BENFLEET Running Club's Graham Booty took on the challenge to end all challenges in his campaign to not only finish but to run competitively in the Marathon des Sables.

Run over six days and five stages, the 245.3km (152.08 miles) race across the Sahara Desert in Morocco is consider to be the "grail" by many runners.

The route covers dunes, steep slopes with a factor of up to 25 degrees, rocky plateaux. and salt flats that are punishingly hard under foot.

Competitors must carry all their own equipment and be self-sufficient for the entire distance.

Booty not only finished the race but, as every day passed, he gradually moved up the field.

After the first stage he was 145th, but by stage four he had moved into 50th place.

At the end of the race he finished 44th out of 747 finishers and was the second Briton home.

54 starters were forced to pull out at various stages of the race.

Booty, who completed the race in an amazing 28 hrs 58 mins and 18 secs, explained his motivation for entering the Sables.

"As a part time recreational runner I decided to join Benfleet Running Club at the start of 2005," said Booty.

"Swept along by the enthusiasm of my fellow club members, running became more important to me.

"At some point later that year I read an article about the Marathon des Sables and thought How cool. I'd like to have a stab at that'.

"I duly enrolled for the 2008 race and sketched out a two-year plan. Last year I stepped up my endurance efforts, spending hundreds of hours training, grinding out heavy mileage on the road with lots of cross training on the bike and in the pool."

In the build up to this race, apart from pounding out the miles laden with a rucksack, he undertook many races on the way chalking up some impressive performances including: l March 4, 2007 - 5th in the Weald Park Tough Challenge (4hrs 13mins).

l May 12, 2007 - 12th (and team Essex Champs gold and individual bronze) in the Halstead Marathon (2hrs 57mins); l June 17, 2007 - 13th in age group (and qualifying to represent England in World Champs) in the UK Half Ironman Triathlon (5hrs 28mins).

l July 15, 2007 - joint 2nd in the Kent 50 mile Challenge (7hrs 30 mins).

l October 14, 2007 - 1st in Weald Park Tough Challenge Marathon (3hrs 26 mins).

l November 10, 2007 - 674th in Half Ironman World Championships in Florida (4hrs 48 mins).

l February 16, 2008 - 6th in the Thames Meander (55 miles) (8hrs 21 mins).

The motivation that has driven Booty to complete this challenge is to raise money for his chosen charity, Facing Africa, in the fight to combat the disease Noma which is an acute and ravaging gangrenous infection affecting the face.

The victims of Noma are mainly young children caught in a vicious circle of extreme poverty and chronic malnutrition.