For the past seven months, the sight of Lee Harrison on Island roads has been nearly as common as Johnny Barnes.

The slight, 40-year-old Briton has been unmistakable, myopically lugging a backpack as he plods mile after mile, up hills and down them, along Bermuda's roads and off them.

Even for a guy who has run in nine marathons this kind of training is a little extreme. But at 150 miles across the desert, the 13th Marathon des Sables is to regular marathons what El Nino is to a rain shower.

Harrison and two Bermudian women, who will walk the course, left this week for Morocco and the "Marathon of the Sands,'' part of a field of just 400 people taking part in what is billed as the toughest foot race on earth.

"Actually, I thought I was the only one (from Bermuda) until I got a fact sheet from the organisers,'' said Harrison, who didn't even meet the others, Ann Mailer or Lisanne Dorion, until this week.

The six-day stage race begins on Sunday and takes place in the general vicinity of Ouarzazate, in southern Morocco, in the middle of the Sahara Desert. And it's more than just a test of endurance, it's also a test of character.

Competitors must carry everything they will need to survive in temperatures ranging from 50 degrees to 120 degrees, including food, sleeping bag, snake-bite kit, medical supplies and compass. Only a ration of nine litres of water, along with an open-sided tent at night, is supplied and packs are limited to 20 pounds.

Runners -- or walkers -- are not even told the exact course until the day of the race, but have been tipped off that up to 50 percent of it is across sand, the rest over dried river beds and dunes.

"I think it's more of a mental challenge than anything,'' says Dorion, 32.

She and Mailer, 49, both employees at Bacardi International, have had their own training regimen, also carrying backpacks. "I think we've seen pretty much all of the Island,'' Mailer says.

Not knowing exactly what to expect makes training difficult, acknowledges Harrison, who works at Bermuda Air Conditioning.

"All you can do is go over the terrain, put in lots of mileage and hopefully build up your leg strength,'' he said.

The six daily stages range from 12 to 50 miles, including one that takes place at night.

Another Bermudian, John Buckley, walked the race last year and it was after reading of his adventure in The Royal Gazette that Dorion and Mailer decided to enter. "I thought, `I can do that','' said Dorion.

The race comes more naturally to Harrison, a veteran Island competitor who completed the New York City Marathon last November and the International Race Weekend Marathon in Bermuda in January.

Because entries are capped, they had to get their applications in early.

And it's not cheap. Entry alone costs $2,400 and factoring in travel costs and other expenses means the three have spent close to $5,000 each just to take part.

Dorion and Mailer left yesterday through London; Harrison leaves today through New York, ultimately arriving via Royal Air Moroc.

DESERT STORM -- Ann Mailer, Lisanne Dorion and Lee Harrison (from left) are set to challenge the gruelling 150-mile Marathon des Sables in Morocco next week.