Army surgeon to take on ultra-long distance desert challenge

Lieutenant Colonel Mark Foster is a surgeon at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham who specialises in treating patients who have severe injuries to their hands, and has years of experience working with military patients.

Now, Mark is setting his sights on raising money for Fisher House, the home away from home for military patients and their families at the hospital by taking on an epic challenge like no other.

In April, Mark will be participating in the Marathon Des Sables, a 156 mile run over the course of six days, across the Sahara Desert which finishes in Marrakesh.

This epic challenge sees participants carry all of their clothes, food and bedding with them as they cross the desert, with the hardest day seeing the athletes run two marathons in a day.

Mark said: “I wanted to take on a challenge in my 50th year, I’ve never run a marathon before but I have done half marathon distances with weight on whilst in the military!

“It’s going to be 40-50 degrees during the day in the desert so that’s the biggest challenge. It’s a huge ask but I’ve got a plan in place to gently build up the miles and I’m going to do a marathon later this year.

“I think I’ll do that with a heavy backpack on as I’ll need to be carrying around 10kg of kit with me to begin with.”

Mark has begun training for this gruelling event

Mark joined the Army when he was 16, before transferring to the Medical Corps at 18, working as a field medic and a laboratory technician before leaving the Army to study medicine, in 1996. Mark had previously completed his A-Levels at night school.

Mark re-joined the Army, before completing his surgical training and began to work within the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.

Mark is a specialist in plastic surgery and reconstruction, with hands being his main sub-speciality. Mark gained huge experience treating the injured troops as they returned home from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, often with severe injuries as the result of explosions.

The Marathon is more than just a challenge for Mark, as he will be raising money to support Fisher House, which offers free accommodation to former and current military patients and their families.

Speaking of the difference that Fisher House makes, Mark said: “I’ve seen Fisher House since its inception and it’s a massive resource for the families and serving individuals who have to travel long distances. It’s a unique environment and has such a family community feel.

“I have many patients, particularly upper arm and nerve patients, who return regularly to the hospital for treatment, and they’re able to stay at Fisher House.”

Fisher House costs £250,000 per year to keep open, and is funded entirely thanks to the generosity of donors, and the amazing determination of fundraisers like Mark.

Speaking of the determination that he’ll need to complete the challenge, Mark said: “It’s a mental as well as a physical challenge, it’s your own dogged determination to drive you through that will see me finish the race. This challenge will prove to myself that I can do something incredibly challenging from a physical and mental capacity.”

You can support Mark’s fundraising here.