Mum-of-three, Karen O’Donnell from Wimbledon has taken charity running to another level. And another continent!
Karen (49) has raised over £30,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support by running the Sahara not once, but three times!
And overall, the O’Donnell family have raised over £50,000 for Macmillan. All in an effort to give back to the cancer charity who supported her family when her beloved father was diagnosed with late stage cancer.
Karen explained why she was motivated to take on running the Sahara for Macmillan:
“I still find it hard to talk about my dad without crying. He is much-loved and dearly missed. He died of kidney cancer 6 years ago – it was clear quite early on that he wasn’t going to live and that he wasn’t going to have very long either. Between his diagnosis and dying, he only had 11 months.
“His two Macmillan nurses helped massively. People always think of nurses in the context of treatment, healing, or hospices, but it was the care and listening and connection that made the most difference to us. It just made a really awful experience less scary. That was a word my mum and dad used a lot – they were less scared.
“The Macmillan nurses gave them someone to talk to and helped them find a way through it all.”
The infamous ‘Marathon des Sables’ takes place annually and covers a distance of 156 miles, with participants running for 6 days straight, across the Sahara Desert.
Lockdown inspired Karen, and her husband Jon, to take on the extreme desert challenge once again in 2021, although it ended in disappointment: “I ran my first Marathon des Sables in 2019…it’s one of those things you think you’ll never do again…..but then lockdown came around and I suggested to Jon that we give it another go together.
“2021’s race was particularly tough – it was moved to the October due to the pandemic, but it was unseasonably hot, even for the Sahara, hitting 56°C in the dunes by the middle of the day! There was a lot of illness amongst the runners, although not Covid thankfully. It meant about 50% of the runners failed to finish, including Jon. It was a bit lonely without him and many of my tent mates, but I still managed to cross the finish line.
“Despite Jon not being able to complete the race, our supporters remained very generous…it was one of the reasons we went back again this year! It was mercifully a bit cooler, although with strong sandstorms. We were delighted to cross the finish line together.
“The race itself is really hard. It’s seriously rough. 156 miles across the Sahara Desert – it’s known as the toughest foot race on earth for a reason! You have to be very self-sufficient – basic tents, carry all of your own food and kit, the toilet facilities non-existent! However, there’s always lots of medical support on-hand and the camaraderie is amazing. You often meet people who are there for a tragic or emotional reason – I have never seen so many men cry.
“I met one American runner who was blind and competing with his ex-army colleague – watching him complete it was just awe-inspiring. There is also a very special man with prostate cancer who has been running it ever since he was diagnosed and raises a phenomenal amount of money. Several individuals running with artificial limbs…it’s incredible. Everyone has a story for being there and it makes you feel very humble.”
And Karen had some invaluable advice for anyone looking to take on a charity challenge of this scale: “Do it for a cause that you feel passionate about and that the people connected to you – the people who you’re asking to support you – understand that passion. You do feel that pressure to finish because you’ve asked people to put their hands in their pockets. It motivates you massively! And make sure you’ve trained for it and that it is within your capabilities!”
Karen said: “It gives me a lot of satisfaction, but I’m still inspired to raise more. There are more people out there that need support. And I know how vital the fundraising is for charities like Macmillan. People think £50k sounds a lot, but it takes a lot to fund the 1-on-1 support that people need.“
Karen is mum to Aidan (12), Tobin (14), and James (17).
To donate to Karen and Jon visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jonod
