Dates for your Diary
Henry O'Grady (OB)
'The Marathon des Sables' on Saturday 24th April at 6.45pm
Henry O’Grady will be our first speaker of the summer term, giving his talk: ‘The Marathon des Sables’ on Saturday 24th April at 6.45pm
• “The Toughest Footrace on Earth”.
• 6 marathons over 6 days across the Sahara Desert, carrying all food, clothes, medical kit, sleeping bag and some water.
• 154 miles - the longest MDS ever.
• Day 4 – 2 consecutive marathons.
• (or Birmingham to London and then a full marathon)
• (or once around the M25 and down to Brighton)
• Oh, yes, and all the above in a desert at 100 - 120°F, carrying 12-15kg.
The Marathon Des Sables is a multi stage self-sufficiency foot race through the Sahara Desert. The course varies from year to year but is always approximately 250 kilometres in distance over seven days, with a double marathon on day four. A Dune day is also normally included, which as the name implies involves running over continuous sand dunes for about 40 kilometres.
You have to carry all your food, sleeping bag and mat, personal items, spare clothing, cooking utensils and obligatory kit (anti venom pump, space blanket, distress flare, signalling mirror, a minimum of 2000 calories of food per day, knife and space blanket) in a back pack and water ration for each day. Around 800 people take part each year with 250 – 300 of these from Britain.
The stages are broken up over six days and camps are set up by the organisers each night, with runners sleeping in open sided traditional Berber tents with eight people per tent, shoulder to shoulder on a rug thrown over the hard desert rock.
Henry was at Brambletye in the 1980s, and excelled at everything, particularly waiting, as his mother wasn't always on time when picking him up. Alright that's not true, he was OK at everything and brilliant at nothing, but enjoyed trying and played reasonable cricket.
He then went to Harrow and afterwards to Bristol University, and has also studied in the South of France, Paris and Oxford.
Eventually he finished studying and has since worked in Consulting, Finance, Sales, Sponsorship and has recently set up his own business.
Not satisfied with everything in his 9 to 5 life he enjoys the odd challenge from playing polo competitively (a long time ago) to teaching people to roller-blade to testing his mind and body in races or through travel.
He has just begun training for another run - a prize for the person who comes closest to guessing what it is.
Old Brambletyean Day - Sunday, 11th July 2010
Our next Old Brambletyean Day will be on Sunday 11th July 2010. Please make a note in your diary. As well as meeting old friends, there will be an opportunity to view all the new buildings and developments which have taken place over the past twelve months. This includes the new Blencowe Centre, a state-of-the-art classroom block officially opened in
October 2009 by our Chairman of Governors, Andrew Beazley, Esq. (OB).
Further details of Old Brambletyean Day will be published on our web site in the New Year.