ARMY physical training instructor Rab Lundie will run 157 miles across the Sahara Desert to raise funds for the charity that saved his partner's life.

The 33-year-old from Paxmans Road, Westbury will endure six days of 45-degree heat to support Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

This will be the third year in a row Mr Lundie has run the 'Marathon des Sables' and he aims to complete 10 before he retires. But when he crosses the start line on April 11 the father-of-two will have extra personal motivation for his run.

Four years ago his partner Angela Newell, 30, had to be cut from the wreckage of her car after a head-on collision near Tidworth. She survived after being taken to hospital in Salisbury by air ambulance and now Mr Lundie is looking to raise as much cash as possible for the charity.

He said: "She would not have got through it if they hadn't been there. People take the service for granted but it doesn't have any Government funding this is payback for them."

The super-fit soldier took last week off from his job with the Royal Logistic Corps in Cirencester to clock up 120 miles on the hills around Westbury.

He has also gained three quarters of a stone to compensate for the weight he and his three team mates will lose in the desert.

Last year 700 runners from 42 countries took part in the Sahara marathon, carrying food, kit and daily water rations in a 12kg rucksack.

Mr Lundie said travelling across the sand dunes was often three times as hard as normal running, but this has not dampened his enthusiasm.

He said: "The feeling when you get to the finish line is unbelievable. I've seen grown men cry.

"The desert is beautiful. On the first marathon I didn't appreciate the scenery because I was racing so I said I would come back."

It costs almost £10,000 to get to the start line, but Mr Lundie's kit was provided free by Cotswold Outdoor UK and Nationwide in Swindon has been a big donor.

The Hollies pub in Westbury Leigh has also raised more than £3,500 for Mr Lundie's marathon effort after regular customer Phil Harris was also saved by the air ambulance.

Readers can find out more about Mr Lundie's desert challenge by logging onto www.saharamarathon.co.uk. To sponsor him call (01373) 827048.