Hi

After years of watching TV coverage of the London marathon from my armchair and thinking "what if", and inspired by incredible achievements by friends at work, I've decided to run my first marathon.

The run is on 12 September 2010 and is called the Yorkshireman Off-road Marathon.  As the name suggests, it's an off-road run over the fells of Yorkshire (near Haworth).  (It's not for men only though!)  It covers a total of 3,065' of ascent over 26.2 miles.

It's organised under Fell Running Association rules.  This has a few consequences, such as having to carry full body waterproof cover (jacket and trousers), food, a map, compass and whistle in case of emergency.  In addition, due to there being only a few 'aid' stations, I'll be carrying most of my fluid requirements (about 1.5 litres).

Initial naivety meant that I had a target completion time of 4 hours.  After increasing my off-road running and hill training, my expectations have been somewhat realigned!  I now hope to complete in 5 hours, but it'll be a challenge to say the least.

In an attempt to derive some good from this madness, I'm trying to raise a little cash for the NSPCC.  I'd be very grateful for any support you can give.

Thank you very much indeed.

Will