FORMER Greenhill School pupil Andy Finn enjoyed the experience of a lifetime recently by competing in the Marathon des Sables set in the Southern Moroccan Sahara desert. Widely recognised as being the toughest foot race in the world, the Marathon des Sables is run over seven days, covering 140 miles of rugged terrain, including sand dunes, vast rocky plains and dry lakes. Runners are required to carry all their food and survival equipment for the week, while carefully rationed water is distributed at checkpoints along the way. Thirty-six-year-old Andy, who now lives and works in Southampton, is lucky enough to return to Manorbier regularly and completed some of his training on Tenby's South Beach, and also by running the coastal path between Manorbier and Freshwater East. This year's event attracted 731 runners from 32 countries, with Andy delighted to finish 120th of the 585 competitors who managed to complete the demanding course. He was placed 13th out of the 250 British runners who entered. For Andy, the biggest challenges were coping with the temperatures of up to 42 degrees centigrade, several sand storms and blisters. However, the camaraderie amongst the runners, beautiful scenery and feeling of pride crossing the finishing line made the whole experience worthwhile.