UPDATED: Having smashed our previous target, we've jointly agreed to aim higher, both in our training and our fund-raising efforts!

Thanks for taking the time to visit our page. The four of us are hoping that by pooling our efforts, and more importantly our contacts & friends, we can raise a greater amount for a great charity. What's more, we're offering a couple of "token" prizes to our sponsors:

1) For the closest guess at our aggregate time for the half-marathon (see below for some clues)

2) for the most amusing message

We don't promise to run over the line arm in arm, but we will be pushing each other through training and on the day to perform at the edge of our total team capacity. We've all worked together for at least the past year, so we know how far we can push ...

Please sponsor us and leave us a message, guessing at our total aggregate finishing time, for a chance to win a prize (and, no, it's not our used running shoes)

We are raising money for a great cause: Starfish Greathearts Foundation is an international development charity, aiming to bring life, hope and opportunity to children in South Africa, who have been orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS. Helping children is something that is important to all four of us for different reasons, and we feel that Starfish provide a way of doing this in an area that really needs help.

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.

So please dig deep and donate now.

Runners Profiles:

As many of you won't know all of us, we've each provided a little background on our running styles and experience, to give you an idea on total time:

Richard - novice runner - no idea or expectation of how long it will take, but have been in training since April, when Paddy persuaded me it was a good idea over some very nice Hungarian beers in Budapest - running style: "sweaty and laboured" - hoping to break 2 hours

Abbe - veteran runner (in experience, not age!) - training has been hampered by a five year running sabbatical and recent move from UK to Netherlands, but with enough cans of coke, will no doubt surprise everybody. Any estimates of finishing time would be a triumph of hope over expectation! If she had her preference, she would rather be sitting by the seaside. Running style: "on-off-on-off"

Paddy - the hare in the pack - last year's time in this race was 1hr 44m, has already completed the London Marathon this year - running style: "start slowly and taper off gently"

Debby - the dark horse - joined the team late, we have no idea of her pedigree, but she's talking a good game. Has so far worked on her breathing more than actual running. Aiming for 3hours. Running style: "steady for 30-40 mins at a slow pace and definitely some walking in between" (we haven't told her how long the run is yet...)