What does Stephen Partridge do by way of relaxation when he's not running the London-based Litchfield Group? Er, the odd marathon or 10 – including an extraordinarily exhausting series of six in six days across more than 100 miles in the stifling heat of the Sahara Desert. The 52-year-old (a founder of the project management firm in 1998) completed his fourth Marathon des Sables, which takes place in southern Morocco, last month. QS News spoke to him about sore feet, how marathon running has inspired him in business, and a strange manoeuvre known as the Sahara shuffle…

When did you start doing marathons?

In the early 1990s. I started with the London Marathon, then moved on to others around the world. I did my first Marathon des Sables in 1999. When I first heard about it I thought I had to have a go.

What was your first Marathon de Sables like?

Oh, it nearly killed me. It took me a month to get over it physically and three months mentally. You come back and experience the Sahara blues. It’s such an incredible experience that to return to normal daily life is very difficult. You can’t really explain the Sahara experience; it’s like explaining colour to a blind man.

What are the conditions like?

A lot of people may have been to the desert and seen how big the dunes are. But having to run and walk over them, that’s a different story. Then, three days in, you’re knackered and you’ve got to wake up at dawn to make your own food, which might have been blown away after a sandstorm. It’s a lot to deal with.

How hard is the actual running?

You split it 50/50 running and walking. Or else you do a slightly quicker walk that we call the Sahara shuffle. Because of this, the marathons take about double the time. The Moroccans themselves run incredible times – the best can do 50 miles in six-and-a-half hours. They just glide over the sand.

What do you wear?

Things called gaitors around your shoes, which stop the sand getting in. They’re made of parachute silk. I wear a long sleeved shirt and tight trousers, all in black to reflect the heat. The heat is so strong – from 45°C up to 64°C – that the sweat dries: all you get is crusts of salt.

How do you train for it?

I have started a race – from Reading to Hampton – and a training regime over here to prepare people for the race. Running on muddy ground is better than roads as it is more similar. I also do a lot of preparation to protect my feet. Sand is, after all, tiny glass so it can kill your feet – you can lose two or three layers of skin and get blisters on blisters. I spend a lot of time before the race hardening my feet and wearing special shoes to get me prepared.

How has the experience affected your career?

It gives you so much self confidence. I really turned Litchfield into a business after doing it. Every time you go out, you come back inspired. You plan and assess things and set targets. It’s a really enriching experience and a complete break from business. You go away for a week and come home and it feels like you’ve been away for a lifetime.

Are you intending to taking part again?

I expect to be able to do the Marathon des Sables for another 15–20 years. There’s a Frenchman called Claude who still does it and he’s 78. I don’t see my age as being a problem.

What do your colleagues think of your marathon exploits?

They think I’m totally nuts.

The Marathon des Sables in numbers

  • Stephen came 688th this year out of a total of 800 competitors. “I usually come halfway down the field, but this year I held back to help some of the other Brits finish it.”
  • Stephen drank 84 litres of water in six days – that’s 14 litres a day.
  • He used up 49,000 calories and lost three quarters of a stone.
  • Out of 800 runners who took part this year, three people left in wheelchairs, 17 on crutches and 180 were left hobbling.
  • One of the marathons is 50 miles long – you start at 9am and finish around midnight.

Source

QS News