How do you prepare for a marathon across a desert? In many ways I didn’t really know what to expect before my arrival in Jordan - would it be too hot? What would the humidity be like, and how difficult would the terrain be? They were questions I couldn’t really answer, but their answers I needed to be prepared for.

This year I should have run the Manchester Marathon, but with my Dad in ICU following a heart operation I instead ran my own marathon locally. I then went on to do Guernsey Ultra 36, Race to the Tower, and the London Marathon. I wasn’t short on miles that was for sure, and since that last marathon I just needed to keep my legs ‘ticking over’ until today. This was done through racing a half marathon once a fortnight.

In terms of the climate and terrain, I’d had a few days to acclimatise now, and today I’d be running with my backpack as well, so I could be self-sufficient for water with a two litre bladder and a 500ml bottle containing water mixed with Tailwind. We needed to top up our water at every checkpoint regardless of how much we had left. These checkpoints also contained snacks both sweet and salty, so it’d be possible to use those and leave my own for emergencies. These emergency provisions also included a blanket, a whistle, toilet paper, plasters, and sunscreen. I needed to be sure to apply some before starting too.

I was up eating crunchy nut cornflakes at 05:30, then just after 06:00 I headed across to the communal tent to make a cup of tea. It was still very cold outside, but I knew after sunrise it’d warm up quick enough. I think there was excitement and nervous energy amongst us as we made our way to the start area. After over two years of delays, we were here. At the start.

At 07:30 the inaugural Jordan Impact Marathon had begun. Within minutes I ended up at the front of the pack, even though I was taking it easy - far easier than I would for a training run, forget a race. The advice I’d been given by the organisers to not get too far ahead was still in my head. I looked behind me regularly to make sure I could still see runners there. After the first 5K was done I’d created quite a gap between me and the other runners, and now I started taking photographs and recording video as I went along. Nick K passed me in his vehicle sometime around here, so I waved as he passed. I was then thinking about where the first checkpoint was, and only took breaks for photos. The landscapes were incredible and varied too, and I’m sure it was during the first leg when I spotted a small pool of water as well.

At the first checkpoint I topped up my water bladder, and had some Turkish delight. It’s not something I’ve had during a race before, and wasn’t sure what it’d be like. I figured it’s just like a jelly baby really. I could see Henry and JJ not too far behind, and headed out before they got in.

“Aren’t you going to wait for them?” Stuart asked. “Don’t worry I’ll see them at the next checkpoint,” I said. Stuart didn’t seem so sure, so I corrected myself, “Okay, I’ll see them when they overtake me before the next one.” It seemed likely.

I then broke the race down into another 5K and alternated between running and walking, gaining more distance between myself and the others again. The problem was, either the Turkish Delight or the gulp of Tailwind wasn’t sitting well. At around mile 10 I found I had no choice but to have a toilet break, and used a stone to shovel some sand afterwards. Fortunately the other two were so far behind me I’d got plenty of time, and then got moving again long before they even came into view again. At some point after this I then saw Nick K drive past again, and he checked I was doing okay. So far so good, it was actually a pleasant run. The scenery was incredible and unlike anything I’d run in before. The terrain was, for the most part, okay so far too. I’d quickly found which bits were the best to run on, and hadn’t really encountered any difficult bits yet.

At the halfway checkpoint Holly wasn’t quite expecting to see anyone so soon, and I was there for long enough having crisps and topping up my water that the other two got in and we all had a selfie before I headed off. I thought perhaps if I’m still ahead of them after the next two checkpoints I should hold back and finish with them - they’d done really well to keep on my tail so consistently in that first half even if I did lose them for long periods of time.

It wasn’t that long after leaving there that I reached the closest point to the Saudi Border, but by this time I’d gained so much distance from the others that when I left the next checkpoint, the others were only just coming into view. At this third checkpoint I had some more crisps, and a slice of banana. It was being set-up by Stuart and an Italian woman who was on holiday in Jordan and had only heard about the race last night and wanted to help. As I left that checkpoint, Stuart was just about to leave to go and set-up checkpoint 4 - the final one before the finish.

I was probably about half way to checkpoint 4 when I caught up with Ellie, one of the group who was walking a half marathon from checkpoint 2. In some places in the second half I’d been following her tracks, but noticed one place where she’d gone wrong and I think added some extra distance on before they rejoined the course later. I checked if she was okay and if she needed anything and then got running again. Shortly after I was stopped by Stuart who’d driven ahead and had found the course markings missing. He said that nobody could continue until the course had been remarked, and he radioed in.

Could the race be over already? It was going to be a shame if none of us could complete the marathon today because of this. He thought either the crew marking it had missed this section, had given up and hadn’t marked any more, or bedouins had removed them.

I kept looking at my watch, conscious of each minute I was losing, and that the longer I was stationary for, the harder it would be to get going again. Ellie had caught up already, and I knew if we were held back much longer, the others would catch-up too - I’d lose that massive lead I’d had on them. Did that matter?

After we’d been standing around waiting for several minutes, the jeep came speeding back, and the driver told us the flags continued a little further ahead, once around the corner. I looked ahead in the direction he pointed but couldn’t see them. I carried on walking now in the general direction he’d said until I thought I could see one ahead, but at that point I looked behind me and the others were about ten metres away. This delay had not only allowed them to catch-up, it’d closed the distance to the nearest they’d been outside of checkpoints since the race had started. I was going to need to work hard now if I was to be in with a chance of regaining that lead. Even though it felt wrong to be wanting to try to regain it.

As they caught up with Ellie they stopped to talk to their friend, just as I had done earlier. This was my chance to regain as much distance as I could in the next few minutes whilst they were chatting. I pushed on, but found it difficult to find that rhythm again after having stopped for so long. Eventually the walking was outlasting the running, and I was conscious that they would have started running again, and I knew without a doubt that they would be catching me up. My plan now was to get to checkpoint 4 as quickly as I could, and get in and out of that as quickly as I could as that would let me regain more distance just as the previous ones had. Now that the possibility of finishing a marathon first was there, I was trying to make sure it happened.

What I hadn’t realised though was that with Stuart needing to stay behind to sort out the flags to mark the course, he never made it to checkpoint 4 in time for those of us at the front to use it. There wasn’t even a sign of it. Around mile 24, or at least before mile 25, not only did they overtake me, but they were starting to create some distance from me as well.

After having led the run for so long it felt incredibly disappointing to know that the hope was over. I started to think of things such as for fairness they should have been held back for as long as I was, and just like that my motivation to run was gone. It was a ridiculous thought, but when you're tired you never know where your mind will go. I pretty much walked from mile 25.5 to the finish, and even when the finish was in sight I didn’t put that much effort into running. This couldn’t be helped though, things like missing markers happen, and it would have been dangerous had we continued on without the flags, not knowing if there were any more ahead.

Towards the end, Nick K caught up again and recorded me running. I’d lost so much motivation by now that I didn’t really feel like it, but did some anyway to help him get some footage - I wanted to support them any way I could. It wasn’t until the last couple of hundred metres that I got running again, and then tried to move as fast as I could to cross the finish line. It might not have been an actual sprint, but at least it was done.

Holly was at the finish now, which meant everyone was past the halfway point, and she was handing out medals to each finisher. It was a ceramic disc with a mosaic of the Impact logo on the front. Hand-crafted by the women’s collective in Petra, it wasn’t just a special medal because of it being ceramic, and the effort taken to reach this point; it was supporting another community as well.

For the next four or five hours we all sat outside and talked as the number of finishers grew. As each one came in we clapped them and cheered, celebrating another one home safely. I also used some of this time to shower and get changed when there was known to be a large gap between finishers. It was also the best time to be taking on more fluids, and to refuel.

As the sun set on the final night in the Wadi Rum, I got as much packing done as I could manage. I then headed over to the communal hut to relax before our final group meal. This was my third Impact week now, and thought it nothing short of a miracle that they'd survived as a business through the pandemic to reach this day where so many race organisations have failed. Their determination to make a difference in the world got them through it to this point, and they'd organised an unforgettable week. All Impact weeks are special, but this one, this race, it felt all the more special this time.

Another brilliant Impact week was at an end all too quickly, and everyone was celebrating into the night. Tomorrow we’d all be going our separate ways, and saying goodbye for now to new friends.