I’m back . . .

 

BOOM! After a year off, I’m back into the fold of fundraising. My nominated charity this year is Alopecia UK. I’ll be taking on a different challenge this year, as opposed to the normal marathon. Firstly, I’ll be taking part in the Colombia Hellrider Duathlon event on 2 June, and then on 8 July, I’ll be running in the British London 10K Run. For the finale I’ll be taking part in the Tough Mudder hard-core 12 mile obstacle course on 17 November.

 

The cause

 

As some of you will know, I’ve been a long term sufferer of alopecia and have endured pretty much all stages of the disease since being diagnosed. It’s tough enough for an adult to come to terms with, so for a child it must a very challenging time in their lives. So, my main focus is to raise funds to help set up children’s support groups throughout the UK.

 

 

Alopecia (pronounced al-oh-PEA-sha) is a hair-loss disease that affects men, women and children. The onset is often sudden, random and frequently recurrent. The effects can range from the odd patch of missing hair on the head, to complete loss off all body hair. Alopecia can have severe effects on quality of life and emotional health through its impact on confidence and self-esteem.

The exact cause of alopecia areata isn’t known, although it’s generally agreed it’s a disease of the immune system. There is believed to be a genetic component in some cases. In alopecia, your immune system attacks the affected hair follicles by mistake. This halts hair growth (the anagen stage) and causes a move to resting (the telogen phase) where the hairs are then abruptly shed.

 

For more information, please visit the Alopecia UK website: http://www.alopeciaonline.org.uk/about-alopecia.asp

 

The events

 

Colombia Hellrider Duathlon – Saturday 2 June 2012

 

The Columbia Hellrider Duathlon takes place in the grounds of West Wycombe Park, Buckinghamshire. However, this is no ordinary Duathlon. It is an eight hour endurance race, in which teams of three, five or the mad individual will complete a 5K run followed by an 8K mountain bike route continuously between the hours of 10am and 6pm.

 

The aim is to complete as many loops of the course as you can within the allotted time frame. The 5K run route is by no means ‘a walk in the park’. It is an all terrain route, including steep climbs, fields, forest tracks and also two river crossings. The 8K mountain bike route also consists of some steep climbs and tricky terrain throughout.   http://www.hellrider.co.uk/index.php

   

 

British London 10K Run – Sunday 8 July 2012

 

The British 10K London Run, in its 12th Anniversary year and taking place right in the middle of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year and just days before the 2012 Olympics, is the UK's most prestigious and sought-after 10km road race.

 

The race starts at 9.35am with the exciting and historical route taking you through the very heart of London, running past many of central London's world famous historic landmarks including Big Ben / British Houses of Parliament, The London Eye, St Paul's Cathedral, Trafalgar Square / Nelson's Column and Westminster Abbey. http://www.thebritish10klondon.co.uk/

 

Tough Mudder – Saturday 17 November 2012

 

Set in the Picturesque Cholmondeley Estates of Malpas, Cheshire, the Tough Mudder event is a hardcore 12 mile obstacle course designed by the Special Forces to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie. The Tough Mudder course will have 12 miles of hills, mud, water, ropes, walls, electric shocks, and of course, fire – Oh my god, what have I signed up for!? http://toughmudder.co.uk/events/north-west/

 

 

The plea

 

I know that this is a challenging time for all of us, so I won’t keep hounding you for your money, but if you feel that you can assist me in any way with raising money for a very worthy cause, I’d be most grateful if you could find the time to click on the ‘Donate’ button on my justgiving page:

 

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you

 

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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.