THANK YOU everyone for such generosity. We've raised so much and with the gift aid supplement this will bring us over our target of £1500 and Red Balloon will get their new media centre!

The marathon was an awesome experience with surprises and casualties along the way but with a happy ending. Training started in earnest in April. The two of us, complete novices, found even a 10 min jog around the block exhausting. We thought how could anyone ever run for 13.1 miles. But we stuck at it, missing a few training runs along the way (who ever really does them all?).

Then in July, and out of the blue, we had the amazing discovery that Swapna was with child! We were truly blessed, but it meant that Swapna had to pull out. Fortunately, my sister Sara came to the rescue. Not only did she end up running in Swapna's place, but also helped hugely with the fundraising.

I ploughed on with my 70 and 80 minute runs, taking me over Hampstead Heath with a breathtaking view of our beautiful city. DJ Tiesto in my ears, thanks to a great birthday prezzie from Swapna, ensured the miles were clocked up. There was a not-so-brief interlude in the training when more important matters took place, our belated honeymoon in Cuba, followed by a slightly nervous return to training only two weeks before the race. Even more nervous was the burst of pace on the fundraising side with only one week to go! Well, everyone always leaves it to the last minute don't they?

I have to say that running does not bring great enjoyment to me, but for the first nine miles of the race I was proved wrong: the sights whizzed by, the spectacle was inspiring and everything felt comfortable. Then for the next four miles I was proved absolutely right. But despite the pain in the left knee reducing things to a limp at times, there was still enough there for the obligatory sprint for the line and a photo (opportunity) finish. I finished inside my two-hour target: 1h 53min 13sec. Sara was quicker by one second! - the price I paid for being distracted by the cameras. Well, that's the excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We are so happy that you've helped us raise some money for a brilliant little charity.

James and Swapna

Check out the finishing photo with the photo link on the left.

More pics at: http://www.sportcam.net/CompetitorImage.aspx?ID=82&General=No