Graeme Ives: 6 marathons in the Sahara Desert for Retina UK
Graeme's son is living with retinitis pigmentosa and he has decided to take on an extreme challenge - running 250km across the Sahara Desert, with 6 stages, varying in length from 21km to 82 km, over 7 days.
In April 2025, Graeme Ives has decided to take on the legendary Marathon des Sables, known as the race across the Sahara Desert, in aid of Retina UK's vital work. We caught up with him before he flew out, to find out about his motivations for taking part and to find out how his training has been going. If you would like to sponsor Graeme's inspirational challenge, please visit his JustGiving page here.
Speaking about the iconic race, Graeme shared: "2025 is the 39th race and it's regarded as the toughest foot race on the planet. Competitors are self-sufficient, carrying all their own gear for the week, including their food. The event covers 250km across the Sahara Desert, with six stages, varying in length from 21km to 82 km, over seven days."
On why he decided to sign up to this event, Graeme said: "This mythical event captured my imagination as a kid growing up in the North East during the 1980s. In those days, running was all about speed, running the 800m and 1500m on the track and up to 10k on the road. Now approaching 59, for me this race will be about trying to complete the course, carefully managing energy, fuel and water in extreme conditions. Increasing training to running marathons, then running marathons on the local beach, and then running marathons on the local beach carrying a rucksack, has all been part of the prep."
Sharing his reasons for supporting Retina UK, Graeme went on to say: "The decision to support Retina UK was very obvious. Our son has retinitis pigmentosa that causes a gradual loss of peripheral vision, for which there is no current cure. He is the only member of the family to have inherited the condition. We support Retina UK with a monthly direct debit donation but I’d never done a JustGiving page and this race provided the ideal opportunity. Receiving messages of support has been staggering, humbling and quite emotional. It is so important to try and support research into inherited sight loss conditions. Retina UK has been so supportive and I’ll be proud to wear their t-shirt in the Sahara Desert."
We are so grateful for your incredible support, Graeme and we will be cheering you on!
Sponsor Graeme's epic challenge!
If you would like to make a donation to Graeme's JustGiving page, please visit the link below and thank you in advance for your generous support.