UPDATE

Well, I made it in 4 hours 32 mins. Thankyou for all your support and generous giving, I know Mencap really appreciate all the help they are getting from the 130 runners they had, some of whom I met in the pub they hired for us after the race.

Personally it was the hardest thing i've ever done, the weather on the day was a lot hotter than I'd been training in. At mile 18 I had to stop for a short while and stretch and had time to talk to Lizzy. I didn't realise how difficult it would be to start running again once I'd stopped and luckily there weren't many supporters there, as my first few steps where very pigeon like.

Stopping was a good idea as I was able to drink lots of water that I couldn't take in whilst running and I continued to run at a good pace all the way to the finish. Most importantly a lot of friends were at Parliament Square and I didn't want to slow down there, the final 600 m countdown really did feel like ages but I am soo glad I made it and mostly that was because I couldn't let Mencap and all my kind friends down.

Will I do it again, well, I won't go the charity collection route but I am considering entering the ballot as I now know what its like, maybe it gets easier!! Maybe. There is a video that I recorded for Mencap which tells you about my experience. See the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvFsBtGYJIY

Photos of the day below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=248556&id=644345606&l=6ca61f8b48

On 26th April 2009 I am running the London Marathon for Mencap.

It started 2 years ago when I signed up to run the London Duathlon in Richmond Park with a few friends, I had never run for fun before and I started to really enjoy the freedom and space you  get from running through London’s parks. I mainly train in South London round Dulwich Park, but every other week train with my running partner Stacy and we run round Hyde Park and back to Battersea which has some great sights along the way including running along the river which I love the most.

Then I did my first half Marathon, the Great North Run in October 2008 and completed in 1 hour 47 mins, this was the furthest I’d ever raced before and it felt great to be supported by the crowd.  I knew I wanted to attempt the full Marathon in my home town of London. It is very difficult to get into the London Marathon so I decided to raise money for charity.

I've chosen to run for Mencap because I want to help people affected by learning disabilities. Lizzy's Aunt Jenny has Down’s syndrome and it is amazing the help she has had from her family and local support groups.

Over the years Jenny has had better and worse moments but even now when we get together I am impressed with how she can make us all laugh with her cheekiness and show us moments of her independence. I would love to raise money for Mencap to give back to a charity who can really help people like Jenny and their families.

I have just completed the Silverstone half Marathon in March 2009 in 1 hour 43 mins which was a new personal best for me,  I am 5 months into my training and happy to report its all going well. This weekend I’m going for my final long run with Stacy which is 3 ½ hours before I taper off my training.

Guessing Game
The reason I’ve been dropping hints as to my half marathon times is that I propose a bit of a guesswork challenge to go along with any sponsorship you may like to give me for Mencap. If you would like to go to my website below and sponsor me (or send a cheque addressed to “Mencap” to my address below)  also add your “guess” for my finish time in the comments section once you’ve filled out your details. The winner will receive an Amazon Voucher for £15.

To follow my progress whilst I train for the Marathon and to keep me running I’ve setup a Blog at  http://mrblake.com/blog/

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Mencap gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation. Thank you so much for your support

So please sponsor me now!