Royal Marines cadet George Moore collapsed in agony in the Sahara and had to tough it out himself – as his dad ran off.
George, 18, was feverish and his eyes were rolling as the effects of the gruelling Marathon des Sables race took hold.
He and dad Ian, 53, had a pact that the other would continue the race if one of them was laid low.
But neither realised at that moment that George had suffered a double fracture of the pelvis.
Race competitors endure a 156-mile, six-day slog in scorching 45C heat.
Ian and George had trained for more than three years for the challenge.
George collapsed twice at night during a double marathon stage across the sands in southern Morocco.
Technology worker Ian, from Formby, Merseyside, said: “George was getting slower and slower and then he collapsed for the first time.
“He was shivering and his eyes were rolling. I put my duvet jacket on him and stuck him in two sleeping bags – despite us being in the Sahara.
“I pressed the help button on the tracker and the medics came over the top of this massive dune in a buggy.
“They gave him some saline and some painkillers and we cracked on. But an hour later he was staggering again and we both agreed his race was over.
“I pressed the help button again, shook his hand and was off with, ‘I love you, Dad’ ringing in my ears.
“It felt weird leaving him behind but I couldn’t afford to miss the cut-off at the next checkpoint.
“We made a pact on the way down to Gatwick. It just so happened I was the lucky one, it could just as easily have been me.”
Some 1,200 runners take part each year, including a clutch of Brits. Competitors must pass a series of checkpoints to complete the race and those who miss the deadline are eliminated.
After the second incident, race medics eventually tracked George down and took him to a checkpoint where he spent the night alone – with just scorpions for company.
He said: “I was in such intense pain. I couldn’t have carried on. It was only much later that I learned I’d been running with a double stress fracture.
“But I had no issues with Dad leaving me behind as we’d made a pact and had a plan for this very eventuality be it either one of us.
“I knew if he didn’t go, he might not make the next checkpoint and I’d never want to ruin his race.
"The medics turned up after about an hour and took me to a previous checkpoint where they left me for the night. At first I was like ‘what the hell do I do now?’
“But then I realised I had everything I needed on my back – food, water and a sleeping bag.
“I got my head down for the night and in the morning they took me to get some medical treatment. The positive was that they then moved me to a five-star hotel where I waited for a couple of days until Dad turned up.”
Ian went on to complete the race and had a tattoo to mark the triumph.
Ian and George ran to raise funds for Sefton Royal Marines Cadets. Four months after his ordeal, George is still recovering – and hopes to try again.
