Royal visit as Prince Harry surprises desert race pair training in Gosport

Dan Roiz de Sa and Duncan Slater have signed up for the Marathon des Sables which will see them race 150 miles across the Sahara desert.

Prince Harry went along to Gosport’s Institute of Naval Medicine, where Dan is a senior medical officer, to meet armed forces veteran Duncan.

The double amputee has been using the facility to train and prepare himself for the heat of the desert. It is the second time he has attempted the race, having finished 35 miles short previously.

For Dan, from Gosport, it is his first time taking on the mammoth challenge.

He said: ‘I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that Duncan will manage it, he’s worked so hard.

‘If Duncan has any problems he will have me there with him, a doctor with all the dressings.’

Dan has competed in numerous marathons and ultra marathons, having run four in the last four weeks. He hopes this will enable him to complete the course.

He added: ‘It’s a daunting experience. It’s the hardest race on the planet and I have the responsibility of someone else on top of that.’

Duncan, who lost both his legs to a bomb blast in Afghanistan, was surprised by Prince Harry’s visit. He updated the royal on his progress but said the heat training was ‘miserable’.