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We did it- and thank you!!! New York was a wonderful experience and Jane and I are delighted to report safe completion and our thanks for your support which has already raised in excess of £3,000 for Future Hope. We are very grateful as are the charity. The race day conditions were nigh on perfect. Well they probably were if you were Geoffrey Mutai or one of his fellow Kenyans who didn’t have to wait 4 hours chilling your (skinny) bottom for the ‘wave 3’ start off Staten Island then tiptoe through the debris and detritus of 50,000 runners’ discarded cups, banana skins and Gatorade (has a stickier substance ever been known to man?). Had Geoffrey also required a toilet break he would doubtless also at least have found a clean one. The day kicked off as early as 5am (for the second successive weekend we were blessed at least by the clocks going back on Saturday night) for a 6am bus to Staten Island, where we chilled various bits in the marathon ‘village’ which resembled something between Glastonbury and a concentration camp. Runners huddled like penguins on an ice floe waiting for the sun to rise and warm us all up. The Italians had brought sleeping bags. Departures were phased in ‘waves’ with Jane and I scheduled to run in different corrals at different times according to ability. Chivalrously I opted to drop back into ‘wave 3 corral 56’ into which Jane had been assigned and which contained mostly pensioners, amputees and Australians. We were the last wave to leave Staten Island leaving the ‘village’ as if a locust swarm had descended on cardboard city. A rousing refrain of ‘God Bless America’ and then we jogged off after the gun to the strains of Frank Sinatra’s ‘New York New York’ blaring through the speakers. The Verrazano bridge the first of many on the day which led us through all 5 boroughs, 26 water stops, 125 live bands, many thousands of spectators and ultimately the late autumn sunshine of Central Park. As this was Jane’s first, and at the time of writing to be her only marathon, we took the race at a steady pace and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the local communities as far as our protesting limbs would allow us. The bands of Bronx and Harlem were a particular highlight as were the local children who had probably been stationed on the course for hours but were still offering fruit (one mum was proudly taking photos of us). Many of the views were simply stunning – particularly from the bridges, with the initial panorama of lower Manhattan and the East River quite breathtaking as we crossed into Brooklyn. We were late home despite Jane’s sprint finish to beat me to the line by a second in 5.33.38 and within half an hour or so it was dark. Geoffrey was probably already half way to Nairobi. Finishers were ‘kettled’ in claustrophobic and crowded chutes to await the return of our bags and something warm to wear although this wasn’t quite quick enough for Jane who decided the camp beds (or the young doctors?) in the medical tents looked more inviting so took the opportunity for a quick lie-down. As there was clearly no pinot grigio in the first aid box she rose Lazarus-like to seek out the nearest liquor store on our return to the hotel. It was close to midnight in the UK when we returned to the hotel, but we were pleasantly surprised to find that many family and friends had been tracking us mile by painful mile through the last hour or so of the course via the race website. Amazing levels of detail to record so much data on 50,000 runners but reassuring to know we were being supported around the course – and can imagine various sighs of relief as we scanned ourselves over the tracking mats through to the finish... We are safely returned to London this morning after a magical weekend and so pleased and proud to have raised so much money for Future Hope. Jane and I are very grateful for your generosity and support to this major adventure. Future Hope has been close to our hearts for over 16 years now.  Posted to Calcutta in India in 1995 with our two toddlers Harriet and Hugo, we quickly became involved with this amazing organisation. Future Hope was established  in 1987 by Tim Grandage, who had seen the plight of the vulnerable children orphaned or abandoned and living on the streets of Calcutta. He realised that the boys who offered to guard his car while he was at work each day had no home to return to at night.  He took them in, found schools for them, a doctor who would treat them free of charge and taught them to play rugby.  Almost 25 years later, Future Hope is still taking the poorest and most vulnerable children from the streets of Calcutta and providing them with a secure and loving home, an education, medical care and, most of all, opportunity. There are 160 children in Future Hope's homes and the school is now 250 strong .  Alongside our own residents the school takes in "day scholars", children from the local slums, street children in every way, but who do have homes to return to at night.  Future Hope’s rugby teams regularly see off all opposition – a source of great pride and confidence for the children. The girls' hockey team goes from strength to strength  Of the tiny children, all motherless and some only 5 or 6 years old, that we first met 16 years ago, all have grown into charming and successful young men and women:  some are at university; some are working, often in senior graduate posts; a few are married.  They remain part of the Future Hope family and we are proud to call them our good friends (you know who you are!!)   We are running this marathon so that Future Hope can continue to help Calcutta’s most vulnerable children reach for a better future.   Please give generously.  It costs just £1 a day to educate one of Future Hope’s children and just £1 a day to feed a child.  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.

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