The heat is on for a quartet of Maltese runners who left for Morocco on Thursday to compete in the Marathon des Sables, a daring challenge made up of several stages held every year in the Sahara.

The four athletes – Daniel Agius, Steve Chetcuti, Ben Mifsud and Jack Schiavone – have to be self-sufficient to cover a distance of 250 kilometres, as each participant must carry a backpack containing food, sleeping gear and other material.

While all four want to complete the feat as a personal challenge, they have also decided to use the endeavour to raise funds for triathlete Jake Vella, one of some 75 people in the world suffering from rapid-onset obesity with hypothalamic dysfunction, hypoventilation and autonomic dysregulation.

Patients with the rare disease suffer can do nothing to stop their bodies from gaining weight.

Speaking to this newspaper ahead of the race, Mr Agius said that while all four had trained for months to be in top shape for the challenge, the weather conditions still posed a big concern.

“Temperatures fluctuate from a scorching 50 degrees Celsius during the day to five degrees Celsius at night. We all want to reach the finish line and, perhaps, even set our own personal goals, but my biggest concern right now is whether I will be able to handle the conditions,” Mr Agius said.

Some 1,000 endurance athletes from all over the world participate in the week-long race, also considered as one of the toughest in the world. 

While Mr Agius had participated in Iron Man races in the past, the Marathon des Sables posed a greater challenge as it was held in the desert.

“Apart from weather concerns, the sand and blisters could also be a tough hurdle,” Mr Agius said.

The Marathon des Sables gets under way on Sunday.