Story
<p><strong>Update - Marathon successfully completed</strong></p>
<p>I successfully completed the London Marathon in 4:09:49. A bit sore, and very stiff, but happy with my finishing time. A big thank you to all who have kindly donated. I have raised substantially more than my original target, but additional contributions are, of course, always welcome.</p>
<p><strong>My story</strong></p>
<p>I'm running the 2012 Virgin London Marathon to raise funds for Alzheimer's Research UK. </p>
<p>I enjoy running and have done several half marathons, but 26.2 miles is a big step up and requires lots of hard training. That means running 5 days a week, whatever the weather, from late December through mid-April, covering at least 550 miles over 18 weeks.</p>
<p>For more about this personal challenge, please visit my web site at <a href="http://www.taylor-net.com/marathon/">http://www.taylor-net.com/marathon/</a> .</p>
<p>My father died in March 2011 after suffering from Alzheimer's for several years. It's a miserable condition that hugely diminishes quality of life for both sufferers and those who care for them. Dementia research is tremendously underfunded compared with cancer and heart disease, but as our life expectancy increases so do our chances of suffering from some form of dementia. I hope you will feel able to support me in raising funds to help find the causes of, and eventually the cure for Alzheimer's Disease. </p>
<p>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.</p>