Why set up this page - well I entered this run early in the year and several people have suggested I should convert the effort of running across Snowdonia into some cash for a good cause.

If Mountain Rescue isn't your thing but you'd still like to support the effort then go to the other page :http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Buckley-Cambridge1

Fortunately I've never been at the sharp end of a mountain rescue but I have helped carry rescue stretchers and can vouch for the fact that its hard work carried out with good cheer - and its only donations like these that keep it going. The teams have no guarantee of state support, all the team kit (from landrovers to ropes) are funded by donations and the team members use their own gear; if an expensive waterproof gets blown away on a grim night or forgotten on a wet hillside its replacement is paid for from our donations.

If you go into the mountains for pleasure or carry out fieldwork in the hills of Britain remember that you might one day thank the resue team for their help.

Another Q that I've been asked is how long will I take to complete this marathon ? In short, I entered it with the intention of finishing and knew I could walk 26 miles over the hills. Having put in close on 600 miles of running this year I reckon I can aim to do it in 4 hours or so.

What chance is there of that ? The hard work might be the 300m or so of ascent from mile 21, though some say it is the descent into Llanberis that follows. As it happens I've done that bit in a pratice run when I did the final half of the course from Beddgelert to Lanberis so I know exactly what the going is like even if I'll have already done 13 miles when I get there this time !

If you want to see all the lumps and bumps have a look at http://www.snowdoniamarathon.co.uk/courseprofile.pdf

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.