Dean's back from the toughest race on earth

That was the verdict of the Bexhill man on the most challenging footrace on earth, the Marathon des Sables.

Dean Baker - back home this week after finishing the gruelling 151-mile sand race - had already put himself through nearly 3,000 miles by running, cycling and canoeing to the start line in the Moroccan desert.

Yet he called into the Observer office on Tuesday morning with a spring in his step and a broad smile on his face, hardly the look of a man who had just put himself through six weeks of severe endurance.

And he had already done an hour's "rollout on the indoor trainer" that morning.

An unprecedented 150 competitors, among them Ozzie Osbourne's son Jack, dropped out of what was the 21st sand marathon which had the highest temperatures and humidity known in its history and was plagued by "a huge amount of sandstorms."

Dean's only lasting discomfort, however, has been some bruised and chafed ribs from his back pack and a blister on his foot.

Despite drinking ten and a half litres of water a day, Dean, 43, was still dehydrated from the first day.

"When you lose it on day one, there is no way you can try and catch up.

"I drank 10 litres of water a day and peed less than a coffee cup.

"I am glad I have done it this year. In some ways it is very satisfying to know I have done it when it is as difficult as it can be.

"If I decide never to go back (and that's not guaranteed) then I know it is not likely to be tougher."

It is the second time Dean has taken part and completed the marathon course. This time he has been sponsored to raise money for a community theatre at St Mary's School.

He returned to his job as school pool co-ordinator this week but so far does not know how much he has raised.

"I hope it's been going OK but I've been desperately trying to avoid knowing. Now I don't mind," he said. "There were times I ran near the edge when I had to make a decision - do I go on or do I stop. It should be based on your personal health and life, not on how much money you are raising.

"One man was flown to a French hospital unconscious. He is all right now, but there were guys dropping out who had done the race eight times before."

Although they were allowed extra water to carry, if they ran out they had to keep going to the next check point.

"People start to wobble and collapse and what is so sad there is little you can do for them. You can't give them your water.

"You don't see people taking off their sunglasses because no-one wants to see their crazy eyes. Everyone had sunken eyes."

He survived mainly on water, cereal bars and gels for a week. "Gels are the most disgusting forms of food known to man," he said, so it was straight off to Tesco for some food when he arrived home on Monday.

"Cereal bars don't digest unless you have adequate water and although I drank 10 litres a day it was not enough to digest a meal."

Wife Julie (she's a wonderful girl) and nine-year-old daughter Hannah were there to meet him at the finish, and stayed on until Thursday to soak up the sights as they could not return on the same flight.

The Marathon des Sables is fully booked next year but "not the year after interestingly," said Dean.

But he may have his sights on new challenges.

"They do a similar race in the jungle which looks a bit of a laugh but there are a lot of opportunities out there such as an expedition across the south island of New Zealand."

He says he is a lazy person. "If I don't have something to work at I wouldn't remain fit. I would just sort of slob. It is easy to have to train."

On the final night of the race, competitors were treated to an opera concert.

"It was all very surreal. Seven hundred sunken eyed, severely emaciated individuals watching this concert."

What particularly struck them was the perfume wafting from the singers. "You don't wash for nine days and it was very sweet to us."

At the hotel before flying home, he enjoyed the luxury of a shower.

"I don't know how the drains took it. I had to soap up seven times to get a lather on my hair and then wash the sand down the drain and start again. I was absolutely filthy."

Dean says he would never say he would never do it again.

"I don't want to be a Marathon des Sables specialist. There is a lot out there to be experienced but maybe I will aim to do it when I am 70 or 80."

He has now made friends with people similarly up for a challenge so is considering doing a team event sometime.

But he draws the line at climbing K2, a challenge too far for Dean.

"I don't think my climbing skills are up to it and it's too dangerous. A bit too near the edge for me.

"Too many die on that. I think the odds are one in three so the chances are if three of you go up, one of you won't be there at the end."