu Dhabi: A trio of Dubai-based women are putting their wits and nerves to the ultimate endurance test — a full marathon on each of the earth’s seven continents in seven days.
The run, called the 777 Challenge, is the brainchild of Maria Conceição, intrepid adventurer and founder of UAE-based charity Maria Cristina Foundation (MCF), which works with Dhaka slum dwellers.
The former cabin-crew-turned-Good Samaritan will be joined by mother-daughter duo Sharon and Kristen De Souza as they endure sub-zero temperatures and extreme heat to drum up support for the charity.
The three will run a total of 294km. “We are doing seven marathons, 42km each, on seven continents,” said Sharon, 45, who has been living in Dubai for 13 years.
The three know the extreme challenge they’ll be up to.
On the first leg, planned on November 21 on King George Island (Antarctica, Chilean territory), the runners will face an ice race course, with temperatures -20 C and strong winds. If they manage to finish that, the team will fly to Santiago, Chile, for the second 42km run, then finish just time to catch a flight to Toronto. Subsequent runs in London, Tunis, Dubai and Perth -- may last three hours each.
Sharon said: “We have run in the rain with cooler temperatures, heat and humidity, so we are able to cope with different running conditions.”
Maria said she is unsure about the amount of money they can raise from sponsorships, but is sure about the beneficiaries – slum dwellers in Dhaka, where MCF volunteers had plucked kids from abject squalor and educated them. Some were also brought to the UAE to help them make a life.
Getting all the pieces together for their global-spanning run has been a logistical nightmare.
“This has not been attempted by women before,” said Manuel de Souza, Sharon’s husband who manages the logistics.
Previous 777 challenges done by men started on Falkland Islands for the Antarctic leg, but the island is still considered part of South America, he said. Granting that the Dubai team do sort out the logistics (especially on the King George Island, 120km off Antarctica), it’s just the start. The runners are currently training six days a week -- running, cycling or swimming. A two-man support team will be with them all the way.
All the promised and delivered donations for the challenge go directly to the Dhaka children’s cause, though not everyone delivered on their promises, said Maria. In June, she scaled Mount Everest after conquering most of world’s other peaks. “No matter how many people back out on me, life does not stop. I have a mission to complete all the way until the end,” she said.
ROUTE (NOVEMBER 2013)
Nov 21 King George Island (25 miles off Antarctica). Proposed start is 1300 UTC (weather will determine start)
Nov 22 Santiago, Chile (South America)
Nov 23 Toronto, Canada (North America)
Nov 24 London, England (Europe)
Nov 25 Tunis, Tunisia (Africa)
Nov 26 Dubai, UAE (Asia)
Nov 27 Perth, Australia. Finish 0100 UTC on Nov 27 (Oceania)
