Lions, tigers and bears are one thing. Scorpions, vipers and giant camel spiders are quite another.

While Coquitlam’s Marc Bremner has encountered the occasional bear while running before, he realizes competing later this month in The Sahara Race ultra-marathon will see him likely stroll upon some dangerous and daunting creatures he has never before happened across.

Bremner, 50, is part of the three-member Team Trailwinders team that will embark on the Egypt desert Oct. 25 and join about 130 other elite runners for The Sahara Race, rated by Time Magazine as one of the world’s harshest endurance competitions.

The event is an extremely taxing six-day, 254 km (156-mile) ultra-marathon that equates into running roughly a marathon a day in temperatures ranging between 30 and 50 Celsius.

Now back to the scorpions, vipers and spiders.

“Here, we have bears, cougars and, in the Okanagan, rattlesnakes,” says Bremner, a father of three and grandfather of two. “I’ve also run into wasps nests and gotten multiple stings. [The Sahara Race] is what it is, I suppose. We’ll use common sense and caution. All we can do is educate ourselves and be prepared.”

For Bremner, the race is as much about keeping in mind others close to him and his heart as it is being aware for his own personal well being. Bremner’s five-year-old granddaughter suffers from Cystic Fibrosis and Team Trailwinders, including Jay Solman and Lara Rintoul, is looking to raise money through their Sahara expedition for Variety Children’s Charities of B.C., for which it has garnered more than $6,000 in past events, namely California’s Death Valley ultra in February, 2008.

Also, Bremner’s dad passed away in August, making this race all the more poignant for him.

“I’m dedicating the race to him,” Bremner said. “He loved adventure and he will be with me on this one for sure.”

Bremner believes there’s more to be concerned about in Egypt than potentially venomous creatures.

“The biggest challenge is the heat and blisters,” he says. “Knowing how much water to drink and replacing electrolytes will be crucial.”

Starting Monday, the trio will start its involvement in a heat acclimation study offered by Simon Fraser University’s kinesiology department.

“They have a heat chamber where we will attend for one hour each day until we leave,” Bremner says. “[We believe] it will give us a 30 per cent performance advantage for the race. We’ll also have to stay on top of blisters and any swelling that arises.”

Bremner is also particularly concerned about, of all things, his ears –– not while running.

“We’ll be sharing a military-style tent with 10 others,” he relays. “That could be very interesting. I’m bringing my ear plugs, for sure.”

FINISH LINE: One can track the trio’s progress live starting Oct. 24 at www.4deserts.com/sahararace and donate to the team’s Variety Children’s fund at www.trailwinders.com.