The photo just above shows the SpecialEffect flag at Everest Base camp in October 2010. We will be spreading the SpecialEffect message further on 9 December 2012 by raising the same flag at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.

We will be carrying the flag from the village of Marathon, 40 kms north-east of Athens, running over the Penteli hills following the route of the epic event from which the modern-day Marathon was born. In 490BC the Persians under King Darius had invaded the Greek mainland at Marathon; the Persians were losing the battle and had started to retreat to their ships, intending to sail round to attack the un-defended Athens. Legend has it that the messenger Pheidippides ran from the battle-field at Marathon to the Acropolis. He managed to warn the Athenians of the threat before he dropped dead from exhaustion.

It’s an irresistible story.

I’m an Ambassador for the local charity SpecialEffect, which supports severely disabled children and adults by developing and providing technology to enable remote control of computers, sometimes by eye movement alone. A person who is paralysed can now browse the internet, use email and social networking sites, or play networked computer games. This technology gives, quite literally, a new lease of life to many severely disadvantaged youngsters.

It’s an irresistible cause.

I would ask you to take just over one minute to watch this video to see why we are embarking on this epic adventure and then consider a donation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_ZG0aOSIZQ

There are 5 of us running, and we will be assisted by a friend who lives in Greece and will provide a support vehicle carrying drinks, oxygen and a defibrillator. Each runner has personally covered all of the costs of the trip, including flight and subsistence, so the full amount of all donations will go directly to the cause.

Thank you so much for your time.

Rod