Who is Matt
Elliott?
Who is Matt
Elliott? 
Who am I?
I was born in Aldershot, Hampshire on 21 January
1982. I
have been educated at Rowledge Primary School, Edgeborough Prep School,
Lord
Wandsworth College and now in my final year at Loughborough University
studying
Construction Engineering Management.
I have always enjoyed my sports, from an early age at Edgeborough,
through to
going on a rugby tour to South Africa with Lord Wandsworth, and on the
athletics side I was selected for the Prep School National
Championships in
400metres in 1995, and captaining Lord Wandsworth's athletic team
during my
final year there. At Loughborough during my first year I trained with
the
400metre squad and have represented the University athltics team. In
2002
I
completed the London Marathon in just over 3 hours raising funds for
ActionAid.
I have been very lucky and had the opportunity to
travel and work in many countries through my Gap year I took before
going to Loughborough, and the long university holidays we have as
students,
and at the
last count, I totalled 33 different countries from 5 continents.
So why Do the Marathon Des Sables?
As I have said I really enjoy exercise, and love setting myself challenges. During my final year at University I was conscious I needed something other than study to occupy me so that I didn’t get bogged down with it all. This is by far the most challenging thing I have ever done, and I am under no illusions about how hard it is going to be. Throughout University life I have been involved with the student fundraising activities (LSRag), so the opportunity to raise substantial funds is also a driving factor.
Most people thing I am crazy, and truthfully I
probably am,
but at the end of the day there are no shortcuts to any place worth
going. As T.S.Eliot once said "Only those who risk going too far can
find out how far one can go."
