16-year-old Raff Jackson has set his sights on becoming the youngest British competitor to compete at the Marathon des Sables - The ‘Toughest Foot Race On Earth’

In just under a month’s time, 16-year-old schoolboy Raff Jackson will (hopefully) become the youngest British person to ever run and complete the Marathon des Sables. It is a six-day foot race that takes place over a distance of about 250km in the Sahara Desert, throughout which competitors must carry their own food, sleeping gear, in fact, everything they need to survive. It has been dubbed the “Toughest foot race on Earth” for obvious reasons.

His reason for taking up the challenge is to raise money for his mum’s charity, Overcoming MS. Raff’s mother Sophie suffers from multiple sclerosis, a condition that affects the brain and nerves.

However, he will not be alone, his dad will be trying to keep up with him. His father Ted Jackson has had two previous attempts at the race, only succeeding on one occasion. Raff will also follow in his older brother’s footsteps who completed the Marathon Des Sables (MDF) when he was 19.

Over the years, Ted Jackson has raised over £200,000 pounds for MS charities - his exploits have included: - The North Pole Marathon, rowing across the Atlantic, and running 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 different continents so he is no stranger to adventure but this might just prove his greatest!