A child poses for the camera with washing in the background

Richmond's marathon man is hitting the road again in the name of charity -- this time on a 100-mile run through Texas with little rest and no sleep.

Benji Chu made headlines last year when he took part in the 254-km Marathon de Sables across the Sahara Desert, the world's most grueling footrace. But weeks after Haiti was hit by a massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake, Richmond's Chu -- a food service manager at MacDonald Dettwiler -- flew down to Texas last week to take part in the Rocky Raccoon to raise money for the stricken people.

"It's a real testament to the human spirit and will to survive," said Malaysian-born Chu, who moved to Richmond eight years ago after immigrating to North America in 1988.

"The strength and courage of the Haitian people in the face of such catastrophe is truly remarkable and inspiring," said Chu. This Saturday, Chu will put his own physical endurance and mental tenacity to the test when he runs a 30-hour, 100-mile trail run in Texas called the Rocky Raccoon to raise money for Haitian relief.

"The race starts at 6 a.m. in the morning and it won't be an easy feat," he said.

"I'll be running without sleep or rest for about 20 hours straight, but compared to what the Haitian people are going through right now, my discomfort and pain will be nothing."

Chu started running four years ago as a hobby. That hobby has since evolved into a full-blown passion that has taken him around the world running marathons and ultra-marathons to raise funds for charitable causes.

In 2008 he ran 12 marathons in 12 months raising $12,500 for SOS Children's Village in Cambodia. In March 2009 he flew to Morocco to compete in the Marathon de Sables, an arduous, 243-km six-day endurance run through the Sahara Desert.

The race was the tail end of a 600-km running campaign Chu had put together to raise funds for SOS Children's Villages in Morocco. Chu decided to run the Rocky Raccoon on a whim in early January, not leaving him much time to train in between work and being a dad to his seven-year-old son, Jasper.

"There's been mornings when I've woken up at 4:00 a.m. for a seven-hour run by myself while most people are still fast asleep in their beds. It's me against the elements -- wind, rain and angry, barking dogs," he laughed.