Senior Physical Training Instructor Mark Sharp is at it again this summer, competing in his toughest desert run yet to raise cancer-research funds in tribute to former Force colleagues Paul Deal and Paul Terry.

This time he's out to conquer Death Valley in the United States in the Badwater Ultramarathon from July 25 to 27. Mark hopes his quest will raise sizeable donations for the Rene Weston Cancer Fund, designated under the Hong Kong Cancer Fund, and is calling on Force staff and other OffBeat readers for support.

With temperatures sizzling up to 60 degrees Celsius in the shade in some areas, he'll be passing aptly-named townships such as Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells! Mark will be the first Hong Kong runner to participate in the 220-kilometre event.

His unquenchable thirst for adventure and discovery has seen him not just trek around the world for charity, but run across it, often for days or even weeks on end and in places most wouldn't dare to tread with vast weather extremes and other pitfalls.

The obvious question is "Why? Are you crazy?".

"Well, yes, you could say that," he quips. "Crazy about running. Crazy about pushing myself to the extreme to find out who I really am. Crazy about exploring places nobody has been, and there are very few travellers who have seen some of the awe-inspiring things I have."

Mark headed for the Sahara's scorched wastes for seven days of torturous running in 1998, braving sun and heat stroke, dehydration, scorpion stings and endless chafes and blisters. However, by competing in the Marathon Des Sables, Mark and his team raised over $1.5 million for the Society for the Promotion of Hospice Care. Mark said he also discovered a new-found internal strength as the gruelling six-day 230-kilometre event progressed, and competed again the following year, finishing 56th out of 620 starters.

Despite already conquering the desert, Mark is entering the Badwater with a new philosophical attitude. Down with ulcerative colitis in the middle of last year, he shared a Queen Mary Hospital ward for two months with late fellow officer Paul Deal.

"Paul was an inspiration and his spirit was testimony to the real meaning of courage and dignity. Battling pancreatic cancer, he always exuded this incredible positive energy combined with a great sense of humour. Paul's resilience reinforced my philosophy of living each day to the full. He once ran the Dowman barefoot, on bitumen. That's the kind of guy he was," he said. "And this mirrored the ideals of Paul Terry, another former officer who bravely fought cancer. So I decided to run this event to raise money for cancer research in memory of these two inspirational men."

Mark said his participation would also reflect the unrelenting encouragement from his wife and family that aided his rapid recovery, together with the support he received from colleagues and Police Welfare Officers.

"My family will be extremely happy to see me physically back together, and staff welfare officers also went a long way in putting me back on track so this race will be run in celebration of me having my health and fitness back."

To tackle the arduous event, Mark will experiment with a new strategy. Running 37 Olympic-distance marathons since 1985, he has never beaten 2 hours 57 minutes, or been slower than 3 hours 25 minutes.

"It appears my pace, physiology and psychological approach is probably better suited for the ultra-marathon distances, so the Badwater event will be the perfect opportunity to test this theory."

Please support Mark's efforts and contribute generously to the Fund. For information on how you can help please call Mark on 2814-4426.

Desert dueller: Mark Sharp in training on the PTS track