This is my second time entering the London Marathon and, for the second time, I am running for the charity CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young). Here's why this is a charity so close to my heart and which greatly needs your support.

On Friday 7th November 2003, my sister Jane went to bed with plans for a nice day out in London with her husband Edwin the next day. Her 8-year-old daughter Emma and 7-month-old son Luka slept quietly in their rooms. The next morning, she never woke up.

Jane was a fit and healthy 35-year-old. There had been no warning to us that she had a condition that could lead to Sudden Cardiac Death. There is so little awareness that even cardiologists, who mainly deal with coronary heart disease in older people, can fail to spot indications of these conditions. It is estimated that up to 8 young people die a week in the UK due to cardiac abnormalities.

On April 22nd, I am running the Flora London Marathon to raise money for CRY. CRY works to increase awareness of Sudden Cardiac Death, provide bereavement support and counselling to victims' families, support medical research and develop a national screening programme. To find out more about their work, please visit their website www.c-r-y.org.uk

To find out a bit more about why I first chose to run the London Marathon for CRY, read my write-up of my marathon run in 2005 at:
www.c-r-y.org.uk/london_marathon_2005_philip_allen.htm

Since I last ran the marathon nearly two years ago, many more families, at least 700 in the UK alone, have had to go through the same tragedy that we did. Please help CRY work to stop this, through screening and also research to detect more of the genes responsible.

For those outside the UK, please be aware that too little is known to the international medical community about Sudden Cardiac Death so sponsoring me and helping fund medical research will be of benefit to people all around the world who have these fatal conditions but do not know it.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Cardiac Risk in the Young will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

So please sponsor me now! Many thanks for your support.

Philip Allen