When fitness enthusiast and HR business owner Butch Singh, 48, took it upon himself to raise funds for a girls' school at the Coast, he chose a most taxing challenge: To ride a bicycle all the way from Nairobi to Mombasa... alone.

Having made the decision in an instant, and with very few weeks to train before he kicked off the ride, Butch took himself through a punishing daily routine to get his endurance levels up. But nothing could prepare him for the lonely, physically and emotionally draining journey he was about to embark on.

Thus started his journey through punishing conditions and numerous instances where he had to fight with all his will to keep going. Here's how he learned to make his body obey his mind.