EDIT - thanks to Brad of Runners World, I have reached my original target of £200 -  and then Jason Watson helped me get to £220! You can help me edge up further. Who knows how much we could raise?

They get no government funding so every penny from you really does matter.

On 26 May, 28 July and 13 August 2010, I will be running a 5km road race on each date and a 10km race in September in support of Canine Partners. Please visit their website at http://www.caninepartners.co.uk

I am not affiliated to any running club but these are proper Sussex League Road Races with real club-running athletes that I am up against. However, please don't be disappointed if I am not featured on the news having narrowly failed to smash the 5km world record by......oooh.....several minutes.

These are also my first competitive races since I finished 43rd in the Inter Sussex Schools Cross Country Race in 1980 something...

I am actually training for these events  and am going to give them all my best shot. I managed 26:52 in my first race and am now managing sub 24 minutes in training, just 6 weeks later.

I will also be running a 10km and half-marathon, so if you can give something, however small, it will make all the training worthwhile.

Thank you for your time and for your donation.

Martin Allen