For most, the idea of running a marathon is challenge enough. But for Rugbeians Jeremy Maddocks (Sh 79-84), President of The Rugbeian Society, and Ed Batchelor (SF 01–06), one marathon wasn’t nearly sufficient. Instead, they set their sights on one of the most gruelling endurance tests on the planet: the 39th Edition of the Marathon des Sables (MDS), a 156-mile (250km) ultra-marathon across the blistering expanse of the Sahara Desert in Morocco, held between 4-14 April 2025 where temperatures soar to 50 degrees C and you carry 15kg of all you need for a week in the desert.

A Challenge Beyond the Imaginable

The Marathon des Sables is not just a race. It’s six punishing days of relentless heat, vast sand dunes, stony plains, and emotional highs and lows. For both Jeremy and Ed, the desert presented a crucible in which not just physical fitness, but mental resilience, camaraderie, and personal purpose were tested to their limits.

Jeremy, who finished 84th out of more than 1,000 competitors and won his age group, described the experience as a test of every element of endurance: “This race is not a marathon - it’s an ultra-marathon. And it reminds you every day.”

Ed, who took on the race in memory of his late friend and fellow Rugbeian Ollie Pell (Sh 01–06), approached the challenge with both trepidation and resolve. “Putting myself in Ollie’s shoes - knowing he did this while unknowingly ill - was a huge draw,” Ed said. “I wanted to take myself back to that idea of being comfortable in discomfort.”

Preparation: From Thames to Sahara

Preparation began for both, nine months before the event. Jeremy ran most days, between 10 and 30 miles, often with a weighted pack to simulate the gear required during the race. He travelled to Dubai and Thailand to acclimatise to heat and trained up desert dunes. “There’s no magic in finishing this kind of race,” he said. “It starts months earlier, in cold, early mornings, with no fanfare - just relentless preparation.”

Ed’s path to the MDS was different - and harder in many ways. Diagnosed with arthritis at 21, he hadn’t run seriously since school. His first 5km training run left him immobile for two days. “That was a big warning sign,” he admits. But driven by a desire to honour Ollie and support the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, he trained five days a week, balancing preparation with work and parenting two toddlers. “Weekends were sacrificed, much to the frustration of my wife!”

The Race Begins

Meeting in Morocco just days before the race, Ed and Jeremy connected instantly, bonding over school memories, shared nerves, and sand-blasted Berber tents. “There’s always a spark when two Rugbeians meet,” said Ed. “From day one, we had each other to lean on.”  Ed was Captain of the school Cross Country Running VIII and had completed the gruelling Row the Altlantic challenge across 3000 miles of ocean. Jeremy was also in the school Running VIII and had come second place overall in the arctic Fire and Ice 250km Ultra Marathon in Iceland, 3 years earlier.

The race itself was split into six stages: 32km, 40km, 32.5km, 82.5km, 42km, and 21km - interspersed with minimal rest. Water was rationed to 5 litres per day for all your needs plus refills at checkpoints, gear had to be carried including all the food, cooker and sleeping equipment, and there were no showers or washing facilities. Sand found its way into every crevice of the body - and soul.

For Jeremy, the first day was a shock: “It was supposed to be the easy day, but I was utterly exhausted. I began to doubt whether I could finish.” For Ed, the opening stage brought a brutal awakening: “I’d forgotten about the other five days and ran far too hard. I needed to completely reframe my mindset.”

The Long Day: A Night of Reckoning

Stage four, “The Long Day,” was a monstrous 53 miles (85km). Jeremy began well but hit a wall late in the day. “At the final checkpoint, I didn’t think I could take another step. I felt like one of those marathon runners who collapses, yards from the finish. Somehow, after some gels and a 10-minute rest, I jogged the final five miles and finished in 11 hours and 10 minutes.”

Ed’s long day brought disaster: a brutal ankle twist on a steep, rocky descent. “I went over on it twice in half an hour. I knew that if I stopped, it would be over.” Limping the final 17km, Ed completed the stage with sheer grit. “Having Ollie on my mind made it easier to keep going. His strength kept me upright.”  After starting in the dark at 6am, Ed finished at 8pm as a brutal sand-storm threatened zero visibility and tents and equipment were thrown across the desert

Sand, Blisters, and Brotherhood

The days blurred into a haze of heat, blisters, and tactical hydration. Each evening, Jeremy and Ed caught up, sharing war stories, comparing blisters, and encouraging one another through the pain. “Jeremy seemed to skip up the dunes,” Ed recalls, laughing. “I later discovered he’d trained in Dubai - smart move.”

Despite a twisted ankle and enormous physical toll, Ed completed the race, raising thousands for the Royal Marsden. Jeremy, too, ran for a cause close to his heart - raising over £6,000 for Hell’s Kitchen, a grassroots initiative delivering aid to war-affected civilians in Kharkiv, Ukraine. The cause was inspired by his son, Hamish Maddocks (Sh 13–18), who volunteered there.

Lessons from the Sand

For both men, the Marathon des Sables was transformative.

Jeremy reflected: “It’s given me a new appreciation for life, for other people’s struggles, and for the sheer force of will that humans can summon when faced with the impossible. It was truly humbling”

Ed echoed that sentiment: “You learn so much about yourself when you’re on the edge. Everyone has their own version of ‘hard.’ It doesn’t have to be 250km in the desert. But when you do something truly uncomfortable, you grow in ways daily life never allows.”

A Rugbeian Spirit, Etched in Sand

Jeremy Maddocks and Ed Batchelor are not the first Rugbeians to take on the MDS - and they won’t be the last. But in 2025, under the blazing Saharan sun, they proved what it means to go a step beyond.

To support Jeremy’s fundraising for Hell’s Kitchen in Ukraine, donations are still being accepted https://www.justgiving.com/page/jeremy-maddocks-hellskitchen

To support Ed’s fundraising for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity in memory of Ollie Pell, please donate here.