Simon Roche, the headmaster from Framlingham College Prep School, visited us and inspired us with his personal story of his journey that he faced running the ‘Marathon des Sables’ covering 6 marathons over 250 kilometres over seven days in the Moroccan desert. It brings together over 1,000 runners from more than 42 countries. It is not just a race but truly was a lesson in resilience.
On day three alone, he ran the equivalent of two full
marathons back-to-back across the desert with sandstorms, difficult terrain; dunes,
rocky hills and steep climbs. He explained that it is a self‑sufficiency race ie
every competitor carries their own food, clothing, medical supplies and
sleeping equipment, sharing a simple canopy with up to eight others each night. There were scorpions and snakes too. The
questions from the children at the end in the Q&A were brilliant and
touched a lot on this element.
As the title of the talk suggests, "How do you eat an elephant?" helped Simon as he felt that when faced with a challenge, he could think of it as needing one small bite at a time! He explained about his fear of failure and letting others down and how this can be overwhelming. In life, when we are faced with problems and challenges that feel too big to solve alone, we must plan, adapt and ask for help.
His message was simple but profound. We will face challenges in life, like running across the desert for days at a time in the relentless heat and hard conditions but with preparation, courage, and a sense of friendship, you can face these challenges. Simon shared that he had to help his friend out during the race who was suffering from severe heatstroke. He could have been selfless and passed him by but he stopped and helped him sacrificing his own personal goal. Endurance is what truly matters and Simon reminded us: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
