Jake McBride and Ross Clarke, both 22, will tackle the 250km (155-mile) Marathon Des Sables in April, all in support of Northern Ireland Pancreatic Cancer (NIPANC). This extreme challenge will push them to their limits as they navigate scorching temperatures and treacherous terrain.

Last year, the Belfast duo made headlines after completing a charity run spanning the length of Ireland. Their journey took them nearly 350 miles from Mizen Head in Co Cork to Malin Head in Co Donegal, making them the youngest participants ever to complete the challenge.

Due to the success of the previous charity run, Jake and Ross were contacted to level up the challenge. As Jake shared, “They reached out to us and said that they could support us to do this run because me and Ross did a charity run last summer. We started at the bottom of Ireland and then ran to the top over eight days”.

Now, they are preparing for an even more formidable test, where they will navigate sand dunes and mountainous landscapes in one of the planet’s toughest environments. The pair will fly to Marrakech before embarking on a six-hour journey to reach the marathon’s starting point. Unlike their previous challenge, this time, external support will be limited.

“They’ll carry your tent for you and then they’ll refill you with water but you have to carry your own clothes, your own food, sleeping bag and your stuff that you need to be able to run”, Jake said.

To acclimatise to the extreme heat, their training regimen includes long-distance runs and sauna sessions. “That’s his [Ross’s] biggest fear — the heat,” Jake explained adding that “I’m starting to run with more layers on just to get the skin used to running in the heat”.

So far, they have raised nearly 1,000 pounds, with all proceeds going towards research and awareness for pancreatic cancer.