Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
OK! Here's my pitch.
For those of you who don't know know my story I suffered from an eating disorder for almost twenty years, wasting from a promising young athlete to a fragile 6 stone recluse. A chest infection early in 2008 lead to pneumonia and a collapsed lung which caused me to be admitted to hospital. The nightmare continued when an outbreak of the Norovirus meant the hospital shut it's doors to visitors. The final straw came when doctors, believing that I might have the virus and put me into isolation. Alone, afraid and without the company of family or friends I did some serious thinking.
That's when I gave myself the biggest kick up the arse imaginable.
"Dig yourself out of this hole, fight back and do something to be proud of". That was my mantra.
2008 saw progress down the long road to recovery. Putting on weight and gaining strength when you're starting from such a low point isn't easy or straightforward. I gained a place in the 2009 Paris marathon running for my chosen charity Macmillan Cancer Support. The messages of good luck, donations and support that I received from Joe public, and particularly the people of Herefordshire was quite amazing and very humbling. 5th April 2009: marathon completed, £2,500 raised: mission accomplished.
My thoughts then turned to the ultimate challenge - competing in the first Virgin London marathon on 25 April 2010. On the 3 April 2010 I hit the big 40. They say life begins at 40 and what better way to start! I have secured my place in the race, once again choosing to run for Macmillan. I need to beat last years total and this is where you come in. I have already received a massive boost after Will King, the founder of the King of Shaves company, replied to my email pledging his support. For the owner of a company selling products worldwide to take time out to support my cause is fantastic. As a result of Will's involvement (and here comes the crazy bit!) I am thinking of running the marathon dressed as a razor!!! It may sound bizarre but, what a way to attract attention for my charity and help raise extra cash? Surely no one else has completed the London marathon in a razor suit? If anyone out there knows someone who might be able to design or make a razor costume then please, please leave me a message along with your donation. You too could be a part of my crazy challenge and help realise my ambition. Please bare in mind that I will be attempting to run 26.2 miles in this costume so it will have to be A) lightweight and B) allow me to breathe!
Macmillan Cancer Support are an amazing charity, helping both victims of cancer their family and friends. One in three of us will be affected by cancer so the charity is relevant to us all and properly tangible.
I'll attempt to keep you posted on my progress over the next six months as I move away from the comforts of the warm gym treadmill out onto the cold, probably windy and certainly wet roads of rural Herefordshire. If you see my out running please give me a wave or a toot of the horn as you go by.
Thank you for taking time out to read my page and please support me in my challenge. Razor man can only become a reality with your help!
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.
