Press Release

Local pair to tackle gruelling 245.3 km long Marathon des Sables.

Cadcorp sponsorship helps to raise funds for Facing Africa charity.

Digital mapping and geographic information systems (GIS) software developer, Cadcorp, is sponsoring two local men who are raising funds for the charity Facing Africa by tackling this year’s gruelling, 245.3 km long Marathon des Sables in the south Moroccan Sahara Desert.

Nick Summers, a project manager at Stevenage-based Cadcorp, and his running partner Ben Ragless will set off for North Africa at the end of March to join around 850 other competitors who are all aiming to complete the longest race yet in the 22-years history of the Marathon des Sables.

“The Marathon des Sables is considered to be the ‘Holy Grail’ of footraces”, said Nick Summers. “Ben and I are both keen long-distance runners, so we decided to take up the challenge of the Marathon des Sables and, at the same time, raise money for a charity called Facing Africa. Facing Africa is concerned with the prevention and cure of a terrible facial disfigurement disease called NOMA”, Nick explained. “The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 140,000 new cases of NOMA occur each year and, of these, a mere 10% survive. We hope that the money we raise, both from Cadcorp and through friends and acquaintances, will help increase this survival rate”.

Both Nick and Ben have been training hard for the past few months for this most challenging of races. Apart from their daily routine they have competed in several local marathons and half-marathons, and have attended intensive training weekends in Nottingham to help prepare them for the rigours of the Marathon des Sables.

For more information, visit Nick and Ben’s blog at: http://sandstorm2008.blogspot.com

The Marathon des Sables 2008.

At 245.3 km, the 2008 Marathon des Sables is the longest in the 22 year history of the race. The course will take Nick Summers and Ben Ragless and around 850 other competitors over ergs (dune zones), seriously steep jebels (up to 25% slope factor) and rocky plateaux. They will have to cross hard-as-iron salt flats and the driest of wadis.

The race is free-style and run in six stages varying in distance from 20 to 70km, and takes in all of the different terrains, that make up this beautiful part of Morocco many of which are only accessible on foot,. Whether running individually or as part of a team, competitors are self-sufficient in everything except water, and have to carry all their own equipment, including food and compulsory kit, during the entire race.

This 23rd running of the Marathon des Sables on 30 March, 2008 is organised by the AOI under the aegis of the Moroccan Ministry of Tourism. Roughly 30% of the competitors are French, with the remainder drawn from more than 32 nationalities, with a strong Anglo-Saxon presence.

About Cadcorp

Established in 1991, Cadcorp is a leading UK developer of digital mapping and geographic information systems (GIS) software. With offices in the UK and the USA, Cadcorp's distribution and value-added reseller (VAR) network stretches worldwide. The company also plays a pivotal technical role in the Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc.® (OGC®).

The Cadcorp SIS - Spatial Information System product family is fully integrated digital mapping and GIS software that uses OGC certified compliant interfaces. Cadcorp technical director Martin Daly is an OGC Gardels Medal holder for his contribution to the OGC, and was one of the original members of the OGC Architecture Board. Cadcorp is an ISO9001:2000 and ISO/IEC 27001:2005 certified company, an Ordnance Survey GB Licensed Partner and Ordnance Survey Northern Ireland Licensed Partner. Cadcorp SIS applications exist in local government, central government, emergency services, insurance, oil & natural gas, mapping and surveying, commerce, utilities and many other markets.

ENDS

Editors:
For further information contact: Julia Smith, Tel: +44 (0)1438 747996, e-mail: julia.smith@cadcorp.com or
Neil McLeod, Tel: +44 (0)1666 504293, e-mail: neilmcleod@btopenworld.com.

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