11 April update:
Well I have finally done a marathon! 4 hours 11 mins and placed 2579 / 8000.  Lost a bit of toe nail and got some sun burn, but otherwise all OK.  A bit stiff this morning.  Very hot run, but don't think it had a huge overall effect on my time in the scheme of things.  Great atmosphere and huge crowds. 

4th March 2011

As many of you will know, I like my 'challenges', but until now I have never asked you for money.  At 15 stone, I'm not exactly built for marathon running, so 26 Miles and 385 yards (I suspect those yards will really count,) is certainly going to be the mother of all challenges for me, but training runs are now over 15 miles each time, so things are looking promising. 

TRAINING UPDATES
6-3-11: 20.04 miles, 3.27 hours, 3,044 cals, hallucinations of being chased by giant bananas and a honey monster.
21-3-11: Reading half marathon. 1.54 (PB) 12,500 runners.  Quite an event.

If I never ask you to donate again, please can you dig as deep as you can this time around, even if just to make sure I do the damn thing!  It will really mean a lot to me, but even more to the charities that I am supporting.  Even just a small donation will help.

The first is the George Oliver Foundation.  My Nephew George, a sparkling and healthly little toddler, died quite suddenly in 2009, aged just 14 months.  His parents Em and Mark have set up a charity supporting 'Warchild' (and other Charities) in Uganda establishing many ground-breaking development projects providing essential opportunities to children who would otherwise be excluded from education due to disability and lack of access.

http://www.georgesfoundation.org/

The second is the Ace Centre, based in Oxford, who provide help with Children that have extreme communicational issues due to things like brain trauma and cerebral palsy. 

http://www.ace-centre.org.uk

Funds will be split 50:50 between these two charities.

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.

Thank you so much for helping.

Stu