Maia Mountain, 22, who grew up in the Algarve, has just completed the Marathon des Sables — a 270km, seven-day race across the Sahara Desert — running every step alongside her father, Joe.

For Joe, it was his fourth time taking on the race. For Maia, it was her first.

They finished side by side, placing 195th overall out of 1,435 competitors, with Maia finishing as the first British woman. Joe was also the top British finisher in the over-50 category, placing first out of 57 competitors.

“I came into this with the overconfidence of someone who doesn’t quite know what they’ve signed up for,” Maia says. “My dad came in with a very healthy respect for what the desert does to you. His experience stopped me making every classic mistake. My excitement probably reminded him to enjoy it.”

Their training unfolded on different continents, shaped by whatever each had around them.

Joe, based in Portugal, trained on the beaches of the Algarve, building the muscle memory the desert demands. Maia, living and working in Kigali, had no sand — but had mountains.

“Rwanda gave me relentless hills. I peaked at 135km in a single week in January, which included winning a 110km mountain ultra.”

What they shared, despite the distance, was consistency.

“We both took up Pilates and yoga at the same time,” Maia says. “That became our shared language during training — comparing notes, checking in on each other. It kept us connected even when we were thousands of miles apart.”

On the course, their dynamic shifted naturally.

“He knew when to push me and when to say nothing,” Maia says. “I think I gave him energy on the days he needed it.”

They developed small rituals along the way — a high five at every kilometre, gratitude for the wind no matter which direction it came from.

Then came Day Four — the “Long Day” — a 100km stage and the most demanding part of the race.

“Somewhere between kilometre 50 and 60 I was in serious pain,” Maia says. “My dad didn’t try to fix it. He just stayed with me.”

By kilometre 60, it had passed.

They pushed on, eventually running the final kilometres through the dunes together.

“We looked at each other and didn’t need to say anything,” Maia says. “That moment is the whole point.”

For Joe, now 53 and approaching his 54th birthday, the race marked his strongest performance to date — a result that carries deeper meaning after a serious injury just a year earlier.

“I wouldn’t have even made it to the start line without the help of Maja at Fit Life Pilates and Marco, my personal trainer at the Conrad,” Joe says. “They were instrumental in my recovery and preparation.”

Joe believes the performance reflects a broader shift in how he approaches training and life.

“Just before my third Marathon des Sables in 2022, my wife Erika said to me, ‘this is probably the fittest you will ever be.’ That stuck with me,” he says. “I think it quietly motivated me to prove that wrong.”

Since then, he has focused on long-term improvements rather than short-term peaks.

“For me, it comes down to a few things: lifestyle changes, drinking less, eating whole foods, avoiding ultra-processed food and sugar, which all feeds into better sleep,” he says. “Then the physical side — working on core strength, stability and structured training. Pilates has played a big role in reducing injury and making me more efficient.”

The result, he says, is not just maintaining performance, but improving it.

“I’m faster now than I was in my 30s,” he says. “And I still feel like there are more levels to reach.

“But above all, running this race with Maia has been incredibly special. It’s taken my running to another level — not just physically, but mentally as well.”

For both father and daughter, however, the race will be remembered for something less measurable.

“What I’ll remember is what this challenge did for our relationship,” Maia says. “You can’t manufacture that kind of closeness. You have to earn it.”

“Find something that scares you both a little,” she adds. “Train for it together, even if you’re not in the same place. The race almost doesn’t matter. It’s the year that leads up to it.”

Joe agrees.

“Running this race with Maia has been the privilege of my life,” he says. “The result matters, but the experience we shared matters far more.”

Joe and Maia completed the Marathon des Sables in support of Medical Aid for Palestinians, raising more than £35,000 for the charity.