A PETERSFIELD endurance runner is to raise money for a children’s charity by running in a series of marathons described as the world’s toughest foot-race.

Jakob Bloch is chief executive of headhunting firm Commodity Appointments in The Old Dairy in Station Road and is raising money for the Dreams Come True charity in Liphook.

He is in training for the extreme challenge of running the equivalent of six marathons in six days in the first South American Marathon des Sables in the sweltering heat of Peru’s Ica Desert in The Andes.

He said: “Over the six days, we’ll be running a total of 156 miles, or about 250 kilometres, in one of the driest regions on the planet.

“The Ica Desert is on a high plateau 200 miles south of Lima, between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes.

“So as well as being hot and sunny, it presents the added challenge of running at altitude.

“To make it even more difficult, the race starts at the end of November, which in Peru is the height of summer.”

His training has included running in the Austrian mountains as well as using hypoxic chambers at the Ham Yard Hotel in London.

The hypoxic chamber artificially creates the altitude conditions equivalent to 2,700 metres.

The Danish national has already run the legendary and original Marathon De Sables across the Sahara Desert in Morocco in support of Dreams Come True.

The charity works to enrich the lives of youngsters who have serious and life-limiting health conditions.

After the Moroccan Marathon des Sables, Jakob joined its board with the aim of using the good relationships Commodity enjoys with its global clients to support this worthy cause.

He said: “At a personal level the people of East Hampshire have been incredibly generous in sponsoring my previous desert ultra-marathons.

“I’m hoping that they will sponsor me again for the race in Peru so we can make dreams come true for even more children.”

Runners arrive in Lima on November 26, and the race starts two days later. Competitors are expected to finish some time on Monday, December 4.

During the six days of running, they will carry everything they need, such as water and first aid kits.

Each evening they will arrive at a pre-erected campsite, where there will be food and medical teams.

A race spokesman said: “The event will be completed at free pace in self-sufficiency conditions in a desert environment.”

To support his fundraising run visit the webpage www.commodity.global/ donate