My Dream

The 25th April 2010 and the London Marathon allowed me,with fantastic support from my family and friends, to realise a dream. In part it was my wish to mark the year with a personal achievement and to meet a challenge. For some mad reason I decided that achievement and challenge would be 26.2 miles on the streets of London. Yes the training was hard but the 'finish line' was as good a feeling as one can have, maybe not as good as City winning the premiership, but close! I wish I could say that I ran all the 26.2 miles but sadly cannot. I suffered an injury seven weeks before the race and did not train for the last four weeks. With six days to go I could not even run 50metres but thankfully my physio delivered the miracle I sought from him. It was for him to get me over the start  and finish line and the in between bit would be down to me. It was, but the hug and cuddle from Gracie at nineteen miles did more than any drugs or sprays could achieve. I finished in 5hrs 20mins, got my medal and now formally retire from marathon running.

It was not just about me though, the second and most important part of my dream was to do something to support the Royal Marsden Cancer Campaign. The Marsden will always be a special place in the hearts of our family and their research into the treatment of cancer will one day help to ensure that future generations will be better equipped to beat cancer. I dedicated my run to Pam and Tricia but I know that many of you who have kindly supported me, by providing the sponsorship, will also have someone close to you who has been affected by cancer. I also dedicate my run to them and to Gracie, Noodles,Jacob, Albert, Matthew, Posy and Lucy.

Thank you for your generosity, love and friendship.

Mike x