<p>Friends,</p> <p>Next month sees Riley and Rue compete in a test of physical fitness, mental determination and sheer steely grit: The Brighton (half) Marathon.&nbsp;</p> <p>The race will be a real challenge for these two men, currently weighing in at 17st and 20st respectively, who, on competing in a 5k fun run in 2004, both recorded the same paltry result: &lsquo;did not finish&rsquo;.</p> <p>You may assume this exercise is just an elaborate ploy for Riley and Rue to shift that excess Christmas weight and tone their svelte bodies just in time for Valentine&rsquo;s Day &ndash; and it is. But it&rsquo;s also about something far more important than that&hellip;</p> <p>The intrepid athletes are running to raise money for an extremely worthy cause: to fund research into Mitochondrial Disease. The condition is a result of dysfunctional mitochondria (the things that produce energy in our cells) and means that cells cannot perform their requisite functions. The disease, which can be hereditary or due to genetic mutation, manifests itself differently in different people but can result in symptoms such as poor growth, loss of muscle ability, respiratory disorders, liver disease, dementia and even death. Currently the disease can be treated but not cured.</p> <p>Donations will go to The Lily Foundation, a charity founded by a couple who sadly lost their daughter at just eight months of age. The Foundation now uses donations to fund research into forms of diagnosis and treatment for Mitochondrial Disease.&nbsp; For more information on Mitochondrial Disease and The Lily Foundation, please click here:</p> <p><a href="http://www.thelilyfoundation.org.uk/">http://www.thelilyfoundation.org.uk/</a></p> <p>Please do support the amazing work The Lily Foundation does by sponsoring Riley and Rue at their Just Giving address below. I, for one, will be giving my support.</p> <p>Yours Sincerely,</p> <p>Paula Radcliffe</p>