Alec Maxfield Trains For The Marathon Des Sables In Aid Of Help For Heroes

I am Senior Aircraft Technician Alec Richard Maxfield, a 24 year old weapons technician in the Royal Air Force. I live in Normanton on Soar in Leicestershire and have done so since I was 8 years old. I went to Normanton on Soar Primary School and the Harry Carlton Comprehensive. I am engaged to my fianc Kate Talbot who I have been with for 6 years. I have served in the RAF for just shy of seven years and during this time have been based on Jaguar and Harrier stations and been deployed to Iraq for 4 months where I carried out Explosive Ordnance Disposal duties.

During my time in the Air Force, and specifically during my time in Basra, I have seen the effect of war upon our service men and women. The Armed Forces of the UK goes about its duties abroad in the most professional manner of any other armed force in the world, and this particularly high standard can on some occasions cost those who dedicate their lives to maintaining it.

This is where the support of charities such as Help for Heroes comes in. The work they provide to those returning from tour wounded is elementary to their continued well being and rehabilitation, and in the recent climate a fair amount of this work has been noted. This however does not mean we should rest on our laurels, based on the assumption everyone is taken care of. There are many troops in need of H4Hs assistance and no doubt there will be more in the future. Not only is it important that we keep this charity running but is also the perfect way for us to show our thanks for the troops, not merely to talk about it, to actually do something to show it.

I am pledging the next approximate 2 years of my out-of-service life to running. Approximately every six months I wish to take part in an event to raise money for H4H, the first of these being the Leicester city Half Marathon on the 11th of October this year. From then it will be a marathon and then ultramarathons, hopefully culminating in the Marathon des Sables, a 150 mile foot race through the Sahara desert. I have never ran anything like these distances before though consider myself of reasonable fitness and my physical training has already begun. I am of no doubt that this is as much of a challenge as it is a commitment, though the magnitude of it shrivels in comparison to the challenges faced by those returning wounded from battle.

More than anything this is about our troops.

During all the events I participate in I plan to raise no less than 10,000, a challenge in itself, but achievable given the right support. All the events I take part in running, up to the Marathon des Sables, will be funded by myself. I am seeking the support of a sponsor(s) that would be willing to display their support for this fundraising campaign by assisting me in getting onto the waiting list for the Marathon des Sables with theextraordinary.co.uk and provide support with the race fee should I get a place. Participation in an event such as the MdS would provide the chance to raise so much more money for H4H and additional publicity for them and any sponsors. It is usually televised in some way.

At my own expense I have set-up a web site www.raceforheroes.com that documents everything I wish to do, it also accepts donations. Anyone looking to become an official sponsor of raceforheroes will receive dedicated space on this page. This is a fantastic opportunity to show our troops what they mean to us, especially with armed forces day approaching, the web site is particularly useful to display all those who have supported the fundraiser in some way and I would like to encourage anyone who thinks they are able to help in any capacity to get in contact via the web site.