A SOLDIER is braving temperatures of up to 40C for a charity run in the gruelling conditions of an African desert.

Mark Lindsay, of Lower Wick, Worcester, is competing in the 155-mile RacingThePlanet Four Deserts event in Egypt’s scorching Sahara desert from Sunday, October 26.

The seven-day effort will take Warrant Officer second class (WO2) Lindsay, of the Royal Engineers, across one of the most inhospitable environments on Earth and all in the name of Help For Heroes.

The charity helps wounded servicemen and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He said: “Each day is a marathon in distance. I keep asking myself why I’m doing it but it’s for a good cause.”

WO2 Lindsay, aged 37, moved to Kuwait with his family last year as an advisor to the country’s armed forces and was approached by British Army colleague Major Andy Whiteside to take part in the race.

“We got together to plan it but found out it was $3,000 (£1,700) each just to enter,” said WO2 Lindsay.

UK company Hesco Bastion saved the day by stumping up the entry fee so the pair could take part in the race.

WO2 Lindsay has been training by running for two hours on the hotel treadmill and spending three hours in the evenings running across Kuwaiti desert terrain near where he is based in Jabriya.

He said: “We’ve been training in 35C and 40C heat because those are the temperatures we can expect.

“Each runner will carry his own food and equipment but we’ll get water from checkpoints along the route.”

Each race stage ranges from 10 to 50 miles and competitors will be shadowed by a race support team in case anyone picks up an injury or drops of the gruelling contest.

Runners will pass through checkpoints on each day before resting their battered feet at a campsite at the end of the stage.

To sponsor WO2 Lindsay, visit his website at justgiv ing.com/h4hsahara or read his blog by going to 4deserts.com