Old Wellingtonian Ellen Conquers the Sahara

'Type 2 fun' is the kind that’s tough at the time, but afterwards becomes something you’re really glad you did.

For Old Wellingtonian Ellen, that journey began on Ten Tors, where tough training days on Dartmoor laid the foundations for resilience and determination.

That mindset took her from completing the 45-mile challenge at Wellington to the Marathon des Sables, one of the toughest foot races in the world.

Covering an extraordinary 270km across the Sahara in six stages, including a single 100km stretch, the race demands that competitors carry everything they need while pushing through intense heat, endless sand and physical exhaustion, making it an experience that is as mentally challenging as it is physically demanding.

Despite the vast difference in scale and setting, from the hills of Dartmoor to the expanse of the desert, the same idea remains at the heart of it all, that sense of perseverance, of pushing through discomfort, and of finding those moments that make everything worthwhile in the end.

What an incredible achievement, and a brilliant example of just how far that mindset can take you. Congratulations, Ellen.