Three years ago I was running in the Berlin Marathon. It was an unusually hot and sunny September day. It seemed that neither the blistering heat or the lack of hydration during the preceding 26 miles would prevent my crossing of the finishing line. Or so I thought. Locked in a world in pain with trance dance music blasting through my drenched earbuds I entered the final straight. I could see the Brandenburg Gate. Beyond the gate was the finishing line. I’ve done it……… I awoke to the sound of foreign voices in the background, my head was fuzzy, I could see a UV strip light humming brightly above me. I tried to move arms, I couldn’t. I tried to move my legs. I couldn’t. I tried to sit up… impossible…. I struggled to move with every sinew… This scary process then repeated.. At the end of the sequence this time a head came into view… It was the head of a German Doctor… “you verr in die marathon…you are in hospital… we have had 28 in here today… you und dis guy ver die verse…’, glancing to my left I could see an unconscious runner hooked up with various tubes hanging out of him…. “wie have put 4 litres of fluid into you”…. It slowly dawned on me that 4 hours earlier I was anticipating crossing the finishing line and collecting my medal… This opportunity, this moment, had clearly now passed me by….

 

Three years to the date of this experience I am heavier and not nearly as fit. I will however being flying to Berlin shortly to run the last 500 meters of the race…. To finish the race… The only snag is that I will have to run the first 26 miles again…

 

I would ask that you support me in this venture….please support me as I am running in aid of a charity that helps fight cancer that kills over ten thousand a year in the UK alone and affects many more. This is not a cancer that attracts a great deal of publicity or funding but affects many. With your help I hope I can raise £900 to help fight Prostate Cancer…. Please do give generously….