'I ran 156 miles in the desert at the age of 57'

A 57-year-old man who has completed "the toughest foot race on earth" says he has "lived out a dream he carried for three decades".

Lenny Worthing, of Oswestry, ran 156 miles (251km) across the Sahara Desert in the Marathon des Sables in Morocco, in just six days.

Apart from wondering if he could cross the finish, Worthing had thought he couldn't afford to run it, as it "cost thousands" to enter, but when he got a call about a forgotten £4,000 pension pot, it was "now or never".

The race, which saw him battle sand storms and high temperatures was more emotionally, than physically challenging, being away from his family. "I cried like a baby when I crossed the finish line," he said.

Worthing has completed other fundraising challenges, including wing walking and marathon running, for 26 years.

He was prompted to step up after his mother died of cancer at the age of 49 and his daughter Bethany died at birth, in the same week in 1996.

For each challenge he chose a different charity to support with previous funds raised for Macmillan Cancer Support and Bliss, a charity that supports parents and families with premature or sick babies.

His latest achievement has seen him raise more than £4,000 for Oswestry's Movement Centre, which provides specialist physiotherapy for children with disabilities, including Down's syndrome and cerebral palsy.

Worthing trained for a year for the desert race - which 1,500 people entered - including being hit by pain in his ankle and shins four weeks before.

But he knew he had to "go for it" because of all the donations people had made, and he now hopes to reach the £5,000 mark.

"Whether it's the gym, swimming, running, walking, you've got to build it up, I lost 15kg (2.4 stone) in training," he said.

"[But] if I can raise enough money to help one child learn to walk or walk to their mum or dad for the first time, then it will be worth it."

Despite his injury, Worthing said being away from his family was the biggest challenge.

"I hadn't been away for even a day from my wife for seven years and I missed my grandson's birthday, it's the small things," Worthing added.

Participants were able to briefly contact home at each campsite by using a phone set up in a tent called an "emotion box", to send a short message to their loved ones.

"You want to say something [to them] and you talk to a phone for 20 seconds, but that's it, you don't even know if they got the message."

Worthing added that every day had been a challenge, but the people he met were the highlight of the race.

"We had people from 68 countries there, hearing their stories, helping each other and thinking of those I was fundraising for got me through," he added.

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