Louise going the distance in training for 156-mile Marathon Des Sables

A Dundee personal trainer is bound for the Sahara Desert after securing her final funding to allow her to take part in the 156-mile Marathon Des Sables.

Fitness fanatic Louise Johnstone, who is taking part in the race in aid of a local mental health charity, will don a pair of sand-proof goggles and run in temperatures of up to 50 degrees as part of her desert quest in April.

Before she could take part Louise, 35, had to raise more than £3,000 for Dundee Association of Mental Health.

Louise, who was inspired to raise funds for DAMH after experiencing her own mental health challenges, said: “I’ve only failed to finish a race once, when I developed hypothermia, so this is going to be quite the opposite of that. There’s still a lack of knowledge when it comes to mental health, so if I can help in any way that will be massive for me.”

For more on Dundee Association of Mental Health visit www.damh.org.uk.