By ANDREW MCQUARRIE

A CHAMPION athlete crushed by a car eight years ago is teaming up with his wife to take part in the most gruelling footrace in the world to raise money for charity.

Glasgow-born John Lunn, 49, was entered into the 160-mile, ultra-endurance marathon as a 50th birthday present from his wife Alison, 38.

Together, the Lunns will tackle the treacherous sands and jagged peaks of the Saharan Desert, braving temperatures of up to 50 degrees in their bid to complete The Marathon Des Sables.

“I got knocked off my push bike by a car in 2009 and as a result I got a broken jaw and had to get some facial reconstruction, with metal plates put in my jaw. I also broke some ribs and had injuries to my back, hip, knee and wrist. It was the Southern General that treated me and the work they did was amazing,” said senior Sportscotland manager John, who lived in Ibrox until the age of three.

John’s road to recovery was long and, at times, frustrating. The winner of Scottish half-iron man titles in the 1990s, John’s desire to get back to his favourite hobby was stymied by lingering injuries and niggles.

“I tried running on and off but I kept breaking down. It wasn’t until last summer that I could run more than a few miles,” said John.

But when John’s wife entered them into the Marathon Des Sabres - dubbed the ‘toughest footrace on Earth’ by the Discovery Channel -- there was no going back.

Run over six days, the ultra-endurance event will see 1,300 athletes run the equivalent of a marathon each day across a route only made known to them when they arrive in Morocco. To beef up the challenge even further, mobile phone signal will be blocked to make sure the athletes stick to the self-navigation rule.

Every night, the athletes will sleep under a basic tent shared with eight people.

The Lunns have spent the last six months building up the distance they run and getting used to carrying a 9kg rucksack -- the weight they will carry across the desert.

They then spent four weeks running in a heat chamber at Napier University to adjust to the blistering temperatures they will face when they arrive in Morocco on Saturday.

While no amount of training will fully prepare them for their race, they will draw on special inspiration to push them towards the finish line.

“Our three-year-old niece Aoife was diagnosed with a brain tumour two years ago and she’s undergoing experimental treatment at Great Ormond Street hospital to hopefully alleviate things,” said John.

Determined to help Aiofe and other children suffering similar illnesses, the Lunns set up a Just Giving Page aiming to raise £10,000 for children’s cancer charity CLIC Sergeant.

So far they are half-way towards their funding target and any further donations would be gratefully received through https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mdschallenge2017.